In March, we learned that there is some dilution of PageRank when 301ed from another URL. That means, if I have PageRank on example.com/page1.html and I redirect that page to example.com/page2.html, most but not all of the PageRank from example.com/page1.html will pass to example.com/page2.html. This was contrary to what most people felt was really happening. Most people felt that 100% of the PageRank would ultimately pass form one URL to the next if a 301 redirect was used. So now maybe 99%?
There is some early and new chatter buzzing around the SEO forums that since either MayDay or the Caffeine launch, that even less PageRank and/or link popularity is passing through 301 redirected URLs.
I spotted through threads with this speculation going on, one at Google Webmaster Help and WebmasterWorld. We have two different people asking, I'll quote both:
What I have noticed since the MayDay update is that the 301 redirects dont seem to pass through as much link juice anymore.
Did the May Day Update reduce the amount of LinkJuice that gets passed through 301 redirects???A lot of web masters on different forums are saying that, and I was wondering if the regulars on this forum felt the same way.
This may be one of those wild theories but sometimes these wild theories come out to be true. And when they come out to be true, either Google says so, doesn't say so or fixes a bug and admits fault.
Do you think there is anything to this theory?
Forum discussion at Google Webmaster Help and WebmasterWorld.
