Google link count not consistent

[hibuddy]

Hi
I have been developing links for my 4 month site. When I try to find link count from google like

link:http://www.mydomain.com and
link:www.mydomain.com

I am getting different results like 60 ,115,123,178 etc for the same search .But I dont see more than 9 links from the SERPS. Could you explain me what is happening. Is that something I need to worry?.

Thanks in advance...

[hibuddy]

Please share your thought on this . Have you ever seen this issue on your sites.

Thanks...

[SFReader]

When you search on backlinks, Google posts only a portion of them.

[stargeek]

Google's link: command is for entertainment purposes only, try yahoo's links: or linkdomain: for more realistic results.

[Dayo_UK]

Hmmmz - You should not be getting different results unless a backlink update is underway. Which to my knowledge is not happening at the moment.

You have not got a space between the link: and the http or www have you.

If so that will change the search from a link check to a check for pages which have the word link and your domain in the document.

[hibuddy]

Thanks for all the replies.

I checked my search with google by running

link:www.mydomain.com

with no space (I am sure I did not give any space).Still I am getting the same kind of results like 59,122,115,177 etc.. . I am not even changing the search query at all.

When I try the linkdomain on yahoo . I see 251 link counts. It is consistent.

DO you know when the google next link update will start .

Thanks...

[modemmike]

There was just a BL (backlink) update/export recently but it seems they come around about once a month in my guestimation. The number is rather pointless however.

[SEOPimp]

Whenever you use the link: command on google you will retrieve a random sample of your links. The total number may be used as a scale, but Google is definitely not a reliable source for checking your back links.
I would recommend you use MSN or wait until Yahoo launches its SiteExplorer.Search.Yahoo.com

[shail2005]

Hi ,
Glad to see yours different opinion , but the confusion is still there . when we use to apply
link:http://www.mydomain.com , whatever google shows , include some back links from other site plus the most of the links from the site itself(from the different pages to home page ). Is google gives similar wightage to both these links?
the second thing is that ,like other number one site (that shows hundred of internal back links in this result),my own site also has a link to HOME page from each and every page (as usual), but in my cases google never shows that pages as a backlinks to the home page . What the real strategy is to increase those internal backlinks?

[jd01]

...until Yahoo launches its SiteExplorer.Search.Yahoo.com

They have -- used it last night -- will continue using the main Y for a while at least, can't use '-stuff' to get the results low enough to browse for specific information.

Justin

[Wizard]

It has been told on this forum so many times, that I don't know why ask it again instead of reading. 'link': command used to show only high PR linking pages, but it was over a year before. Since then, 'link:' search shows total junk, or, as Googleguy called it, 'random sample of backlinks'. So obviously, it you find a page in 'link:' result, it means Google knows its page is linking to you. But if you don't find a page in 'link:' result, it may mean either Google don't consider it linking to you or it just don't show it in the result. So it's almost worthless tool!

You can check with 'link:' command on MSN, and then chec Google cache of pages you've found, if there are backlinks to you in cached version. It will indicate that Google either already treats it as backlink or will do it very soon (after updating its links database, calculating real PR and anchor text point etc).

If MSN/Yahoo don't know about a backlink, and Google refuses to list it, it's more difficult to detect it. But mind that if linking page is not known to MSN and Yahoo, it's not especially valuable page. Also if you cannot see such page in your logs as referer, so no humans go to your site by this link, it's a bit less valuable link - Google tries as hard as they can to depreciate links not easily seen and not likely clicked by humans, anyway.