While it’s tricky to conclusively prove, there is ample evidence that Google places high value on links coming from .gov and .edu top level domains (TLDs). Because these TLDs are only available to government sites and accredited educational institutions, links that originate from them are somewhat exclusive and difficult for the average person to obtain. Therefore, these links are much harder to manipulate and that’s why they are trusted and valued more than links coming from non .gov and .edu domains.  In fact, unless you’re creative, it’s almost impossible to get links from these domains. However, thinking creatively opens up all kinds of possibilities. The .edu domains, especially, offer several opportunities.

First, do you have services you can donate to the school in exchange for a link back? Web design and SEO firms are especially suited in this regard, but many businesses can find some way to contribute either products or expertise to a school or their Web site.

Second, most schools give their students a small amount of web space in order to host that student’s personal Web page. There are literally millions of these personal student Web pages available and getting a link from any one of them can help your site in the search engine results. In fact, if you attended college, you may find that your school will make one

of these pages available to you as an alumnus.

You could also consider offering a special student discount on your site. Students can receive this discount if they link back to your site from their personal Web page hosted on an .edu domain.

Beyond that, your potential for acquiring links from college students is limited only by your

imagination and promotional acumen.

Posted by: Oes Tsetnoc