Ok so .gov links are HARD to get. I found proof today that 1 .gov backlink..... can beat 500 regular links. Today, I saw a new competitor on the SERP's...... I ran a backlink check on them, and they only had around 10 backlinks (most of the competition for the targeted local real estate keywords usually have 1,000+). Anyways, they have a Mass.gov backlink, and really no other backlinks.... and they are ranking HIGH Does anyone know any ways to get a .gov backlink, such as by tricks like forum posting, or getting listed on a .gov page somehow? THANKS!!!!
what a load of rubbish there is a million and one reasons why they are ranking higher And none of them have anything to do with backlinks
You're using the wrong criteria to determine what happened. The reason .gov links tend to be high, is because they're sites with lots of inbound links and influence. It has nothing to do with the ".gov" at the end. Most gov sites do well, but it's more a factor of the kind of sites they are, not their TLD. It's a like a fast sports car. A Ferrari is fast because of the engine inside, not the name brand on the back. All Ferraris are pretty fast, but none them are fast because of their name.
Its true... theres no rubbish at all.... its 100% true..... the site is CRAP and doesnt have any search engine optimization at all....... however it has just appeared high in the SERP's.... and it only has around 10 backlinks.... im thinking, it has to be a high PR authority site for this to be happening.... turns out, its a PR4 .gov backlink....
Or perhaps the backlink is good because mass.gov is PR7? And by "really no other backlinks" do you mean zero backlinks, or do you mean a number of low PR backlinks? As for how to get .gov backlinks, I've found that the trick is to create a blog or web site that can be used for reference or provides a unique service that would be of interest to government sites. For example, I have a site (not the one in my sig) that has lots of technical information, and that has some high PR backlinks from .gov science sites. You can also get .gov backlinks if you create a site that has good information on a particular location. The key is quality content.
gov and edu links are very nice for sure. It is not easy to get them though. If you have a quality site, they will find you some day.
Oops, just saw that you said the backlink is PR4. Nonetheless, there's no proof that's the .gov link is what is giving your competitor's site its PR. And maybe the trick is that your competitor gave a big campaign contribution to the right politician?
I agree. It's because .gov sites are older, highly respected, "Authority sites". That's why the links from them do so well.
I'll explain why I consider this "proof": Right now, I have about 50 competitors for my targeted keywords in Boston. I do extensive analysis' on each to determine why Google is putting one over another -- All are doing decent SEO, content, title tags... all that With all being almost equal --- the backlinks now come into play The top 10 results, usually stay in place, but sometimes drop to the 11-20 mark..... The 11-20 mark, often changes..... However..... I noticed a domain, thats been around just as long as the others..... creep into the 11-20 mark. I ignored them.... and now all of a sudden they are in the top 15...... so I said wait a minute here, did they hire an SEO company too like the other clowns? So I check the site.... its pretty crappy compared to the others..... its basically just a website to have a website I said geez they must have some good backlinks..... so I ran a backlink check on them Total backlinks were around 10-15........ I was expecting thousands I look @ their backlinks, they have a PR4 mass.gov.... and around 9 crappy directory type of backlinks Theyre ranking higher than the people who have 1000's of backlinks from buying links, trading links, etc. There's no temporary boost here either since the sites has been around for a while There are sites ranking worse than this site, that have dozens of PR4-7 backlinks Conclusion: .GOV links are POWERFUL......... as Google knows that if a site has backlinks from official government sites ---- the site has to be important!
I personally think a .gov back link would be very nice! I really doubt that I could ever get one, my sites that I produce are not that good of quality because I can't focus on one site enough to get it up to par.
Just goes to show that 10 "naturally" gained backlinks will beat 1000 paid and traded backlinks! Without anyone but you knowing the URL of this site, all anyone can do is take your word that it is a crap site with crap links (bar one). Cheers James
Yes bt the 10 natural backlinks were CRAP backlinks..... PR0 directories that copy phone books or who knows what If you dont buy that .gov backlinks can help a site dominate the SERP's.... i dont know what to say! But for others interested in the advice ---- i would say get out there and try to find .gov backlinks!!! I know there might be some .gov blogs out there on local city websites..... im not sure how good these will do but its worth a shot!
LOL. Any link from a "related authority site" is a good link to have. regardless of the extension it has on the end of it. Cheers James
I think people miss the point with domain extensions. Google does not give preference to one type of doamin over another, it's all about promotion and content. I think the real reason .edu and .gov domains are perceived to be better than others is because by their very nature they are packed with detailed information of an educational value AND normally have many thousands of pages. As such Google rates the content more highly not the actual domain
That's not right. .gov and .edu are recognized as authority extensions and are ranked better than normal .com and .net. You can't say that the site has no SEO. the things that matter include not only links, the links should be quality links, and aging is another important criteria, if the site is older, it tends to rank better. Also internal SEO. SEO has several arms you need to learn deep about. You know that google can easily catch buying links? the result is direct penalization and reduced rankings for the sites. Simple.
Matt Cutts has stated that all domain extensions are treated exactly the same way whether it's .com .edu or .gov