Links from Google Books

[NeilInFrance]

Hi

Interested in your views on this and any references to research on the subject

Using Google Books recently I have discovered multiple citations of a web site I produced years ago in a whole load of publication. Really quite touching to find these 10 years afterwards

I imagine that this must have a positive effect on search engine listings for this site. The site has really good listings still. Has any research or any announcement been made by Google about this.

Pushing this a bit further ; An advertising hoarding has a web site address http:// ... would Google StreetView pick this up and could it be used as a signal too ?

• Neil

PS No I don't sell adversing hoardings

[RyanPurkey]

Great question Neil!  Google uses optical character recognition (OCR, more specifically OCRopus) to convert visible print into search searchable text; hence, you're able to find terms in Google books via Google search. Link text is also recognizable due to the standard 'http' format, so even though you'd never be able to click it via an old book in the library (who knows what new ones will do!) Google Books is still able to recognize the link and treat it as such in the digital, Internet realm.  Now, a website that is being mentioned in books has a high likelihood of having a robust backlink profile, but that notwithstanding, I'd bet that Google would give an high amount of trust to a link that makes it into its OCR database.

As for street view, that is pushing it!  Who knows though, there's merit in giving a website online exposure for the offsite work they do via billboards, store fronts, etc.  I think you and I both would love to know the people that could truly answer that one though, huh?

[Blargh123]

These are physical signals, no way for the algorithm to interpret them.  Street view may be possible, but its highly unlikely google would dedicate its resources to endorse paid advertizing to influence SERPS.  Sure its benificial if someone uses street view and happens to see your site, but other than that its worthless to SEO. Same thing with the scanned image in google books.

[NeilInFrance]

Yes I was thinking that these would be a seperate signal rather than somenting passed through links. The PrintRank?

• Neoil

[ninjamarketer]

Hello Neil,

Since advertising banners hoardings are paid ads as a general rule even if Google is able to somehow read the urls we can right away disqualify the SEO benefits. Plus, there is no flow of link juice from these image ad links.

Google book is definitely interesting one. Google books are a scanned image of the actual book so the links are not an actual link that could pass the link juice. Google also provides an ebook version of some books and the links on the ebooks are highlighted like a regular link but these are not clickable. It could be possible that Google will soon enable these links and link page rank juice will flow from these links the to the destination site. The only issue I see here is since these are hosted on Google is could very well be a nofollow so it could be given similar weight like a brand or social mention if Google decides to use the links for SEO ranking.