Optimizing SMF Forums

[Andy]

Search engine optimizers worry about link-bleed i.e. the balance of inbound links to outbound links.

Free forum scripts like SMF often have a multitude of unnecessary outbound links in the credits area at the base of the page.

For example in SMF it is a legal requirement to link back to the founders of the script as a credit. But there are links to PHP.net, Mysql, w3.org validator and a css validator on every page of the site. That's 4 unnecessary links on hundreds of pages all bleeding away page rank. To still show the logos of these sites, yet remove the links, it's a simple matter to edit the index.template.php in the appropriate Theme. I would have thought that 1 link from your main page to mysql etc. would be enough to show appreciation.

[Hope]

This is a very valid point Andy. It is something that everyone needs to be aware of, not only for forum scripts, but all sites.

Don't have unneeded links on a new site. As your site gets more inbound links, you can add more links. There is a balance that should always be maintained.

[SensoVision]

folks, is it really so serious? I thought that providing link on the several pages to same site doesn't really make much difference than providing link from only one, am I wrong?
As for PHP and MySQL I actually feel that giving them credits is fair deal as these communities make our forum and most part of the web existence possible. But if you believe that giving links on each page to them is bad idea I could leave them on the main page only.
BTW right now we had two outbound links less(because of changes in staff team), so guess soon we should be able to prove or disapprove whenever this really influence things.

[donecweb]

I personally don't see a problem with providing a link to the same place on many pages. To me it just says you feel good about the places that get the links. The only concern I could see would be if there were so many links that it started looking like a link farm.

[Andy]

It depends on the way the search engine algorithm works. Maybe it is not a problem to have the same outbound links on every page? The Google, MSN, Yahoo algorithms should realise this. But if, like Hope says you have a new site it must be better to not have these links on every page.

If I give some code to a webmaster, I don't expect a link back from every page on their site. One link is enough!

[SensoVision]

folks, I've take your advice and now buttons to these sites are only visible from the main index page, boards and topics doesn't contain them anymore. I'm thinking to fill this space in experiment purposes with Adsense buttons offering firefox toolbar (only visible to guests of course ), but I still thinking whenver it's good or bad idea.
I also wonder if lowering outbound links by few thousands would really help to improve our rankings a bit... let's wait and see.

[SensoVision]

BTW I'm trying to find out how hard to make all links in posts except those in signatures to be run through redirection script. If I succeed this would dramatically decrease outbound links.