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Don't Think Like a Student for .edu Links
November 27, 2008
I've written posts before on some tips to fixing existing .edu links and why .edu link acquisition services are typically worthless. But what about when you're trying to get links the old-fashioned way? By providing valuable content to users and then telling Webmasters where to find it? What do you do? Where do you start? How do you go about it?
When you're doing research to gain some much-coveted .edu links, be sure to do your homework. You want to find sites that cater to your target market. But stop and think before you channel the zen of a college student to get your links.
Why not? It's simple. College students don't dictate links on University sites. Professors and staff do. How do I know this? Take a look at any college Web site and find a resources page of sorts for students. These days with so many college kids graduating with excessive debt (and I'm not just talking about student loans) many sites are now putting up a page packed full of resources on how to manage your credit from the start rather than how to fix it (although there are links for that too).
Let's take a look at this sample page from Baldwin-Wallace College on how to manage your finances. Lots of good stuff in here, right? Perfect opportunity to maybe place a link to a well-respected site that offers additional tips and financial information? Want to put a link to a big and flashy Web site that college kids just seem to love? Stop. Read the content again. The thing I heard most in college is "You're an adult now." Colleges are set up to groom promising professionals into upstanding citizens (not to mention that whole education thing). The content on this page is geared towards the students with a parental tone.
"But wait," you might say. "College kids love my big flashy Web site!" True, but they're not the ones who are managing a large university's Web site. Even if they are, a professor is mentoring them and watching their every move. Those links, even if they do get put up, won't last long. The biggest mistake I see in trying to get .edu links is that some link builders think that you are marketing to the students. You're not. You're marketing to their parents. And their professors.
"So what do I do?" I'm so glad you asked. Market to the professors and parents of these students. They're the ones who, ultimately, dictate what types of content goes up. Typically, parents pay the bills to these schools. So, professors and staff answer to them. The staff and teaching professionals are responsible for the education of these young minds. They don't want something as glaring as a junk link on their Web site. Think like an adult when marketing to .edu sites.
The bottom line in all of this? You must provide valuable content to the user to get .edu links. No ifs, ands, or buts. Sure, you can get other .edu links without much effort. But I doubt they'll provide any long-term value for search engine rankings. And in link development, long-term is the way to go.
Oh, and by the way... Happy Thanksgiving!
All posts by Angela Moore
posted by Angela Moore at November 27, 2008 06:53 AM
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Comments
Thanks for sharing the article...
It is really a useful one...
Posted by: martha at November 29, 2008 02:38 AM
Thanks for the great post Angela. You bring up a great point in that the true influences of University websites are professors and faculty, not the students.
Posted by: Dgkwong at December 2, 2008 11:44 AM
Such a simple insight, yet very powerful. Thank you for sharing the link to Baldwin-Wallace as well, I found that example to be very helpful.
Posted by: Oneunder at December 2, 2008 01:47 PM
Good way of thinking. Are .edu links still that powerfull?
Posted by: Merlijn - Clearsite Webdesign at June 4, 2009 11:26 PM
My dear Angela, yet another fantastic post and example. Enlightening and eye opening. Thank you very much.
Posted by: Ocala Web Design at August 12, 2009 01:02 PM