Our “New Google Bomb” discussion in WebProWorld is one of our most popular to date, but the question remains, how does this phenomenon affect search optimization?
So, what we know about this tactic is that Google indexes links that, essentially, don’t exist. If you couple this fact with a recent SEO post at SEORoundTable you’ll see a possible application.
Barry reported on a thread he read in WebMasterWorld where a member set up links on his sites to non-existant URLs. After six weeks and a PR update this same member bought the domains and had instant PageRank of “PR3 to a PR5.”
So why would you want to create PR before launching a domain?
Well, if you have a system for naming pages and know you’ll eventually have a “http://www.SnackProNews.com/Review/Cheetos.html” you can create a link on your site pointing to the page that will eventually show your Cheetos review. Then when you finally finish writing your review you can put the page up and it will have the PR from the links you already pointed at that domain.
Another suggestion from WMW was that this technique could (purely speculation) allow a means of getting out of the SandBox more quickly. There has, to my knowledge, been no proof of this.
The tester over at WMW didn’t buy the domain names before he created the links. I would, for the sake of snooping competitors recognizing your future domains, suggest you buy the domain before you make the links.
Though this tactic doesn’t necessarily give you anything new to do with the “new” Google bomb (I found out it’s really not new, I just hadn’t heard of it), it does suggest a wider possible application for Google’s indexing and valuation of links on your site.
What does this phenomenon suggest to you?
Garrett French is the editor of Murdok’s eBusiness channel. You can talk to him directly at WebProWorld, the eBusiness Community Forum.
