How valuable are ".gov" links and how much can they help for SEO? I am aware of the different views for ".edu" links, but would like to seek your opinions on ".gov" links. Thanks.
According to Google, the TLD doesn't matter. So, for right now, the content of the page linking to you is more important than the trust or rank factor. I do concur with disgust, but there is a difference in .gov links and .edu links. I believe, all things being equal (i.e. both have equal pagerank and same content), a .gov would be more valuable for the long-term, if only because it's harder to get. .edu is typically governed by anybody affiliated with the institution: students, faculty, assistants, administrators, etc. Some are owned by private individuals. .gov, on the other hand, is likely maintained by government employees and if you've done the searches you see how many style guides they have about updating their websites, adding links, etc.
it carries about the same weight as a .edu the only difference is .gov tends to have less outgoing links so more juice for you but thats about it.
can anyone suggest me if linking to good sites but unrealted to our sites helps us in getting traffic?