undefined
Skip to content
Moz logo Menu open Menu close
  • Products
    • Moz Pro
    • Moz Pro Home
    • Moz Local
    • Moz Local Home
    • STAT
    • Moz API
    • Moz API Home
    • Compare SEO Products
    • Moz Data
  • Free SEO Tools
    • Domain Analysis
    • Keyword Explorer
    • Link Explorer
    • Competitive Research
    • MozBar
    • More Free SEO Tools
  • Learn SEO
    • Beginner's Guide to SEO
    • SEO Learning Center
    • Moz Academy
    • SEO Q&A
    • Webinars, Whitepapers, & Guides
  • Blog
  • Why Moz
    • Agency Solutions
    • Enterprise Solutions
    • Small Business Solutions
    • Case Studies
    • The Moz Story
    • New Releases
  • Log in
  • Log out
  • Products
    • Moz Pro

      Your all-in-one suite of SEO essentials.

    • Moz Local

      Raise your local SEO visibility with complete local SEO management.

    • STAT

      SERP tracking and analytics for enterprise SEO experts.

    • Moz API

      Power your SEO with our index of over 44 trillion links.

    • Compare SEO Products

      See which Moz SEO solution best meets your business needs.

    • Moz Data

      Power your SEO strategy & AI models with custom data solutions.

    NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic
    Moz Pro

    NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic

    Learn more
  • Free SEO Tools
    • Domain Analysis

      Get top competitive SEO metrics like DA, top pages and more.

    • Keyword Explorer

      Find traffic-driving keywords with our 1.25 billion+ keyword index.

    • Link Explorer

      Explore over 40 trillion links for powerful backlink data.

    • Competitive Research

      Uncover valuable insights on your organic search competitors.

    • MozBar

      See top SEO metrics for free as you browse the web.

    • More Free SEO Tools

      Explore all the free SEO tools Moz has to offer.

    NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic
    Moz Pro

    NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic

    Learn more
  • Learn SEO
    • Beginner's Guide to SEO

      The #1 most popular introduction to SEO, trusted by millions.

    • SEO Learning Center

      Broaden your knowledge with SEO resources for all skill levels.

    • On-Demand Webinars

      Learn modern SEO best practices from industry experts.

    • How-To Guides

      Step-by-step guides to search success from the authority on SEO.

    • Moz Academy

      Upskill and get certified with on-demand courses & certifications.

    • MozCon

      Save on Early Bird tickets and join us in London or New York City

    Unlock flexible pricing & new endpoints
    Moz API

    Unlock flexible pricing & new endpoints

    Find your plan
  • Blog
  • Why Moz
    • Small Business Solutions

      Uncover insights to make smarter marketing decisions in less time.

    • Agency Solutions

      Earn & keep valuable clients with unparalleled data & insights.

    • Enterprise Solutions

      Gain a competitive edge in the ever-changing world of search.

    • The Moz Story

      Moz was the first & remains the most trusted SEO company.

    • Case Studies

      Explore how Moz drives ROI with a proven track record of success.

    • New Releases

      Get the scoop on the latest and greatest from Moz.

    Surface actionable competitive intel
    New Feature

    Surface actionable competitive intel

    Learn More
  • Log in
    • Moz Pro
    • Moz Local
    • Moz Local Dashboard
    • Moz API
    • Moz API Dashboard
    • Moz Academy
  • Avatar
    • Moz Home
    • Notifications
    • Account & Billing
    • Manage Users
    • Community Profile
    • My Q&A
    • My Videos
    • Log Out

The Moz Q&A Forum

  • Forum
  • Questions
  • Users
  • Ask the Community

Welcome to the Q&A Forum

Browse the forum for helpful insights and fresh discussions about all things SEO.

  1. Home
  2. SEO Tactics
  3. Technical SEO
  4. Can hotlinking images from multiple sites be bad for SEO?

Moz Q&A is closed.

After more than 13 years, and tens of thousands of questions, Moz Q&A closed on 12th December 2024. Whilst we’re not completely removing the content - many posts will still be possible to view - we have locked both new posts and new replies. More details here.

Can hotlinking images from multiple sites be bad for SEO?

Technical SEO
7
12
5.4k
Loading More Posts
  • Oldest to Newest
  • Newest to Oldest
  • Most Votes
Reply
  • Reply as question
Log in to reply
This topic has been deleted. Only users with question management privileges can see it.
  • OptiBacUK
    OptiBacUK last edited by Mar 6, 2013, 7:32 AM

    Hi,

    There's a very similar question already being discussed here, but it deals with hotlinking from a single site that is owned by the same person.

