Do you get penalized for cloaking the nofollow attribute in reciprocal link?

[MBLT]

Is it bad to present a link to SE robots as a no-follow link, while normal users see it as a do-follow link?

[RyanKent]

Any time you intentionally target search engines and show them different content then normal users, it is cloaking and you can be penalized for the action.

I cannot think of any reason to perform such an action unless you are trying to deceive your linking partners.

[MBLT]

Everything but the tag remains unaltered, i am not feeding SE robots with different texts, links or whatever.

Thank you for your answer and i am looking forward to more opinions

And oh, about the reason: I am just wondering if we get penalized for providing search engines valuable information and contributing towards the cleaner, better SERPs.

[RyanKent]

You are welcome to other opinions, but if they differ they are wrong. There are relatively few hard facts in SEO but you have clearly touched upon a basic one.

Quality guidelines - basic principles

• Make pages primarily for users, not for search engines. Don't deceive your users or present different content to search engines than you display to users, which is commonly referred to as "cloaking."

• Avoid tricks intended to improve search engine rankings. A good rule of thumb is whether you'd feel comfortable explaining what you've done to a website that competes with you. Another useful test is to ask, "Does this help my users? Would I do this if search engines didn't exist?"

http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=35769

Some examples of cloaking include:

• Serving different content to search engines than to users.

http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=66355

If you go through with your actions, it is pure cloaking which is a highly intentional and deceptive act. Your words about your honorable intent are absolutely not valid by any reasonable means. Presenting the links as nofollow to search engines in no way contributes to cleaner, better SERPs. Even if they did, it would be like robbing a bank, giving the money away and then when you are arrested stating you were just trying to help society. You may disagree with the analogy but it is actually pretty good. As a webmaster you contribute by following the rules and guidelines, not breaking them.

[MBLT]

"Presenting the links as nofollow to search engines in no way contributes to cleaner, better SERPs" - are you aware of the fact that no-follow links do not pass the link juice?

So, website owner who is buying/exchanging links with another website is NOT growing their links naturally and hence, according to Google guidelines, every link should have a no-follow attribute.

"Avoid tricks intended to improve search engine rankings": i am not trying to improve my search engine rankings.

"Robbing a bank" - ?????

Who am i trying to rob? I provide EXACTLY THE SAME information on a page to both users and SE Robots. I am neither hiding my affiliate links nor cloaking ads to improve CTR.

[RyanKent]

My only goal in responding was to answer your question. I am sharing with you the information that Google, the primary search engine for the US and Europe, has shared. I am not debating my personal views on the topic, but simply sharing how Google views the issue. If the explanation I offered helps in any way, then I am glad. If you disagree with it, that is certainly your right.

There is no debate here. You are clearly cloaking, it is a violation and since it is blatant and intentional, I would suggest it is a severe violation. Your beliefs, my beliefs, your intentions, etc are all completely irrelevant and will never be considered on any level by anyone. The only time they will even be heard is after your site is penalized and you are completing the Reconsideration Request explaining why you violated Google's policies. Even then, they are unlikely to be directly responded to.

Good Luck.

[AlanMosley]

You are being deceptive.

And by the way, you still leak link juice wether it is no-follow or not. The only difference is where the link juice goes. To the other site, or up in smoke.

[AlanMosley]

I dont think you are being honest with yourself, us or the people you have reciprocal links with.

[MBLT]

I never said that i am doing this. I wanted to start a mini-discussion.

Next time you want to comment, make sure you have read everything thoroughly and stick on topic. There is no need to comments that are not associated with the topic. Thank you.

[AlanMosley]

I did read all, and my comments summed up my thoughts.

You are being deceptive and trying to justify it by saying you are cleaning up the web.
When Ryan rightly said that presenting one think to search engines and another to everyone else, you dishonestly put words in his mouth with some mumblings about a third party website owner, you don’t see able to cope with what he did say and instead pretended he stated something else.

How do you reconcile these 2 statements?
Everything but the tag remains unaltered,
I provide EXACTLY THE SAME information on a page to both users and SE Robots

Are you presenting the same, or are you altering the tag?

And what is this decoy
“I am neither hiding my affiliate links nor cloaking ads to improve CTR.”

That’s not what he said. He was talking of your no-follow trick you asked about; again you seem to be un-able to cope with the facts.

Putting words into someone’s mouth is dishonest and childish. Is this something you have done all your life?

Next time you want to make stupid comments read the guidelines first.