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Is Link Stability A Google Ranking Factor?

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Is Link Stability A Google Ranking Factor? The fact that link stability is related to search rankings has been debated since the very notion of “link churn” in a patent appeared back in 2006.

Some folks feel that the age of links on a site, or at least how long they have remained stable on a given page, does yield signals that Google algorithms can recognize.

Therefore, we consider in the discussion below the claims about link stability as a possible ranking factor, trace its origins, and see if any evidence corroborates it.

Is Link Stability A Google Ranking Factor

What is Link Stability

In other words, link stability, in the context of Google ranking, is the durability of links pointing to a particular webpage or site. It means the continuing existence of links in their original form without being edited, deleted, or turned into another address.

The idea is that stability of links online could be treated by search engines, like Google, as one of the factors in defining the credibility and authority of a webpage or website. It is suggested here that when the links on a webpage have remained stable over a certain period, then some reliability and trust can be derived from it. On the other hand, frequent changes of links might be considered in certain respects a possible indicator of quality lower than average or manipulation.

Worth noting, however, is that link stability can be among the various considerations of Google’s algorithm. It is only one of hundreds of complex criteria based on which any given webpage is ranked for relevance and authority, considering things like the quality and quantity of links coming in, quality and relevance of content, and user engagement, among others.

It is unlikely that link stability on its own can have any major impact on rankings; it should be considered in concert with other SEO best practices.

Is Link Stability A Ranking Factor?

A link is considered stable if it remains on a webpage for an extended period of time. Examples of actions that break the stability of a link include changing the URL or even anchor text of that link.

If a website continually replaces its outbound links with new ones, it is said to have “high link churn”.

In 2005, Google patented how it might update its search algorithm to incorporate link churn as one factor that determines rankings.

Here are simplified excerpts of the patent, granted in 2006:

  • In claim 54, a method is provided wherein link churn is determined for a linking document supplying linkage data. The link churn serves as a basis for modifying a ranking of the linked document.
  • Claim 61: The indication of link churn shall be determined in a manner based on the extent to which one or more links presented by said linking document, change over time.
  • Claim 62 goes on to provide that if the link churn surpasses a certain threshold, a ranking may be penalized for that.

In other words, it would be simplified to say the three are:

  • The algorithm update would consider a website’s link churn as a basis to determine how much importance was being given to outbound links.
  • Link churn is calculated by the number of links and/or anchor text that change within any given website.
  • There has been a mention of a ranking factor, which is link stability. When this being the case, one gets to ask: should one be really and very careful about changing their outbound links?

Is there a legitimate need for concern over link churn and stability of links? Let’s see what the evidence says.

The Proof for Link Stability as a Ranking Factor

Google’s patent related to link churn was filed originally in 2005. An archived copy of that patent is still live today, but it has undergone multiple revisions since being filed.

The latest version of the patent does not include any mention of link churn or anything similar. This would suggest fairly strongly that if link stability ever was a ranking signal, it probably hasn’t mattered in several years.

Another important fact is that a patent is just a paper describing an idea or concept. Companies, while filing patents, are often protecting their ideas for things that may never have real-world manifestations.

Google has also explained at times that not everything it patents actually impacts the way its search results work.

No, Link Stability Is Not A Ranking Factor

While the original patent gave some hint about link churn, providing indirect pieces of evidence with respect to link stability, any clear and direct confirmation raises doubts on its applicability to the present case.

Google has never said—through guidance or through statements—that link stability or churn is a significant factor in its main ranking algorithms. Actually, Google has a history of proclaiming major ranking factors through comments, documentation, and webmaster videos. And yet, there has been a very conspicuous silence for over 15 years about any ongoing use of link stability as a ranking factor.

This silence speaks loudly. If link churn was indeed a ranking factor, then the search representatives for Google would have likely mentioned this publicly through their representatives by now. There may be many different reasons why this wouldn’t have been done, but it just doesn’t seem very likely.

Besides, the original patent that mentioned link churn has been revised several times, and all mentions of these terms have been removed from it.

Given the age of the patent and Google supporting it in absolutely no way, it would be fair to assume that link stability does not play a major role in ranking. Major or minor sites update their outgoing links without penalty. So, edit links as you feel needed with absolutely no concerns over possible ranking ramifications.

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