    I'm interested whether hotlinking images from multiple sites can be bad for SEO.

    The issue is that one of our bloggers has been hotlinking all the images he uses, sometimes there are 3 or 4 images per blog from different domains.

    We know that hotlinking is frowned upon, but can it affect us in the SERPs?

    Thanks,

    James

    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
    • OptiBacUK
      OptiBacUK @TakeshiYoung last edited by Mar 8, 2013, 12:41 PM Mar 8, 2013, 12:41 PM

      Sorry, hotlinking was the wrong word to use, we're actually just embedding the images.

      Is it possible that Google recognises that spammy sites (as an example) tend to embed lots of images and therefore use it as an indicator of spam?

      Also, is poor netiquette ever taken into account? Again, maybe because Google is trying to find spammy sites?

      For the record, it is something we'll be fixing (especially from a copyright point of view), but we're trying to prioritise this. If there's a potential SEO impact, we'll sort it quick, if not, then we'll do more pressing things first.

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • OptiBacUK
        OptiBacUK @TomRayner last edited by Mar 8, 2013, 12:37 PM Mar 8, 2013, 12:37 PM

        Okay, so hotlinking is the wrong terminology to use. Do you think embedding images is taken into account by Google?

        For example, would Google see spammy sites embedding lots of images, and therefore use it as an indicator of spam?

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • Alex-Harford
          Alex-Harford @irvingw last edited by Mar 7, 2013, 7:17 AM Mar 7, 2013, 7:16 AM

          That's confused me too! Embedding an image from another site is hotlinking. A href doesn't have anything to do with it.

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • irvingw
            irvingw @TomRayner last edited by Mar 6, 2013, 7:26 PM Mar 6, 2013, 7:26 PM

            Excuse me, it's late in the day. Embedding is still referencing the sites image URL right?

            Also, what if the site changes the directory or something and all the images on your site now 404.

            Alex-Harford 1 Reply Last reply Mar 7, 2013, 7:16 AM Reply Quote 0
            • djlaidler
              djlaidler last edited by Mar 6, 2013, 10:25 AM Mar 6, 2013, 10:25 AM

              Another thing to consider is that requesting images from multiple sites will create a lag in load times.  Most modern browsers will download multiple files in parallel from the one host. Multiple hosts will mean the page load will occur in series (not parallel) and this will create a slower load time.

              Hope this helps!

              Dan

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • TomRayner
                TomRayner @OptiBacUK last edited by Mar 6, 2013, 9:19 AM Mar 6, 2013, 9:19 AM

                Sorry, I assumed you meant you were hotlinking images, rather than just embedding them.  If you're just using tags with no <href> defined (so just embedding, not hotlinking), then you're right - this won't cause a problem.</href>

                irvingw OptiBacUK 2 Replies Last reply Mar 8, 2013, 12:37 PM Reply Quote 0
                • CreativeJar
                  CreativeJar last edited by Mar 6, 2013, 9:01 AM Mar 6, 2013, 9:01 AM

                  Create and host your own image or use a royalty-free image so you won't suffer from someone claiming copyright, this should be your biggest concern here.

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • Alex-Harford
                    Alex-Harford @TakeshiYoung last edited by Mar 6, 2013, 8:27 AM Mar 6, 2013, 8:26 AM

                    Takeshi is right. Bandwidth can cost money, so there's that as well as the copyright theft. You could also fall victim to a 'switcheroo': http://www.deuceofclubs.com/switcheroo/index.html - I've done this myself before by adding a polite message asking someone not to hotlink.

                    Google don't include hotlinked images in Google News so it is something they may take into account when ranking a page in their general search.

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • OptiBacUK
                      OptiBacUK @TomRayner last edited by Mar 6, 2013, 7:56 AM Mar 6, 2013, 7:56 AM

                      Surely that only works if it's an actual link, right? Simply using the tag shouldn't be regarded as a link by Google?

                      TomRayner 1 Reply Last reply Mar 6, 2013, 9:19 AM Reply Quote 0
                      • TakeshiYoung
                        TakeshiYoung last edited by Mar 6, 2013, 7:52 AM Mar 6, 2013, 7:52 AM

                        You are definitely missing out on image traffic by not hosting your own images. Plus, hotlinking is poor netiquette since you are using someone else's bandwidth without their permission. If the images are copyrighted, then you could be hit by DMCA requests which can negatively impact your SEO.

