If I build links to category pages but noindex, follow those category pages, will link juice be distributed to the posts the category pages link to? The reason the category pages are set to noindex, follow is because they just contain links to posts in the category and nothing else.
As long as the category page is noindex but followed, link juice will flow through it. So yes, the posts will get some juice.
Not 100% sure but I remember reading Google Webmaster forum about this. Think it was Matt Cutts. Ofc he could be lying. This was way back when they still used to display pagerank etc in toolbar. So it's an assumption on my part that link juice still flows through. "Eric Enge: Can a NoIndex page accumulate PageRank? Matt Cutts: A NoIndex page can accumulate PageRank, because the links are still followed outwards from a NoIndex page. Eric Enge: So, it can accumulate and pass PageRank. Matt Cutts: Right, and it will still accumulate PageRank, but it won't be showing in our Index. So, I wouldn't make a NoIndex page that itself is a dead end. You can make a NoIndex page that has links to lots of other pages."
Clever reply, but I guess you didn't read the dead end part. And clearly OP doesn't mean penalized domains.
Seems like no one is 100% sure. Decided to write a couple hundred words for each category to play it safe.
