Link popularity is tied to the URL of a web page. To build your web site’s link popularity, you will need links pointing to the exact URL of your pages.

Search engines typically will not pass on any weight to the landing page of a redirected link. In other words, a tracking or redirected link doesn’t count towards your web site’s link popularity. However, search engines will pass on weight to the landing page of a link that uses permanent or 301 redirects.

The use of redirected links is usually for tracking purposes. With link exchanges, it is not unusual for a link partner to track how many visitors click on the link to your web site. It’s fairly unusual for a webmaster to use redirected links solely for the purpose of trying to cheat another webmaster during a link exchange.

An example of a redirected link is as follows:

Which will result in the following link in your web browser.

The above example shows the link that isn’t a static HTML link, but a redirected link. The link passes through the page redirectedlinkstest.php, which then sends the web browser to the final landing page. In this case, LinkTutorial.com’s home page.

Impact of redirected links on link exchanges

Depending on the redirection used, redirected links often renders that link to your web site virtually useless, in terms of link popularity. Your web site would miss out on the search engine benefits from redirected links.

However, a link exchange involving a redirected or tracking link is still useful in terms of visitors. Your web site would still get the benefit of visitors coming to your web site from your link partner’s web site.

Detecting redirected links

Detecting redirected links is fairly simple. There’s no need to view the source code of a web page. Simple click on the link and if you see a series of URLs in the status bar of your web browser, that link is a redirected link.

Use the above example to test the detection of redirected links.