: How are 301 redirected URL backlinks reported in GWT? Say www.SiteA.com acquires www.SiteB.com and 301 redirects www.SiteB.com to www.SiteA.com properly. How does Google Webmaster Tools handle the

@Sue5673885

The links are progressively reported like any other links.

Vote Up Vote Down

@Heady270

Buying sites solely for their link profile was a strategy that was widely used five to ten years ago. It doesn't work nearly as well as it used to:


Google keeps track of site content and tries to wipe the inbound link slate clean when a site significantly changes (such as changing ownership and redirecting to another site).
If all pages on siteB redirect to the homepage of siteA, then Google considers them "soft 404" pages. Links to 404 pages (including soft 404 pages) don't pass pagerank the same way that links to valid pages do.


If you buy a site, it is generally best to keep the content and URL structure intact as much as possible. This is best for users and search engine rankings.

Vote Up Vote Down

@Rivera981

GWT would only count website hits from one website it would say you have been referred by SiteB.com.

Vote Up Vote Down