With the recent pagerank drops, people are wondering what to do with Text Link Ads. It looks like those links which do not have the "nofollow" tag are affecting the "proper" assignment of PR juice. Given the penalties for this manipulation of PR, some site owners have even decided to stop displaying text link advertisements on their sites. But there is room, fortunately, for a middle ground.

Carl Ocab writes in Oh Geesh, So You Think You’ll Win TLA? about his experience with TLA and the nofollow issue. TLA does not look like it's going to use nofollow in its links.

Google does not like paid text links that are placed in high PR sites.

If advertisers are after exposure or increased online mindshare, then display the link but use nofollow so that there's no giving of PR juice.

So, what's the middle ground?

Perhaps TLA can come up with nofollow ads and charge the advertisers a different price.

Publishers who earn revenues via TLA advertising and who are not bothered by the recent changes in PR can continue with the status quo. Those who want to show Google that the ads are not based on PR can go with the nofollow arrangement (assuming TLA decides to come up with that alternative package).

As an advertiser buying links via TLA, would you be willing to pay a lower advertising fee for nofollow text links ads that give you no PR juice?

Or would you pay a higher fee for nofollow text link ads since the site that displays your ad will probably have a higher PR, better placement in the Google SERPs (in the long run), and perhaps even higher traffic?

Make Money Free Account

"Text Link Ads and NoFollow"
First Posted: October 28, 2007 | Filed in: Marketing

4 Comments »