A Simple Way to Get EDU Backlinks in 2024
How to Get Edu Backlinks: 7 Easy Options
Backlinks and quality content are kind of like flowers and chocolates for search engines. You need them to win the search engine over to your site.
Knowing this, people try to get nothing short of the best links possible.
Long story short – the better your links, the better your rankings are (it is a very simplified statement, but it sure shows the overall idea).
That’s why getting your hands on .edu backlinks ranks pretty high up for your SEO. It’s the sort of thing seen as success or at least a sign that you are on the right track.
But actually, earning links from trusted university and college sites can look like trying to land the leading role in the next mission impossible. You have to sift through back-alley edu sites.
And when you find good pages, you have to appear trustworthy enough to convince those unis to link to you – it is a whole lot.
Many have given up halfway, but that won’t be you. We’ve got you covered. In this post, we will explore how you can get edu links and show you how to spot the right sites.
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What Are Educational Backlinks?
Of all backlinks, edu links are special. These come from the websites of educational institutions and organizations.
Even just a few of them can do wonders for your domain authority. Imagine creating something so good that Harvard links to your website. That would be a dream come true for most.
Everyone knows that a reputable institution like that puts in the work to ensure that they only share credible information. So, by extension, getting a link from them says a lot about your trustworthiness.
Source: Google
Why Are They So Important?
For one, edu sites themselves are not your average web pages. They have high domain authority, good PageRank, low (or even zero) spam scores, and all the other wonderful things every SEO expert tries to get.
These sites fit all the metrics Google loves. This makes them the gold standard of backlinks (maybe second only to .gov links).
Also, since they tick all the right boxes, Google responds positively to them. A genuine, relevant edu link can pass on some top-tier link juice to your site.
Now, all these sound great. But not all .edu backlinks will give you this result. Why is that?
Well, not every single educational website out there is owned by a credible school or institution.
So, you should always take a look at the domain authority and use a free (or paid if that works for you) backlink checker tool.
For example, here is the DR rating for the University of Southern California website. It has a domain rating of 90, which is really high. Besides, they have 1.4 million backlinks (89% of them dofollow).
Source: Ahrefs
At any rate, when trying to score edu links, go for those with high authority ratings because a lower authority score, even if from an accredited school site, will have less value. Plus, choose sites that are relevant to your niche (e.g., an IT startup getting a link from MIT).
How to Get Edu Lnks: 7 Techniques That Work
Sometimes, it can feel like a lot of people are pushing you to get .edu backlinks. At the same time, there are so many ideas on how to go about it that you are overwhelmed by all the information. So, here are some simple no-frills tactics:
#1 Fund or Sponsor Local Academic Groups
Every school has a number of student organizations and groups that will be thrilled to get some funding. You can check your local colleges for these groups and find one (or more if you like) relevant to your industry.
You can contact them and offer to fund their next event or donate to any other cause or needs they might have. If they like your offer, chances are that they will want to give you a shout-out, which can be in the form of a link to your site.
Of course, this is not a viable option if you want tons of .edu links – at least, not unless you have really deep pockets.
#2 Local Link Building
You should definitely leverage local link-building methods. Maybe even get your business listed in the local colleges resource pages. How?
Contact your local schools and request to be on this list. It’s that simple. If successfully included in the list, they will likely add your business details and contact address including a link to your home page.
Sometimes, simply contacting a university might not work, so consider throwing in some cool discounts just for their academic staff and students.
#3 Interviews With Faculty Members
This method of getting edu backlinks involves reaching out to faculty members at colleges and universities. The idea is to interview them on relevant topics in your niche. Of course, you’ll have to choose those who are experts or teach subjects relevant to your industry.
To find them, use Google search and type in site:.edu + “your niche or keyword” (e.g., site:.edu “biology”). Then, contact the professors and pitch your ideas. Don’t forget to include samples of your previous work.
Once it is published, reach out to them and share a link to the post. They will want to put it up on their blogs, which means backlink for you.
#4 Give Graduates Job Opportunities
If you are a big brand, this can be a good way to get 100s of edu backlinks or at least close to that. But even small businesses can benefit from this technique.
You can create a jobs/careers page on your website (if you don’t have one yet). Then, include some entry or internship positions that can be interesting to students or recent graduates. Next, you can contact several colleges in your region and inform them of this.
Schools are always on the lookout for information that may be helpful to their students, so this is a really viable option.
Be sure to send the links to your career page so they can include it on their website. Many of them will be happy to add that info to their dedicated career pages.
#5 Submit Your Content on Education Guest Blogging Sites
Source: Arizona State University
Another technique is publishing original, insightful posts on educational sites. Ironically, sometimes it might just be easier to get a guest post published on an .edu site than regular blogs.
But first, you have to find the right page. Again, use Google to search for phrases like “education write for us.”
Chances are that you will discover some prospects this way. But most colleges might not be open to guest posts except when they offer something of value to the students.
So, let your pitch convey genuine interest in adding value and not just in scoring a link for your website. Also, be sure to choose your topics carefully and follow all given guidelines.
Source: Arizona State University
#6 Alumni Pages
You know what they say about burning old bridges? You just never know when you might need them again. Sometimes, to find edu backlinks, you have to reconnect with the past, and that’s exactly how this tactic works.
Reach out to your alma mater and tell them about your latest accomplishments. Stress how your school education contributed to your success story. Of course, you really do need to have something remarkable to share.
Maybe you just won an award for doing something exceptional in your niche. Maybe you made the news for some groundbreaking discovery or your business is the next big thing.
Whatever it is, your school would love to share your good news. Maybe even do a feature on you in their post.
This gives you a link and some good publicity to boot. Who knows? You might even score an alumni profile just for posting your latest achievements. You can then get a link from each post to your own website.
#7 Buy Edu Backlinks
People think it’s hard to buy backlinks from .edu sites. Well, it isn’t the easiest task. But it gets much easier when you delegate it to those who know how and where to buy edu backlinks without triggering any Google penalty.
If you choose this option, make sure you check reviews and placement examples before buying any links.
In the LinksManagement inventory, you can easily find .edu domains that offer links from genuine sources. This way, you can enjoy the benefits of .edu links without having to jump through a lot of hoops or spend a ton of money.
Alternatives to Edu Links That Are as Effective
There’s no doubt that backlinks with .edu domains are really valuable. But you’d be losing out on some pretty great options if you only focus solely on links from .edu sites and ignore all others.
Here are some other alternative links that are just as good for your SEO rankings:
- Dofollow links. All dofollow links from high-authority sites are just as capable of improving your search rankings. Yep, even if they are not from academic websites.
- .gov links. Links from government sites are also a goldmine and can seriously boost your authority in your niche.
- PR links. These are links from news sites. You wouldn’t turn down a backlink from Forbes or CNN, would you? You know, just because they are not from universities doesn’t make them any less worthwhile.
- Social media links. Now, this one might sound surprising because SM links aren’t dofollow and don’t offer you any valuable link juice. Why do we mention them, then? The thing is that the more diverse your backlink profile looks, the easier it is for the search algorithm to see you as trustworthy. And these backlinks are perfect for that diversity.
Conclusion
Need a recap on how to publish an article online? Here you go.
First, focus on your audience and think over what you are going to offer them.
Next, do your research and select appropriate keywords based on your audience’s pain points and search intent.
Create outstanding content that is actually valuable. And find a way to publish your article (whether you do it yourself or outsource it).
This is how you write the best articles, build up your rep as a writer, and craft a solid network with other bloggers.