Getting .EDU and .GOV links the right way? Or is there one?

[ColoradoChris]

Hi,

So a great poster here mentioned that getting .EDU links would be a great thing to do. Yet how?

I see sites that sell .edu packages, but does Google and the search engines care?

I mean is there such thing as a bad edu or gov link?

Like is a bad edu link better than a link from some weird directory?

Thank you for any tips on how to obtain edu and gov links

Chris

 

[Margaret Ornsby]

Links are still a good thing in the eyes of Google. But they're not a good thing if you come at them from the view of "getting links".

Have something (content) that people want to link to.

How do you do that for gov or edu? Write something they want to link to or reference. Write something remarkable, something quality.

Buying links... well that's like playing Russian roulette these days (things have changed a lot in SEO since 2011). Might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later it's going to catch up with you.

I would never, ever suggest someone buy links.

Matt Cutts, head of Webspam team at Google did an interview recently, specifically on the topic of links and linkbuilding. Please have a read. Link Building Is Not Illegal (or Inherently Bad) with Matt Cutts

And Google's guidelines:
https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/66356?hl=en

Any links intended to manipulate PageRank or a site's ranking in Google search results may be considered part of a link scheme and a violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. This includes any behavior that manipulates links to your site or outgoing links from your site

By the sounds of your question, you interest in gov and edu links is to manipulate the search engines. IF that's true, that's not cool or kosher.

Directory links can be useful, if they're relevant or related to your business. Directory listings for the sake of directory listings - that's along the lines of one of the other questions you've already asked about citations.

Please stop thinking about the links and think about what value and quality you can contribute to your audience.

 

[Linda Buquet]

You inspired me to create a new hashtag Margaret #greatadvice!

 

[ColoradoChris]

Links are still a good thing in the eyes of Google. But they're not a good thing if you come at them from the view of "getting links".

Have something (content) that people want to link to.

How do you do that for gov or edu? Write something they want to link to or reference. Write something remarkable, something quality.

Buying links... well that's like playing Russian roulette these days (things have changed a lot in SEO since 2011). Might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later it's going to catch up with you.

I would never, ever suggest someone buy links.

Matt Cutts, head of Webspam team at Google did an interview recently, specifically on the topic of links and linkbuilding. Please have a read. Link Building Is Not Illegal (or Inherently Bad) with Matt Cutts

And Google's guidelines:
https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/66356?hl=en

Any links intended to manipulate PageRank or a site's ranking in Google search results may be considered part of a link scheme and a violation of Google?s Webmaster Guidelines. This includes any behavior that manipulates links to your site or outgoing links from your site

By the sounds of your question, you interest in gov and edu links is to manipulate the search engines. IF that's true, that's not cool or kosher.

Directory links can be useful, if they're relevant or related to your business. Directory listings for the sake of directory listings - that's along the lines of one of the other questions you've already asked about citations.

Please stop thinking about the links and think about what value and quality you can contribute to your audience.

I assure you I am not in any way trying to abuse any system of Google and I am offended that you address this as stating that

"By the sounds of your question, you interest in gov and edu links is to manipulate the search engines."

I am here for research to better my website. Until now I felt like people here helped without speculation. I was just following up from a tip I got from a well known poster here.

If my website is based on an industry unrelated to an edu or gov site, is that considered spam? and bad?

Not everyone here is looking to get one past Google.

 

[Margaret Ornsby]

Wow, I'm honoured! Thanks Linda

---------- Post Merged at 04:35 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 04:25 PM ----------

Apologies Chris, it was not my intention to offend. Perhaps I did come at it with a bias, a biased based on experience when people ask about backlinks, gov, edu links, buying links and so on. I also did say "IF that's true", but I take your point. My humble apologies.

In regards to your industry - if gov or edu doesn't naturally fit into your content, your industry, your intended audience, then logically it seems out of place, yes?

On the other hand, if you're a plumbing service, and you do pro-bono work (or some other such notable situation) for a school and they provide you with a link as a preferred supplier or in an online thank you post , etc, then in that context the link makes sense. And in that context, it's logical. And in that context, it shouldn't be a problem.

