I am aware google loves .gov and .edu backlinks - but just how much, could it be the differance between position 3 and position 1 in the serps? Does anyone have a list of .gov and .edu links to get back links from, Ive done a search on this site but cant find anything!
it is off topic but i want to ask sth do pr0 .gov and .edu backlinks help to improve pr of the site? thx
No, .gov and .edu links don't carry more weigth per se any more, google stopped this quite a time ago. While .gov and .edu sites are often very strong, because they have an impressive number of inlinks, the domain ending itself doesn't help any more.
Scripter I think is correct, though I suspect that Google never really gave them any more weight then any other site. Though they do have their perks. The number of inlinks, domain age (most .edu domains have been around from the start of the www), and trustability by those that view such links. Though even then, a new page on an .edu site will not be worth any more then a new site on a .info because both are new, neither hold much weight in and of themselves, and chances are neither may be indexed, or recently indexed. Getting a link on the front page of Yale's site may be a god send, but on some random student's blog will be another story. Go for relevance not domain, and you'll fair MUCH better.
You can download this dofollow software for free to find related .edu site with high page PR for any keywords you want.
Matt Cutt's has mentioned on more than one occasion that google doesn't put any sort of priority over edu and gov links compared to others (.net, .com, etc). Google's search doesn't "love" anything, it's just a search engine that carries out designated tasks.
I think it's hard to gain backlink for .EDU and .GOV because these are sites don't want any paid listing.... they rather link back if you have a good resources....