[WEB4LIB] Re: Tool to check sites that link to your site?

[Patricia F Anderson]

Just a quick comment. I did a small informal study comparing various
search engines in the number of links retrieved with the link to options,
and also comparing the results with searching the URL as a text string in
the same engine. Unfortunately, the preliminary results are posted on a
secured site, and I can't give you all copies or the methodology used.

In brief, Altavista won, hands down, and in this respect Google's lack of
ability is embarassing. You will have better luck in Google finding sites
that link to yours searching the URL as a text string, and manually
reviewing the links on the page to see if they are active or not. Most
are. What puzzles me is why the Google link to search doesn't work when
the pages are clearly in their database. Also, Google doesn't allow
truncation of the search string in the link to command, but Altavista
does. Makes a significant difference in the utility of the results.

Patricia Anderson, pfa at umich.edu

On Fri, 15 Nov 2002, Richard Wiggins wrote:

> Google indeed has the same functionality that Gary so ably catalogs.  Just
> go to Google.com and do a search of the form:
>
> link:firstmonday.org
>
> .. You will then see all of the links it knows about.
>
> Since current statistics show that Google is responsible for 40% or more of
> all search engine references -- and if you add in its partnership links from
> Yahoo, AOL, etc, maybe 60% -- it is far more important to worry about Google
> links than anyone else's.
>
> In any event, this is not an "advanced" feature in the sense of state of the
> art.  AltaVista pioneered the concept before Google was a mere twinkle in
> the eyes of Page and Brin.  (The Lennon and McCartney of our time?)  Alas,
> AltaVista now accounts for under 2% of all search referrals, so their links
> count for far less in the grand scheme of things...
>
> You might want to run Webtrends or some other log analysis tool to determine
> over a period of time what links from other sites actually referred
> customers to you.  Might be more meaningful than a raw count or list of
> external links.
>
> Good luck,
>
> /rich
>
>
>
> On Fri, 15 Nov 2002, gary wrote:
>
> >
> > Stephen:
> > Just about every other major engine allows you to do a "reverse link"
> > search.
> >
> > For AltaVista use the syntax, link:www.tafe.sa.edu.au/lili/
> > -
> > AlltheWeb, use the pull-down menu on the advanced search page,  or the
> > syntax,
> > link.all:www.tafe.sa.edu.au/lili/
> > -
> > Lycos: Use pulldown menu.
> > NOTE: Lycos uses the same database as AlltheWeb.
> > -
> > MSN Search, use linkdomain:www.tafe.sa.edu.au/lili/
> > Works only to www.tafe.sa.edu.au
> > Uses a database from Inktomi.
> >
> > Gigablast, use:
> > +link:www.tafe.sa.edu.au/lili/
> >
> >
> > I hope this helps.
> >
> > cheers,
> > gary
> >
> >
> > Quoting Stephen Barnett <Stephen.Barnett at tv.tafe.sa.edu.au>:
> >
> > >   I have found that www.google.com has the advanced feature of being
> > > able to check which sites link to a particular url. As the project
> > > manager
> > > for our information literacy tutorial site, LILI,
> > > www.tafe.sa.edu.au/lili/ its been great to find that Iceland, Sweden,
> > > and Rochester NY have linked to us, but I am curious to see what else
> > > I
> > > could be using to check who else may have links to our site, Do my
> > > friends out there have suggestions...........?
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Stephen Michael Barnett
> > >
> > > Torrens Valley TAFE
> > > Blacks Road
> > > Gilles Plains
> > > South Australia
> > > 5086
> > > stevebar at tafe.sa.edu.au
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > phone + 618  82071108
> > > fax                  82071113
> > > mobile    0401 120 979
> >
> >
> > --
> >
> > Gary D. Price, MLIS
> > Librarian
> > Gary Price Library Research and Internet Consulting
> > gary at freepint.com
> >
> > The Virtual Acquisition Shelf and News Desk
> > <a
> href="http://mail.richardwiggins.com/jump/http://resourceshelf.freepint.com">http://resourceshelf.freepint.com</a>
>
> ____________________________________________________
> Richard Wiggins
> Writing, Speaking, and Consulting on Internet Topics
> rich at richardwiggins.com       www.richardwiggins.com
>