Does that make sense?

 

[ColoradoChris]

Furthermore, My title stated it, I was looking for the right way to obtain and ask for edu and gov links.

I thought maybe by offering a scholarship to colleges would get proper backlinks?

I am not sure how things work. Maybe you have to buy Edu and Gov links from some sites as a donation? Then they link back to you?

There is no need to accuse someone of manipulating Google. I was just told to get some edu and gov links, and did not know how.

You tell me to:

"Please stop thinking about the links and think about what value and quality you can contribute to your audience."

But I am just here trying to get help, I was told get these types of links, so I was asking how to obtain them. I am working on my content, and my site quality.

And you get rewarded for bashing me?

 

[Linda Buquet]

I assure you I am not in any way trying to abuse any system of Google and I am offended that you address this as stating that

"By the sounds of your question, you interest in gov and edu links is to manipulate the search engines."

I am here for research to better my website. Until now I felt like people here helped without speculation. I was just following up from a tip I got from a well known poster here.

If my website is based on an industry unrelated to an edu or gov site, is that considered spam? and bad?

Not everyone here is looking to get one past Google.

Chris,

Margaret was not trying to be accusatory and I'm sorry you took it that way.

I know you weren't trying to pull one over and I don't think she meant to be accusatory, but offer you some constructive criticism.

Actually much of what she said is the exact way Google explains it. In fact some of it was direct quotes and I thought she explained the issue well.

So please don't take it personally. Everyone is human and has an opinion. Some here maybe aren't up on the latest changes or use older methods and have not been slapped yet.

It's true edu links can help. But it's even more true that if you want to stay on the safe side of the law, you should not buy links. So I agree with Margaret.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Furthermore, My title stated it, I was looking for the right way to obtain and ask for edu and gov links.

I thought maybe by offering a scholarship to colleges would get proper backlinks?

I am not sure how things work. Maybe you have to buy Edu and Gov links from some sites as a donation? Then they link back to you?

There is no need to accuse someone of manipulating Google. I was just told to get some edu and gov links, and did not know how.

You tell me to:

"Please stop thinking about the links and think about what value and quality you can contribute to your audience."

But I am just here trying to get help, I was told get these types of links, so I was asking how to obtain them. I am working on my content, and my site quality.

And you get rewarded for bashing me?

Sorry Chris all 3 of us posted at about the same time, so I must have been typing earlier at same time you posted because, I didn't see your last post OR Margaret's apology above. So our replies are out of order. My post above was replying to your 2nd post, and I had not seen the 3rd until now.

Sorry I wasn't rewarding her for bashing you as I honestly didn't read it that way and didn't think it sounded accusatory at all at the time. But now in reading it back and hearing your concerns I understand.

We get people all the time wanting to take a short cut or not even caring about playing by the rules and I thought she explained well the pitfalls of paying for links which Google does view as ranking manipulation. So I did the hashtag because I thought it was well explained for those that don't know the danger. And I do feel she was just trying to be helpful but could have maybe picked better wording.

The mistake was her assuming you were trying to do a short cut or not caring about playing by the rules and she apologized for that. But again I was not rewarding her for that because the way I read it initially (skimmed it really which is all I had time to do) it did not sound that bad. But again now that I hear how it sounded to you I understand, why you are upset and we are both very sorry.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Honestly it was late on a Sunday night and I was still buried with tech problems and could barely skim. I just missed the part of her post that made you upset.

I just removed the hashtag for great advice because we obviously don't want to draw attention to a thread that makes anyone feel bad. (I know Margaret will understand.)

Almost midnight and I'm so tired I can't see straight. I'll re-visit this in the morning and read the whole thing with fresh eyes.

Have a good night all. Hopefully in the morning we can all kiss and make up.

 

[Margaret Ornsby]

A good lesson on intentions.

I didn't intend to offend him.
Chris doesn't intend to do the wrong thing in the eyes of Google.

But the actions could be seen as such.

