Dot Edu Link Hunting
Someone mentioned that his competitor had rock solid rankings because of a couple dot edu links. However, in my experience, a couple dot edu links aren't going to make that much of a difference.
What stands betweeen you and more dot edu links
The downside to dot edu links is that you can't request specific anchors without sounding spammy and possibly increasing the rejection rate. I have found that the custodians of dot edu web pages are generally a suspicious lot, which means it's probably a good idea to avoid sending anything that could profile you negatively in their mind. So you have to make a decision as to whether the anchors are worth the possible tradeoff of less inbound links, or whether obtaining a more trustworthy profile by amassing inbound links from the dot edu space is your goal.
Another barrier to surmount is the prohibition against links to commercial websites. Don't screw yourself by contacting web page administrators who have clear guidelines against linking to commercial websites. The last thing you need is to be placed on a spam blacklist, or worse, get whacked by your webhost or domain registrar. Here is a typical policy to look out for:
There's still some wiggle room in that policy but in general most web page administrators are going to be afraid of linking out to commercial websites. Adjust your campaign accordingly to cope with that.
About the Author
martinibuster lives in the SF Bay Area and yes, I do take clients. Contact me at roger @ martinibuster.com
What stands betweeen you and more dot edu links
The downside to dot edu links is that you can't request specific anchors without sounding spammy and possibly increasing the rejection rate. I have found that the custodians of dot edu web pages are generally a suspicious lot, which means it's probably a good idea to avoid sending anything that could profile you negatively in their mind. So you have to make a decision as to whether the anchors are worth the possible tradeoff of less inbound links, or whether obtaining a more trustworthy profile by amassing inbound links from the dot edu space is your goal.
Another barrier to surmount is the prohibition against links to commercial websites. Don't screw yourself by contacting web page administrators who have clear guidelines against linking to commercial websites. The last thing you need is to be placed on a spam blacklist, or worse, get whacked by your webhost or domain registrar. Here is a typical policy to look out for:
Official University pages may not link to commercial sites that advertise/sell products or services, and may not accept sponsorship from commercial entities in exchange for advertising and/or links to commercial sites.
Specific exceptions may be allowed if the commercial links support the University's missions and/or provide an essential service to the Northwestern community.
There's still some wiggle room in that policy but in general most web page administrators are going to be afraid of linking out to commercial websites. Adjust your campaign accordingly to cope with that.
About the Author
martinibuster lives in the SF Bay Area and yes, I do take clients. Contact me at roger @ martinibuster.com
Search Engine Commentary by martinibuster || Dot Edu Link Hunting
