Google Webmaster Tools Link Data Is Only A Sample

[djbaxter]

Google Webmaster Tools Link Data Is Only A Sample
by Barry Schwartz, Search Engine Roundtable
June 30, 2011

Google Webmaster Tools has a very powerful tool for SEOs, it is the links to your site report.

Ever since launching that report, Googlers and SEOs have been encouraging people to stop using the link command and use this tool. In fact, on the Google help page it said, "using the link: operator to find a sampling of links to any site." They then suggest you use the link tool within webmaster tools to get "a much larger sampling of links."

So when I spotted a post at Google Webmaster Help, I noticed a person complaining that the tool is only showing 1% of their real links. In response to that, Googler Pierre Far replied:

Keep in mind also that Webmaster Tools show a sample of links, but isn't guaranteed to show 100%. So some links may exist to either URL that aren't necessarily displayed in Webmaster Tools.
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