Are edu Backlinks Good for SEO? [2024 Update]

Are edu Backlinks Good?

Yes, edu backlinks are good for SEO. In fact, they’re great — they typically have exceptional link authority, which means they can impact the rankings of the site they’re pointing to more positively and quickly than links with lower authority.  

This is so because search engines consider edu backlinks high-quality and prefer them over links from less trustworthy domains. So, edu links could contribute to your site’s SEO more than average links.

In other words, edu backlinks should boost your:

• rankings
• search visibility
• organic and referral traffic

…more so than sites with regular domains.

Of course, that doesn’t mean all .edu sites are high-quality by default. It’s just that the majority of them are. 

Despite this, Google's release of a new core update in March left many wondering if edu backlinks still work in 2024.

Here's what sparked the debate and our conclusions based on client results:

Do edu Backlinks Work After Google's March 2024 Core Update?

In a post announcing the release of the new core update in March 2024, Google explicitly mentioned educational websites as an example of sites that may be impacted.

This has led some speculation that edu backlinks on .edu subdomains no longer work for SEO. However, based on our clients' results, this is clearly false.

The fact is, edu backlinks still very much work even after Google's March 2024 core update:

All the links we have built on edu domains and subdomains continue to rank as well or better than before the update.

As long as you buy high-quality edu links from a reputable provider, they still work extremely well. Reach out to us to see live samples and see them ranking.

edu Backlinks Vs. Other Types Of Links

Before we get to that, let’s quickly compare edu backlinks to other types of links: 

1. edu backlinks vs. gov backlinks 

gov backlinks are comparable to .edu backlinks in terms of link authority. .gov sites are owned by official government organizations in the United States, which means they typically offer comparable benefits to .edu sites.

2. edu backlinks vs. org backlinks 

Contrary to popular belief, .org sites can be obtained by anyone. This makes an average edu backlink more beneficial than an org backlink.

3. edu backlinks vs. backlinks from high-authoritaty sites

edu backlinks can be more or less beneficial from backlinks from highly authoritative sites with a non-edu domain. This mainly depends on their DA scores and backlink profiles.

4. edu backlinks vs. backlinks from low-authority sites

Average edu backlinks are typically drastically better than backlinks from low-authority sites — even if the .edu site itself doesn’t have that good of a DA score.

3 Reasons Why .edu Backlinks Are So Good For SEO 

Let’s work back a few steps — what makes edu backlinks so good for SEO in the first place?

There are three main reasons:

1) .edu Sites Are Trustworthy

In the now-ancient SEO past, many SEOs built low-quality, spammy backlinks in order to manipulate the search results in their favor. 

Today, however, Google and other search engines are very much aware of this black-hat practice — which is why backlinks from low-quality sites have little to no effect on site rankings. 

In fact, spammy links can now even hurt the sites they’re pointing to.

Backlinks from trustworthy websites, on the other hand, became that much more valuable. Though the quantity of backlinks still matters, quality matters more. 

And most .edu sites (and, by default, edu backlinks) are high-quality:

• ✅ They belong to credible entities. .edu domain names can only be registered by U.S.-based postsecondary institutions, so they’re considered more legitimate than domains available to anyone and everyone – like .com domains.
• ✅ They publish high-quality content, such as research papers and reports.
• ✅ They are unlikely to engage in link schemes. They also mainly link to other credible sites, like academic journals. 

All this contributes to the trustworthiness of .edu domains. Search engines trust .edu sites more — which also means their backlinks are worth more than backlinks from less credible domains, like those owned by lesser-known bloggers. 

2) .edu Sites Have High Domain Authority

Most .edu sites have high domain authority (DA), which means their backlinks also have higher authority than links from sites with lower DA scores. 

Higher domain authority = higher link authority

Many studies, like this one from Backlinko, found a clear correlation between link authority and rankings. 

In a nutshell, links from highly authoritative sites (like .edu sites) and pages will help your site rank faster and higher than links from less authoritative sites.

Higher link authority = higher rankings 

You can check the DA score of any site using a tool like Moz Link Explorer.

We used NYU’s website (nyu.edu) as an example:

It has a domain authority score of 91. For reference, domain authority between 40 and 50 is considered average.

Of course, that doesn’t mean all .edu sites have such high domain authority – but most of them are at least above average. 

Take Bringham Young University as an example:

Although Bringham Young University is arguably lesser-known than NYU, it still has an above-average DA. 

Clearly, you can profit from .edu backlinks even if they’re coming from sites owned by lesser-known institutions.

3) .edu Backlinks Are Hard To Get

.edu sites can be picky about who they link to, which makes their links that much more valuable. 

Getting an edu backlink while most of your competitors have low-quality backlinks = easy win!

But the obvious drawback to this is that getting .edu links won’t be easy for you, either. Landing just one .edu backlink can take you months of trial and error.

