How can a site have a backlink from Barclays website?

[YNWA]

Hi, I have entered a competitiors website www.my-wardrobe.com into Open Site to see who they get links from and to my surprise they have a load from Barclays Business Banking.

When I visit the page I can not see the links. But if I search the pages source code for my-wardrobe, there I have it, a link to my-wardrobe.com.

How have they done this? Surely Barclays haven't sold them it? And more so, why are they receiving link juice when you cant even see the link on the Barclays page in question - http://www.barclays.co.uk/BusinessBanking/P1242557952664

Thanks

| |
|   | <a <span="">href</a><a <span="">="</a>http://www.my-wardrobe.com" class="popup" title="Link opens in a new window" rel='' onmousedown="dcsMultiTrack('DCS.dcsuri','BusinessBankingfromBarclays/Footer/wwwmywardrobecom', 'WT.ti', '','WT.dl','1');"> |
|   | www.my-wardrobe.com |
|   |
|
|   | |

[timhatton]

You can see it if you click the "+ Explore The Site" link, which expands to give several lists of links.  The last column "Business Services" looks ... interesting ...

[YNWA]

Ah yeah. How have they done that?

[rayvensoft]

My-wardrobe.com is a big one.  They were featured on CNN international in their show about bosses.  From what I saw on the show they did a lot of charity work with young entrepreneurs in a program sponsored by Barcleys... that may be how they got the link.

As they say, networking is key.  I hope this helps.

[intSchools]

Not quite sure how a site like http://www.kiboshpiperepair.com/ have got on there either! It is very very interesting

[YNWA]

I thought that but as Dan Price mentions some sites are suspect on there.

[timhatton]

So if I was being charitable, I'd say that's a CMS issue - possibly there's a library of links somewhere internally which have been tagged up incorrectly, and this is a dynamic list which is just pulling back everything tagged up accordingly.

[intSchools]

Some links actually provide 'business services' that you would expect Barclays to have a relationship with but of the other links seem very suspicious - like the food websites.

Even though they're well know brands, the Innocent drinks and Eat Natural links should not really be in a 'Business services' section. It's very unlikely that a visitor would see these links so it must be purely for SEO reasons - even though these websites have a much lower authority than Barclays (I doubt it is for their benefit).

[highwayfive]

Very very odd. I can't see a reason why they are there at all and the mixture of branded and URL links jars on a website such as that?

[stukerr]

All I can imagine is that either they bank with barclays and put a fair bit of business their way and have gotten their business manager to speak to the web team, or perhaps someone on the web staff could be taking a few back-handers for links, has been known to happen before.

[matbennett]

It looks like these are given to those who speak as part of the Barclays Entrepeneur Speakers campaign.  See here: http://www.barclaysandme.com/Seminars/Entrepreneurspeakers/P1242587029441

Very interesting Seems a little... err, uhmm... Naa.. they wouldn't

[intSchools]

Great find there Mat!!

[matbennett]

Wonder how many people will contact them about speaking for them as a result of this thread!  I'd do it for a link from Barclays that's for sure.

[intSchools]

This really shows the endless possibilities we all have for link building. I'd have never thought a bank like Barclays would put lots of hidden links on their website just by talking at one of their events.

Pretty amazing stuff!

[YNWA]

I might as well as we bank with them for business!