Google Backlinks and Webmaster tools: Why Different Results
We understand the importance and need of the back link to our site or blog, hence we always keep tracking our effort of link building by analyzing number of back link in Google webmasters tools or other similar backlinks analysis tools. If you are doing the same, you might have found that, numbers of backlinks shown in Google webmasters tools under ‘link to your site’ option is quite a different from that you find in searching with ‘link:yoursite.com’ parameter in Google search.
So, In this article I would like to discuss about this changes and confusion between do follow and no follow backlinks to your site. First time when I see this difference for my blog, I researched a lot in Google and came to few results that I am going to discuss. I am not sure that any of following is 100% true or not, as there is no official announcement from Google side, it’s all derived from experience knowledge and advice form experts in SEO and internet marketing fields.
GWT (Google Webmaster Tools) shows all links to your site, not matter if there are no follow or do follow. I agree with this, as I have experienced it my self. I have many backlinks that are no follow from blog comments and from few other sites through article marketing and found indexed in Google webmasters tools as a back link, so at this point I am sure that GWT also shows no follow links. Because may be Google is intended to show the webmaster that who link to them, no matter whether they are delivering link juice or not. Just to say “this site links to you, means your are also here on this site”
“Link:domain.com” search parameter in Google search gives only most important dofollow backlinks to your site. I found this tip some where in SEO forum, but I am not agree with because of my own experience. I have many backlinks from ezinearticles directory and few other valuable sites, but what I can see in Google back link search is only 2 backlinks, one form ezinearticles and one from other site. While Google webmasters tools showing more than 5000 backlinks for the same blog on the same time.
Google webmaster tools result are true, while Google link search result is just for estimated result to protect you from your competitor from knowing your link building strategies. Again this is not officially announced by Google, just the prediction by SEO experts and I agree with this reason of difference between each results.
However, as Google is not disclosing any secrets about number of dofollow backlinks that really deliver link juice to your site, or any official PR (Page Rank) updates in Google webmaster tools, what can we do is, analyze overall SEO performance in multiple grading tools and use your own brain to select best performing link building strategies and SEO strategies to work on. What positive thing here is, No effort in SEO is useless as far as you are using only white hat SEO techniques.
If you have any official announcement on this topic or any proof different from these results discussed here, I would like you to comment here.
Great points!
Still a bit confused about the inlinks…however i’ve been using YAHOO for my link searches.
I agree with you in 80% and 20% im steel confused and not so clear (especially link:yoursite.com).
I can add that links shown at yahoo and links shown in webmaster tools 90% are similar.
Webmaster tools is to slow at showing up new backlinks
Thanks this is good article.
do you have any explanation why GWT ‘link to your site’ shows different result in different GWT account for 1 domain?
@Bili. Maybe your domain is with www. in one of accounts. So http://www.yourdomain.com and yourdomain.com google see as diferent domains.
Hope this helped