Will Nofollow in Nav Cause a Problem?

[AndyKuiper]

I'm sorry Alan, I don't have the time to update you on all that you have incorrect, which is most of your last post.

[AlanMosley]

Because I have nothing wrong.
I have read the algorithm, I know how PageRank works, my explanation is the same as everyone else that has read it. including SEOMoz
http://moz.com/blog/how-pagerank-works-why-the-original-pr-formula-may-be-flawed

[AndyKuiper]

It's not just PR that you have misunderstood, it's that, as I pointed out, everything your last post posited was incorrect.

As for your link to how PR works... a lot has changed since this article was published in ---> 2007 <--- no-follows weren't even a figment of anyone's imagination back then, let alone a reality.

The article closed out by saying, "__Rand and I both tend to believe that it is likely Google has changed and refined the PageRank algorithm many times."

I'm done spending time on this.

[AlanMosley]

"everything your last post posited was incorrect."
so you say

"a lot has changed since this article was published in ---> 2007 <--- no-follows weren't even a figment of anyone's imagination back then, let alone a reality"

I wrote that article more recently then 2007, and yes no-follows were around, but are irrelevant, as I don't suggest using them and never have

""Rand and I both tend to believe that it is likely Google has changed and refined the PageRank algorithm many times."

Yes I agree, that's why I said
" test have shown that while google has changed many things, PageRank still works much the same as it did when Google published its algorithm long ago."
The whole idea of PageRank is the amassing of PageRank on pages due to linking as stated here in Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PageRank

[kimmiedawn]

What got me started on this question is a situation I can't put my finger on. The pages that are bringing the most traffic right now, and ranking the best, aren't even linked from the header nav or the footer. Their only link from the homepage is in a Spry dropdown menu, which isn't showing in a screen reader emulator (Fangs - I was hoping this would duplicate Lynx text-only), so maybe that doesn't even count?

I know there are other factors, keyword difficulty etc. The two best ranking pages mentioned have no backlinks from other sites either. All their internal links are mostly from the other main pages on the site (which in turn are linked from the homepage). All the other pages, by contrast are linked A LOT from the blog subdirectory. So the best ranking two have roughly 15 internal links, while the others have 600+ and backlinks.

Can you see why I might be confused?

I have a decent understanding of site architecture and siloing, which I have used to build a site that ranks extremely well and is getting more traffic every day. Of course, I can always learn more. I am having a harder time applying the concepts to a site that was built a long time ago that has tables and Spry menus and a missing doctype and deprecated code all over, not to mention uses images for everything including the main navigation menu links (not the dropdown links). It's pushing me to the edge of my comfort zone, and that's where I take the opportunity to learn and get better.

I get that there are bigger issues here than nofollow - I'm just trying to sort it all it out and find the priority issues.

[AlanMosley]

Yes sounds strange.

Here is a tool that may interest you.
http://www.webworkshop.net/pagerank_calculator.php

[kimmiedawn]

It certainly does confuse my understanding. Thanks for your help at clarifying things:)