Apologies again Chris, and to you Linda.

 

[Nevyana]

Hi,

So a great poster here mentioned that getting .EDU links would be a great thing to do. Yet how?

I see sites that sell .edu packages, but does Google and the search engines care?

Chris

Hi Chris,

.edu backlinks are as hard to naturally obtain for your business as they are benefitial to your backlink profile. Your suggestion for a scholarship is a great idea and that is a perfect way to support the given college or university, its students and community as a whole. If the university is in your own location it makes all the sense to try that option because the referral from that website will be relevant to your area of service and it will be provided by an authority source.

No paid edu packages - save yourself the efforts of filing in a Reconsideration Request for a following Manual Action for spamming.

Save from thinking for the students only you could also think of the staff as well. In this regard - taking part in discount programs is another way to offer value to the given university and thus build mutually benefitial relationship with it.

It is not easy but it is surely an option worth giving a go. Of course if you are not after a cheap win

 

[djbaxter]

Also bear in mind that edu links are not inherently more valuable than any other link. There was a thriving business for a while where students created pages like some school.edu/mystudentname/my page.html - apart from the buying links issue, those links had zero value to the buyer.

Matt Cutts did a video about 5 years ago debunking this myth. He said something like the only reason edu or gov pages tend to be more valuable is because they a also tend to have more authority. But not all edu or gov pages are created equal.

The advice about creating content that edu or gov pages might want to link to is spot on. Beyond that, my advice is to forget about trying to obtain specific links and focus more on creating top notch content and on site SEO.

 

[Adam Steele]

Very good read, WITH DATA, on the subject: https://blog.majesticseo.com/resear...erring-domain-ratios-in-the-majestic-million/

 

[djbaxter]

See Do You Still Care About .Gov or .Edu Links?

And http://www.stephanspencer.com/matt-cutts-interview/

 

[Adam Steele]

Hadn't seen this vid - pretty straight forward stuff. Course, I am going to choose data over anything Matt says any day of the week. Thanks for sharing : )

 

[JordanJCaron]

I am with you there Adam. I'd rather see some proof rather than blindly following Matt Cutts.

Example, lately I have been coming across my clients competitors back linking methods. Most of what I see is paid web and business directories along with forum profile links.

I understand guidelines but sometimes you have a look around and what's actually going. It's frustrating to see a site that you've worked hard on comply with all of Googe's good practices and yet be outranked by a site with supposed "bad" links.

Chris,

I like the idea of sponsoring a scholarship. But that can be costly and I'm sure you can find better ways to build links without having to spend $1000 + on a scholarship.

 

[Adam Steele]

I can't give out the details of how I am going about it because my client is the one who came up with the strategy, but I can tell you, ponying up $500-1500 for a scholarship offering can land you some stellar links. The kind of links you'd pay 1k+/link for easy, and a lot of them. If you can find the budget, and put together a smart plan and most importantly execute, you're golden. And don't be afraid to pick up the phone to get links. Course it will be tough to do that at any scale, but you really don't need too many links to make this a worthwhile venture.

 

[djbaxter]

Two questions:

1. Any link scheme will work for a while until Google catches on. These are generally strategies for short term gain which may seriously damage reputation and ranking in the long run.

2. How relevant are these links to the site / pages you're promoting? If your client is in the business of education funding, great. How helpful will they be to a plumber or dentist?

 

[Adam Steele]

SOME of you might enjoy this read of the good folks at ETHICAL Consulting: Scholarships, Outreach, and Relationships, Oh My! | Ethical SEO Consulting

 

[Former Member]

Two questions:

1. Any link scheme will work for a while until Google catches on. These are generally strategies for short term gain which may seriously damage reputation and ranking in the long run.

2. How relevant are these links to the site / pages you're promoting? If your client is in the business of education funding, great. How helpful will they be to a plumber or dentist?

As a plumbing company, we've made tool donations and held seminars for trade schools with apprentices in the area. It gave us a valuable connection to our future employees and the links were a great bonus.

I definitely agree there's a fine line between the good and the bad though.