Our article on the best strategies for getting .edu links can help you speed up the process. 

Why Should You Care About Backlink Quality?

Let’s sum up why backlink quality matters:

• Low-quality links don’t contribute to other sites’ SEO — Only high-quality links can truly move the needle, especially if you’re in a competitive niche (like finance or real estate). Low-quality links simply won’t do much for your rankings or organic traffic, and are often not worth the effort.
• Low-quality links drive low-quality traffic — Backlinks don’t only drive organic but also referral traffic. If yours are placed on scammy or otherwise low-quality sites, you can’t expect they’ll attract premium visitors.
• Toxic links can actually harm other sites — Think of toxic links as links of extremely poor quality. They’re often associated with black hat link-building tactics that can get your site penalized. The best way to avoid them is to place your links only on reputable sites, like .edu sites.

All things considered, your time would be better spent on building high-quality backlinks that can actually help you move up in the SERPs.

3 Drawbacks of edu Backlinks

Most site owners would benefit from edu link building. But there are some cons to getting edu links that you may want to consider in advance:

1) You Need Resources To Build edu Backlinks

As mentioned, building edu backlinks is difficult. It typically takes extensive outreach, relationship building, and high-quality content production. 

.edu sites will typically only link to extremely valuable content – such as studies. However, a quick glance at the steps you’d need to take to actually conduct a study shows just how much time you’d need to invest into potentially earning a single edu backlink:

• Reviewing relevant literature
• Designing the study
• Finding participants
• Collecting the data
• Analyzing and interpreting the data, etc.

Some companies even go as far as offering scholarships in exchange for edu backlinks — which means that building them can not only take a lot of time but money, too.

2) edu Backlinks Don’t Guarantee Higher Rankings

Search engine optimization involves a lot more than building backlinks. Factors like content quality, page speed, and mobile-friendliness influence your SEO, too. 

That’s why no backlink (edu backlinks included) can guarantee higher rankings. And the real SEO results may only become apparent ~10 weeks after you build them.

To be fair, though, your chances of ranking significantly better with edu backlinks are extremely high. Still, it’s important to set the right expectations from the get-go.

3) Some .edu Sites Are Lower-Quality Than Others

Not all .edu sites are owned by prestigious organizations, and some have lower domain authority than others.

So, not all .edu links are equal. Those that are lower quality aren’t likely to yield the drastic results you may be looking for.

With that said, you can always choose where you’ll place your links. Simply rule out sites with low domain authority or crappy backlink profiles and focus on high-quality sites instead.

5 Tools to Help You Build edu Backlinks

If you’re set on building edu backlinks yourself, here is our recommended tool stack: 

1. Educational Institutions Databases

Find tons of edu sites (and potential prospects) using official databases of academic institutions, such as: 

• Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs
• US Colleges and Universities database
• CHEA’s database of accredited colleges, universities, and programs

2. Website Checker Tools

Check the domain authority (DA) or domain rating (DR) scores of your prospect sites using tools like: 

• Ahrefs
• Semrush
• Moz Link Explorer

Focus on sites with DA/DR scores of 40 and above for the best SEO results. 

3. Outreach & Link Building Tools

Use outreach software or link building tools to streamline your outreach process, monitor your progress, and facilitate your edu link building campaign management.

4. Link Monitoring Tools

Keep track of new and lost edu backlinks using tools like: 

• Ahrefs
• Semrush
• Google Search Console (free but limited)
• Linkody

5. Ranking & Traffic Tracking Tools

Finally, make sure that the edu backlinks you’ve built have actually yielded the results you wanted — i.e., increased your rankings and traffic.

We recommend using native tools for this purpose, such as: 

• Google Search Console
• Google Analytics
• Bing Webmaster Tools

Alternatively, you can also use third-party SEO tools like Ahrefs or Semrush. These will have more features and offer you more insights, but have less accurate data and can be expensive.

FAQs

What are edu backlinks in SEO?

edu backlinks are links that point from sites with an .edu extension to other websites. For example, a link from Yale’s website (yale.edu) to ours would be an edu backlink.

How do I get edu backlinks?

You can get edu backlinks by using link-building strategies such as broken link building, scholarship link building, and content marketing. Learn more about .edu link-building strategies. Alternatively, you can work with a link building agency.

Can you have too many backlinks?

Generally, you can’t have too many backlinks. The more backlinks you have, the higher you’ll rank. But you can have too many of the so-called toxic links. Having even one can be one too many since it may hurt your rankings and visibility. Disavow toxic links as soon as you identify them.

So, Should You Build edu Backlinks?

edu backlinks are highly likely to strengthen your backlink profile more quickly than average links, which translates to a boost in visibility, traffic, and conversions. However, as mentioned, building them on your own can be difficult.

Our specialists can help. During the past 10+ years, we’ve built numerous links on prestigious .edu sites like Yale and NYU. We can do the same for you. Reach out today for more details.