Whats the difference between Link:yourdaomian and webmaster link count

I'm sure this has been discussed many times before. However, I'm still unclear on this subject. What is the difference between the links showing when you do a google search for link:yourdomain.com and the ones that appear in Google's Webmaster tools? Usually, more appear in the webmaster tools. Do he links that appear in the Google search mean that they are of more value? Is it possible that these are considered authoritive sites?

Thanks in advance for any information.

 

I suggest that you do not use the link: operator to check your site's backlinks. This command will only show a sample of the links that your site have. Only use webmaster tools to see the actual number of backlinks.

 

The link operator doesn't work. I also tend to think the webmaster tools list is incomplete.

 

I think link: only shows the best of the best links. Try yahoo linkdomain:www.google.com

 

use the yahoo link checker, this gives you a more accurate number of backlinks your site has.