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[bigarsenalbear]

Hi there,

I'm using the affilorama SEO bar to check whether links are "no follow" or not. But I'm confused about the colour. This should be a really simply question (and yet I've struggled to get the answer!)

What colour does a link go if it's no follow? (i.e. what colour does the affilorama bar make it?)

I've been told it goes red and that it goes grey/light purple if the link is "do follow."

But it's not clear.

I've checked some links with the affilorama tool and some grey with a red dashes around the whole box/link.

What does thatmean?

The centre of the box is grey (or light purple, I guess) but there are red dashes all around the circumference.

Does that make it NO follow? Or is it ok?

Thanks

Adam

 

[Cecille L]

The centre of the box is grey (or light purple, I guess) but there are red dashes all around the circumference.

That means an external link.

Hope that helps. Have a good day!

 

[bigarsenalbear]

Hi Cecille,

Thanks for posting. May I ask what you mean by "external link" in this case?

If I see a link on a page and it goes grey with red dashes around the border, is that a "do follow" link, first of all?

Secondly, in what sense is it "external"? In the sense that it links to a page on another domain?

What about links that just go grey (without any red dashes)? What does that signify?

Finally, what was confusing was the fact that when I looked at the "page source" for a page, I saw that the webmaster had put the "no follow" tag after the link.

And yet the affilorama bar showed it as grey with red dashes, which I thought was an indication that it was a "do follow" link.

Can you explain that?

Thanks again!

 

[michellerana]

You could actually assign the color indicator but no follow links are red by default and do follow links are grey.

 

[bigarsenalbear]

Thanks for posting Michelle.

So it goes grey if it's do follow and red if it's no follow.

And Cecille said that if it goes grey with red dashes it means it's an "external link"

I'm still not sure about that bit.

Suppose that one link goes grey and the other one goes grey with red dashes, what
is the difference?

I've seen this before and BOTH links appear to link to external pages...

 

[simonslade]

Hi Adam

Just to clarify (and these are all default colors, they can be changed to what ever you want):

Red = nofollow link (either internal or external) ie. has rel="nofollow" as an atribute.
Grey = external link, being a link to a website that is of a different domain (also known as an outbound link)
Grey with Red dashes = external link that is also nofollow.

Hope that helps :)

 

[bigarsenalbear]

Hi Simon,

Thanks for posting. I'm sorry to keep asking these question - it's just that I really want to use the toolbar correctly.

I understand you can change it to whatever you want, but I think I'd like to stick to the default scheme.

Just two more questions:

(1) Am I right in saying, then, that if a link goes red OR grey with red dashes it is no follow?

(i.e. both red and grey-with-red-dashes indicate no follow...?)

(2) Secondly, if the link goes completely grey then it's "do follow"...?

If I'm right in saying those things, then I think I've got it once and for all!

Thanks for your help

Adam

 

[simonslade]

Hi Adam

Yes you are correct in both your statements.

 

[bigarsenalbear]

Thanks Simon - that puts my mind at rest!

I had been assuming (falsely) that grey with red dashes with do follow. Now I know better!