Graphics Only Site Ranks #1

How does graphic only sitewith no text rank #1

[lobshot]

There is a site in a fairly competitive (2,600,000 results) category in the <snip> industry with several seo managed sites among top listings, but the site in question has ranked #1 for over a year, never below number one. Only 50 backlinks, few of those more than pr4 and only a few with keyword anchor text links. Title contains 2 key words , and the site is entirely graphics based, no text whatsoever. Only other feature is a combination java script scroller and day/date. Doesn't look cloaked but I am no expert. Sometimes the obvious is right in front of my face and I guess I would like to see what I am missing here.

[edited by: Marcia at 5:37 am (utc) on Sep. 15, 2003]
[edit reason] No specifics, please. [/edit]

[dougmcc1]

Cloaking was the first thing that came to my mind as well, though I'm no expert in it either.

[edited by: Marcia at 2:40 pm (utc) on Sep. 15, 2003]

[davester28]

If the site was using cloaking, you should be able to tell by comparing the code you get when you visit the site, with the cached copy of what google saw when it visited the site.

HTH
Davester28

[dirkz]

What with the sites below? Do they have more backlinks? I would not trust it anyway, neither the TPR. Maybe there are much more backlinks with really good anchor texts. Word goes that google doesn't show backlinks from low PR sites, maybe the site in question has thousands of PR2 links.
Have you checked for a redirect? If you assume cloaking you could use wget to hide as Googlebot, though this does not give you their IP.

[Yidaki]

>a site in a fairly competitive (2,600,000 results) category
>the site in question has ranked #1 for over a year
>the site is entirely graphics based

Sorry, but i don't tell you how i get there.

[dirkz]

Yidaki :)

[benc007]

lobshot,

Please send me a PM with the URL of the site ... I would like to take a look at it. Thank you.

[Chndru]

[edited by: <snip> at 5:37 am (utc) on Sep. 15, 2003]
[edit reason] No specifics, please. [/edit]

hmmm...One of the advantages of being a mod :-)

p.s. just a lil' jest...couldn't help it..mod can delete this post

[Net_Wizard]

Sticky me the URL and I'll take a look at the backlinks or if it's cloaked.

That way I could report Yidaki for cloaking ;)

[Net_Wizard]

Lobshot, hope you dont mind me posting my reply to your sticky. Let's see if Bench007 have the same findings.

Okay...here's what I found.

193 'external' backlinks with the query in the various anchors not necessarily as an anchor to the #1 site. Remember, Google takes 'into consideration' what the linking site is all about. For example, if the link is coming from a well known site and the page anchor is 'widget', IMO, this anchor carries some weight towards the target site even though if the actual anchor of the link is 'somesite.com' instead of widget.

Illustration: Page linking to #1 site

Widget

blah blah blah widget and more blah blah
visit http:somesite.com blah blah

Which happen that one of the backlink is coming from sportsillustrated.cnn.com, you can't ask anything more than that ;)

The rest of the backlinks are sites that 'really' have something to do with the query, bear in mind that the query is very specific.

Also, the site in question is not purely graphics, there are internal links that have part of the query in it.

So, combine the two factors together, there's no doubt that the site in question is what it say it is. :)

Incidentally, when I did my search for that query, the site in question is in #7 with and without the quotes.

Hope this answer your question.

Cheers