                        Alex-Harford OptiBacUK 2 Replies Last reply Mar 8, 2013, 12:41 PM Reply Quote 1
                        • TomRayner
                          TomRayner last edited by Mar 6, 2013, 7:51 AM Mar 6, 2013, 7:51 AM

                          Hi James

                          A lot of this will depend on the site you're linking to.

                          It's long been a part of the ranking algorithm that if you link to sites that are seen negatively by Google, due to spam/malware/etc, then your site may be viewed negatively itself.  Without knowing where your blogger has been linking from, it's hard to say - but it's worth running a check just in case.

                          OptiBacUK 1 Reply Last reply Mar 6, 2013, 7:56 AM Reply Quote 0
                          • 1 / 1
                          1 out of 12
                          • First post
                            1/12
                            Last post

                          Got a burning SEO question?

                          Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.


                          Start my free trial


                          Browse Questions

                          Explore more categories

                          • Moz Tools

                            Chat with the community about the Moz tools.

                          • SEO Tactics

                            Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers

                          • Community

                            Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!

                          • Digital Marketing

                            Chat about tactics outside of SEO

                          • Research & Trends

                            Dive into research and trends in the search industry.

                          • Support

                            Connect on product support and feature requests.

                          • See all categories

                          Related Questions

                          • jsilapas

                            Word mentioned twice in URL? Bad for SEO?

                            Is a URL like the one below going to hurt SEO for this page? /healthcare-solutions/healthcare-identity-solutions/laboratory-management.html I like the match the URL and H1s as close as possible but in this case it looks a bit funky. /healthcare-solutions/healthcare-identity-solutions/laboratory-management.html

                            Technical SEO | Apr 19, 2016, 12:38 PM | jsilapas
                            0
                          • Koki.Mourao

                            Image Search

                            Hello Community, I have been reading and researching about image search and trying to find patterns within the results but unfortunately I could not get to a conclusion on 2 matters. Hopefully this community would have the answers I am searching for. 1) Watermarked Images (To remove or not to remove watermark from photos) I see a lot of confusion on this subject and am pretty much confused myself. Although it might be true that watermarked photos do not cause a punishment, it sure does not seem to help. At least in my industry and on a bunch of different random queries I have made, watermarked images are hard to come by on Google's images results. Usually the first results do not have any watermarks. I have read online that Google takes into account user behavior and most users prefer images with no watermark. But again, it is something "I have read online" so I don't have any proof.  I would love to have further clarification and, if possible, a definite guide on how to improve my image results. 2)  Multiple nested folders (Folder depth) Due to speed concerns our tech guys are using 1 image per folder and created a convoluted folder structure where the photos are actually 9 levels deep. Most of our competition and many small Wordpress blogs outrank us on Google images and on ALL INSTANCES I have checked, their photos are 3, 4 or 5 levels deep. Never inside 9 nested folders.  
                            So... A) Should I consider removing the watermark - which is not that intrusive but is visible?
                            B) Should I try to simplify the folder structure for my photos? Thank you

                            Technical SEO | Sep 22, 2015, 11:26 AM | Koki.Mourao
                            0
                          • thinkcreativegroup

                            Can anyone tell me why some of the top referrers to my site are porn site?

                            We noticed today that 4 of the top referring sites are actually porn sites. Does anyone know what that is all about? Thanks!

                            Technical SEO | May 7, 2015, 6:57 AM | thinkcreativegroup
                            1
                          • TeamacPaints

                            Can a CMS affect SEO?

                            As the title really, I run www.specialistpaintsonline.co.uk and 6 months ago when I first got it it had bad links which google had put a penalty against it so losts it value. However the penalty was lift in Sept, the site corresponds to all guidelines and seo work has been done and constantly monitored. the issue I have is sales and visits have not gone up, we are failing fast and running on 2 or 3 sales a month isn't enough to cover any sort of cost let alone wages. hence my question can the cms have anything to do with it? Im at a loss and go grey any help or advice would be great. thanks in advance.

                            Technical SEO | Nov 27, 2013, 10:37 AM | TeamacPaints
                            0
                          • moby123

                            Lost with conical, nofollow noindex. Not sure how to use it on a dyanmic php site with multiple region select options

                            I have a site with multiple regions the main page after a region is selected is login.php but the regions are defined by ?rid=11 , 12, etc. These are being picked up as duplicate content but they are all different regions. As i hired external php coders to develop most of the site I am scared to start meddling with any of the raw code and would like some advise on how to not show these as duplicate content. should i use noindex nofollow or connical? if Connical how do i set it up on the main login.php page? p.s. i am an extreme nube to seo

                            Technical SEO | Mar 18, 2013, 8:58 PM | moby123
                            0
                          • LMDNYC

                            How should I structure a site with multiple addresses to optimize for local search??

