EDU Links are still desired and valuable | Search Engine Optimization

By JulieJohnson
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It has been common knowledge in the link building world for years that .edu links are valuable. Practiced widely and accepted, the coveted EDU link is prized. But as of late, you may be hearing a twitter or two that Edu links are no more valuable than any other link.

After all, Matt Cutts said so. He said officially in 2005 that Google's algorithm does not value the .edu tld any more than any other extension. As recently as May 2008, there were confirmations that Google did not place any more importance on the .edu domain.

But still it is a fact: they work. SEO companies want them. The build edu links themselves. They buy edu links when they can. They are ignoring Google. Not that Google is lying, but they are not going to spell out their algorithm for us either. And if the edu links work, then I still want 'em.

What makes the EDU link worthwhile still?

1. EDU domains are ten plus years old. And established sites carry more weight.

2. Because not anyone can just start an EDU domain, they are hard to come by.

3. High page ranks on EDUs, coupled with excessive inbound links and traffic, add to the value in Google's algorithm.

4. Content, content, content: Google likes the content on EDUs: lots of it, research, educational, non-advertising, adding value to the web.

So the EDU link persists, and becomes harder and harder to obtain. classified ads, college paper sitewide links, bribing a professor... they can be done still but the value is suffering due to the overuse, and more importantly, the lack of relevancy of the link. Remember that the traditional link weights will still count even on an EDU.

Factors that still need to be considered, edu or not, are the placement of the link (sidebar links are OUT), sitewide links that are placed carelessly, links not in content, irrelevant links... these issues still apply. However a natural link in an article on an EDU will pay off in spades.

When I get hit with an email linking to a forum ragging on the EDU link, inevitably I read the rest of the thread and there are countless supporters explaining the WHY and HOW of the edu link. Read and think for yourself, get edu links, and watch firsthand.

About the Author

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