Network Footprint: Why Donors Link Not Only to You
The objection sounds like this: "If all donors link only to one site, it is evident even from open data about links." The objection is valid — and that is why the cascade is built on public platforms, not on our own network.
What is a Network Footprint
A footprint is a set of matches by which a group of sites can be identified as one source: a common domain owner, one hosting and subnet, identical templates, identical pages, a similar scheme of outgoing links, matching registration dates. A classic network for a client has many matches, and upon detection, the entire network is devalued.
Why Public Platforms Have a Different Footprint
| Feature | Client Network | Public Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Who else publishes on the domain | Only clients of the network | Thousands of external authors daily |
| Outgoing links of the domain | Lead to client projects | Lead anywhere, our links are a fraction of a percent |
| Age and history | Drop with restored content | Years of the service's own history |
| Consequences of detection | Devaluation of all links at once | Devaluation concerns the platform, not "our network" |
Where a Footprint May Still Appear for Us
We honestly list our weak points:
- Uniformity on the client side. If all publications lead to one page with one anchor, the pattern is visible regardless of the platforms. This is remedied by an anchor plan and distribution across pages.
- Repetition of platforms. Therefore, within the launch, there is a limit on publications for one platform, and the pool is constantly expanding.
- One publisher under different brands. We identified a case in the pool where three "different" platforms turned out to be one platform under three brands — recognized by the paths to the resource pages. Such cases are considered one platform, not three.
- Second level on the same platform. A link from the second level leading to a first-level publication on the same domain is useless — it is an internal link, not an external one. Such combinations are excluded from planning.
Diversity as Part of the Product
The pool is consciously kept multilingual and geographically diverse: Japanese, Taiwanese, Czech, French, American services. This gives a profile that does not look like "forty links from one farm," and at the same time reduces dependence on the policies of any one platform. The composition of the pool and selection principles are in the article "How We Select Platforms".