Do backlinks even matter anymore?

[Dantheman]

So I?ve been trying for months to get my main site to rank well with different backlink campaigns but I?ve only seen minimal success.

Then today while surfing the Internet for fun I came across a site that totally stumped me. Go to Google and type in ?Iphone 5? and the number one site that comes up is www.iphone5release.org. Guess how many backlinks this site has? It has 6 backlinks! WTF? How is this site ranking so high on such a competitive keyword with only 6 backlinks? I checked the backlinks on 3 separate sites (www.backlinkwatch.com, www.backlinklab.com, and www.iwebtool.com)

So do backlinks even matter anymore? Is content the only thing Google cares about nowadays? This is obviously a money site for someone doing the same stuff people on BHW are trying to do, so maybe we can learn a thing or two from what this person is doing to rank their site so well.

Thoughts?

 

[GreyWolf]

Well...
Try typing "iphone5release.org" into the google search box.

Maybe some of those "About 19,200 results (0.06 seconds)" have something to do with it?

 

[kvmcable]

You need to toss those tools in the trash. That site has a ton of on-page and off-page SEO work.

It nails on-page SEO with Title, URL, Desc and Header.

Off page SEO it has 11,259 page backlinks from 2,077 different domains to that home page. 2,332 different domains with links to the site pages. 34 bleg links also.

That is how it achieved it's PR4.

Backlinks are the gas in the car. You need gas if you want to go anywhere.

It will be good for them while it lasts. One DMCA letter from Apple to their host and they're gone.

 

[clyde]

It shows 2387 links on OSE for me.

 

[Expertpeon]

6900 backlinks, 10% of them are nofollow
A lot of forum spam and super link blogpost spam.

Majestic Million position of 55,490 though
I def would say this is a prime example of backlinks being everything
His backlinks are crap though, he'll get nailed by google for them.

 

[jheyslow]

Using seoquake it has 11,215 backlinks and its pr4. Can you show your site? Maybe we can tell you the answer why your site doesn't rank.

 

[jon_xx_x]

Well...
Try typing "iphone5release.org" into the google search box.

Maybe some of those "About 19,200 results (0.06 seconds)" have something to do with it?

No. It has to do with the 11,000 links linking to iphone5release.org and now www.iphone5release.org

 

[artizhay]

No, backlinks don't matter. Give all your backlinks to me since everyone knows it's all a lie. I'll find something to do with those useless piles of rubbish. Ha, backlinks - just a conspiracy fed to us by gurus - the real truth is out there...somewhere...

 

[offlineking]

 

[GreyWolf]

Well...
Try typing "iphone5release.org" into the google search box.

Maybe some of those "About 19,200 results (0.06 seconds)" have something to do with it?

No. It has to do with the 11,000 links linking to iphone5release.org and now www.iphone5release.org

ROFL. Did you actually just quote my post and say I'm wrong? LOL

My point to the OP was exactly what you said as well... The site has a ton of links to it. The search I told him to do shows that website is referenced and linked to by thousands of other websites.

Typing a domain in the google search box might not be the most accurate backlink finder around, but when someone thinks a site is ranking with virtually no backlinks, showing them a quick example like that can give them an idea of how many more links there actually are than what they thought.

The point is the site in question has a TON of backlinks which is why it's at the top of the serp.

lol :cool2:

 

[slim_dusty]

He might have a ton of crap backlinks, but how much are they actually helping. Maybe he also has a number of good quality links too. High PR blog network and other quality links with diversity count for more.

 

[GreyWolf]

He might have a ton of crap backlinks, but how much are they actually helping. Maybe he also has a number of good quality links too. High PR blog network and other quality links with diversity count for more.

That's another thing that makes the google search I suggested above a useful example. If you browse through a few of the results pages you'll see that a fair amount of the websites referencing and linking to his website are iphone and iphone5 related sites.

 

[SEORocks]

IMO Backlinks make a big difference but probably not in the way you think.

I have proven with several of my 1 - 5 ranked, competitive keyword sites that quantity does not help my sites as much as quality. I have several sites with hundreds, sometimes thousands less backlinks then my competitors ranked below me.

I am sure that pisses them of too.

So my advise is not to stress over the huge blasts but establish quality backlinks and you will be just fine.

 

[kvmcable]

Yes I looked closer at his links and his juice is from a well designed link wheel. None of them with good PR are open for comment. Clearly someone that knows what he's doing (or she).

 

[Rubix101]

It shows over 2,000 backlinks for me so its probably the tools you're using. Glad you're not right though, cuz backlinks have been my bread and butter.

 

[Expertpeon]

He might have a ton of crap backlinks, but how much are they actually helping. Maybe he also has a number of good quality links too. High PR blog network and other quality links with diversity count for more.

His High PR blog network is the wrong kind of blog network.
It's a shared one with TONS of backlinks in every post (to completely different niches)
This is a horrible horrible strategy (and an expensive one)

 

[Expertpeon]

IMO Backlinks make a big difference but probably not in the way you think.

I have proven with several of my 1 - 5 ranked, competitive keyword sites that quantity does not help my sites as much as quality. I have several sites with hundreds, sometimes thousands less backlinks then my competitors ranked below me.

I am sure that pisses them of too.

So my advise is not to stress over the huge blasts but establish quality backlinks and you will be just fine.

Plus 1 on this.
My main site eats keywords and has <1000 backlinks when the old #1 spots all have over 30,000.
When you have 100 PR7 d0follow links (not paid)... yeah well.

 

[GreyWolf]

His High PR blog network is the wrong kind of blog network.
It's a shared one with TONS of backlinks in every post (to completely different niches)
This is a horrible horrible strategy (and an expensive one)

Well I don't know if he has a horrible strategy or not...

What I do know is right now that site has the #1 position (out of about 3 billion results) for the keyword "iphone 5".

Apparently they're doing something right. :cool2:

 

[Expertpeon]

Well I don't know if he has a horrible strategy or not...

What I do know is right now that site has the #1 position (out of about 3 billion results) for the keyword "iphone 5".

Apparently they're doing something right. :cool2:

This isn't that competitive of a term... at any rate,
He won't be there in about 4 weeks.

Getting #1 doesn't mean you're doing something right necessarily...
He may make his investment back... maybe.

 

[GreyWolf]

Getting #1 doesn't mean you're doing something right necessarily...

That's true, or at least it means he needs to be doing some other things right as well.

Plus I imagine he's ranking for some longtail searches as well. Even if it's just a temporary position though, if he can take advantage of it then he can make some bank while it's there.

edit-
Compete shows he's been getting about 200k-260k visitors per month since May. I'd be happy with those traffic stats for a site like that.