                            Here's the setup: We have a website, www.laptopmd.com, and we're ranking quite well in our geographic target area. The site is chock-full of local keywords, has the address properly marked up, html5 and schema.org compliant, near the top of the page, etc. It's all working quite well, but we're looking to expand to two more locations, and we're terrified that adding more addresses and playing with our current set-up will wreak havoc with our local search results, which we quite frankly currently rock. My question is 1)when it comes time to doing sub-pages for the new locations, should we strip the location information from the main site and put up local pages for each location in subfolders? 1a) should we use subdomains instead of subfolders to keep Google from becoming confused? Should we consider simply starting identically branded pages for the individual locations and hope that exact-match location-based urls will make up for the hit for duplicate content and will overcome the difficulty of building a brand from multiple pages? I've tried to look for examples of businesses that have tried to do what we're doing, but all the advice has been about organic search, which i already have the answer to. I haven't been able to really find a good example of a small business with multiple locations AND good rankings for each location. Should this serve as a warning to me?

                            Technical SEO | Mar 6, 2012, 7:09 PM | LMDNYC
                            0
                          • rosstaylor

                            Bing rank drop off for multiple sites

                            Hi Mozzers, Seeing some wacky stuff going on on some sites I manage. In more than a few, the ranking on bing has dropped basically overnight from page one spots to not being found on the first 100 positions. Anyone else seeing similar results? Some of the sites are fairly new, some have been around for ages, some are wordpress, some are not. I've been searching for some news of a big change on bing, but keep reading about bing dropping the thin sites during black friday. In one example, I had the site set up in BWT for a while, and had a look at the data. The reports show that the pages are crawled, the index summary shows pages indexed, and there seems to be no crawl errors, but rankings are absolutely gone. Also, I can't see the sites in bing if I search "site:example.com" in bing. Here's 2 examples, the first would make sense since it's pretty thin as I havent added much content yet: http://homewindowtint.org but this one doesn't make sense to me. Sure there's a few errors, but to be dropped like a rock seems weird http://www.ahmedandsukaram.com

                            Technical SEO | Jun 25, 2012, 11:16 AM | rosstaylor
                            0
                          • Weerdboil

                            Delete old site but redirect domain to a new domain and site

                            I just have a quick query and I have a feeling about what the answer is so just wanted to see what you guys thought... Basically I am working on a client site. This client has a few other websites that are divisions of their company. However these divisions/websites are no longer used. They are wanting to delete the websites but redirect the domains to their name main website. They believe this will pass on SEO benefits as these old division sites are old and have a good PR and history. I'm unsure for DEFINITE, which way is correct?

                            Technical SEO | Jun 10, 2011, 9:24 AM | Weerdboil
                            0

                          Get started with Moz Pro!

                          Unlock the power of advanced SEO tools and data-driven insights.

                          Start my free trial
                          Products
                          • Moz Pro
                          • Moz Local
                          • Moz API
                          • Moz Data
                          • STAT
                          • Product Updates
                          Moz Solutions
                          • SMB Solutions
                          • Agency Solutions
                          • Enterprise Solutions
                          Free SEO Tools
                          • Domain Authority Checker
                          • Link Explorer
                          • Keyword Explorer
                          • Competitive Research
                          • Brand Authority Checker
                          • Local Citation Checker
                          • MozBar Extension
                          • MozCast
                          Resources
                          • Blog
                          • SEO Learning Center
                          • Help Hub
                          • Beginner's Guide to SEO
                          • How-to Guides
                          • Moz Academy
                          • API Docs
                          About Moz
                          • About
                          • Team
                          • Careers
                          • Contact
                          Why Moz
                          • Case Studies
                          • Testimonials
                          Get Involved
                          • Become an Affiliate
                          • MozCon
                          • Webinars
                          • Practical Marketer Series
                          • MozPod
                          Connect with us

                          Contact the Help team

                          Join our newsletter
                          Moz logo
                          © 2021 - 2025 SEOMoz, Inc., a Ziff Davis company. All rights reserved. Moz is a registered trademark of SEOMoz, Inc.
                          • Accessibility
                          • Terms of Use
                          • Privacy

                          Looks like your connection to Moz was lost, please wait while we try to reconnect.