Ranking without Backlinks?

[JimJ]

How does a site rank on Google when it has ZERO backlinks? For my Key word "boise idaho real estate" Homegain is ranking #6 without any backlinks with a page that doesn't appear to have had that many SEO techniques used on it. this is the page:

http://www.homegain.com/local_real_estate/ID/boise (DOT) html

[Jenny Barclay]

It has one
http://www.google dot com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&q=%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ehomegain%2Ecom%2Flocal%5 Freal%5Festate%2FID%2Fboise%2Ehtml%22

http://www.homes-in-america dot com/search-boise_idaho_real_estate_for_sale.html

The page is PR5 and is mathematically brilliant for on-page which certainly worked until March 12

It's HP has 34.300 which would tend to give it clout, and who is going
to check the backlinks for the search term as anchor? LOL

Don't worry we will get you there between us

Jenny

[JimJ]

Jenny -

What do you mean by "It's HP has 34.3"?

I wonder if google is up to something right now because the serps for my KW are showing some really strange pages along side the sites that are usually there. As for my site, I am still playin in the sand! My new URL started 8-15-04 and I didn't start linking until about a week later, so I am thinking I still have a few more months in the sandbox. I have exchanged on cached pages with 200+ differenet sites but Google is only giving me credit for 63 which is about double of what my competition has on the front page right now but I am on page 12-13 while they are number 1.

[HMiller]

Jim,

I have a very similar situation as you. The top ten rankings for my main keywords are taken mostly by pages that have only 0, 1 or 2 backlinks. It seems that the common thread among them is that they all have a ton of content (Yahoo #3 & #4 ranking has 3,190,000 pages & 2BL's, weichert #5 has 4700 pages & 0BL's, homegain #6 has 26,000 pages & 1BL, realtor .com has 27000 pages & 0BL's, bearsystems #9 has 3760 pages & 2BL's)

So I can only assume that besides backlinks, the amount of content plays a big role. The #1 ranked site for my main keywords is houlihanlawrence which has only 229 pages but 76 BL's which leads me to think that there is some type of balance between amount of content and backlinks.

So it's off to add more content and to keep working on backlinks.

Take care,
Henry

[Jenny Barclay]

What do you mean by "It's HP has 34.3"?

34.300 backlinks

Google is only giving me credit for 63

Google currently recognises 133 for your site

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&l...eal-estate.com

It is generally accepeted that there are over 100 factors involved in the ALGO, although this may be mist sprayed by the PLEX.

There are normally between 5 and 10 changes per month.

It is perhaps best not to worry about the competition and just bash away at anchor until you get there.

[ResaleBroker]

Here are a few backlinks I found to that page:

http://www.homesforsale-online.org/relagent1.html
http://www.house4sale-online.com/relagent1.html
http://www.directeasymove.com/Boise-Idaho-moving.asp
http://www.homegain.com/local_real_estate/sitemap.html

[JimJ]

I think content may end up being king. Linking is so abused. I am curious as to what the SEO-GUY thinks about this. You would think that big companies like Realtorcom and homegain would be on the cutting edge of this stuff and they have these huge sites. But then again, fat companies sometimes lose in the end. Who knows?

[ResaleBroker]

Jim,
I have a very similar situation as you. The top ten rankings for my main keywords are taken mostly by pages that have only 0, 1 or 2 backlinks.

Henry, where are you checking for backlinks?

[JimJ]

Why couldn't I find these backlinks? I right clicked and used the menu for "backward links" and got ZERO?

[ResaleBroker]

The page is PR5 and is mathematically brilliant for on-page ...

Jenny, any chance you could post or PM what makes this page so "Brilliant" for on-page optimization? If you say it's brilliant I believe you and would like to know how to replicate it.