How is it that some sites for fairly competitive keywords have 1-2 backlinks (as shown in yahoo site explorer) and are still able to get such a high ranking? Is this just a flaw in yahoo? Should I be using something else to measure my competitors and what i need to do to be up there?
http://watchdexteronline.net 13 links, for the term "Watch Dexter Online". Didn't want to use the niche that i'm really curious about. But this seems like very few also, when there are 400k results.
Then why is watchdexteronline.com not first? I have sites that are in a similar position to that, with the keyword phrase as the domain name, and i still have other sites with fewer links ranking above me.
Many many factors affect ranking.. # Backlinks is important, onpage SEO, The keywords in the domain name, quality and relavence of backlinks Your sites content versus theirs, how often it is updated, etc. If you can give a specific example of a site that ranks above yours and your site name.. I am sure we could make some more specific suggestions for your situation.
400k search result is nothing and the domain has the keyword in it along with few backlinks which cuoldbe enough for that kinda ranking. besides, the search result not always gives you accurate idea about the competition. some competitive keywords with lot lower search results will be lot harder to get ranked for and will require lot more backlinks
Many factors depends here. Keyword rich domain, relevant backlinks and the most important part is content and the placement of the keyword in the title and heading of the page.
May be the site has quality content... backlinks play a decent role in SERP's..but that is not the only factor.