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Originally Posted by Dave Hawley
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Looks like this is finally getting sorted out Dave, I am glad you pursued it from the other forum.
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Haven't seen Fathom and Mel have you :)
Have you read this thread
http://www.webproworld.com/viewtopic.php?t=21427
In particular,
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I found it interesting that, in addition to link farms and guest book entries, forum posts are "increasingly counting for nothing."
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Observation:
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Matt Cutts (Google Senior Software Engineer) recently stated that forum sig links are increasing becoming worth "nothing". Many people read that as "absolutely worth nothing"...
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Over the course of all the threads you seem to change "precisely" what you are attempting to observe thus conclude.
1. Does Google crawl "sig links" --
YES
2. Does Google index "sig links" --
YES
3. Does Google pass PageRank via "sig links" -
YES
4. Does Google use the weight/relevancy for ranking the point to page - specifically via "sig links" --
YES
5. Is Google attempting to reduce the effectiveness of this particular benefit --
YES (as Matt Cutts stated)
6. Has Google been 100% successful in the reduction of this "benefit" --
NO
More importantly, I have repeatedly suggested "change the linking pattern you change the results".
Matt Cutts' statement suggested the pattern of "all" the same link (and anchors) is easily detectable by Google and as these go external from the resident website to another site they can be easily discounted or "worth less" as apposed to "absolute nothing".
This also includes external "site wide links" normally associated with "purchasing PageRank".
Unfortuately your experiment is flawed, thus your conclusions and research is flawed as well and you are merely posting an opinion and not concluding based on sound observations to prove or disprove anything.
My opinion: Personally and professionally what you conclude is fine as long as you maintain that you are "not experience in
SEO,
SEO research, and everything you state is merely an opinion, and you haven't proved or disproved anything.