Not all backlinks offer the same search engine optimisation (SEO) value. Those originating from EDU domains are typically more effective at promoting higher search rankings than those originating from COM, NET or other domains. While building a portfolio of high-quality EDU backlinks may sound like an unrealistic ideology, it can be relatively straight forward when looking to adopt a basic scholarship program approach.
What Are EDU Backlinks?
EDU backlinks are external links placed on a website with the EDU domain extension that direct visitors to your own website. They are prized among webmasters because of their superior ranking power. Websites with more EDU backlinks tend to rank higher in the search results for their target keywords than websites with few or no EDU backlinks.
You can’t just register a new EDU domain name and use it as a link farm to drive your website’s search rankings. Rather, only colleges, universities and other postsecondary educational institutions are allowed to register and use an EDU domain name.
The unparalleled SEO power of EDU backlinks can be attributed to the following:
- EDU websites themselves typically have a strong backlink portfolio, meaning they’ll pass a significant amount of link juice to your website.
- EDU websites are operated by postsecondary educational institutions, so they are viewed as being more credible than non-EDU websites.
- EDU websites have a high Domain Authority (DA).
Using a Scholarship Program to Acquire EDU Backlinks
You can always cross your fingers and hope that an EDU website links to an article or blog post on your website, but you’ll have a better shot at securing EDU backlinks by creating a scholarship program. This involves setting up a page on your website with your scholarship’s requirements and details, followed by emailing relevant EDU websites. So, how does this turn into EDU backlinks exactly?
You can attract EDU backlinks to your website using a scholarship program in one of two ways:
- Many EDU websites have a page dedicated to scholarship programs where students can easily find and apply for scholarships. After learning about your scholarship program, an EDU website may share a link to your website on this page.
- You can make a requirement for your scholarship program that applicants publish a link to your website. While some applicants may publish this link on their personal blog or social media profile, others may publish it on their educational institution’s website, especially if the website supports individual student websites or blogs.
Of course, creating a scholarship program means you’ll have to provide the winner or winners with financial aid. You don’t have to necessarily offer $10,000 or $50,000 in financial aid, but you should make it worthwhile for students. If your scholarship program only offers $100, it probably won’t attract many applicants, let alone EDU backlinks. Therefore, you should offer a minimum of $500, preferably $1,000, to generate the strongest response.
Step 1: Create a Scholarship Page
To get started, you’ll need to create a page on your website explaining how your scholarship program works. An effective scholarship page should feature several sections, including a section for the award amount, eligibility requirements, application process and winner selection process.
In the award amount section, explain how much money the winner of your scholarship program will receive. In the eligibility requirements section, list the requirements for participating in your scholarship program, such as current enrolment in an accredited postsecondary educational institution.
In the application process section, explain how students can apply for your scholarship program, such as writing an essay on a topic related to your website’s industry or niche and publishing it online, as well as adding a link back to your website in their essay. You should also tell students to send an email to your website — or complete an online form embedded on your scholarship page — with their name and contact information.
Finally, the winner selection section should explain how your website chooses a winner for your scholarship program. For this section, you can say either you or your website’s team of operators will select the best essay submitted by applicants.
Step 2: Email EDU Websites
After creating your scholarship page, you can contact EDU websites to notify them about your scholarship program. There are roughly 10,000 EDU websites, but not all of them are worth contacting.
Many EDU websites don’t share or otherwise promote scholarship programs offered by for-profit businesses. Unless your website operates as a non-profit organization, they won’t tell their students about your scholarship program.
To find EDU websites that accept scholarship programs from for-profit businesses, search for the following on Google:
- site:.edu + “company scholarships”
- site:.edu + “private scholarships”
- site:.edu + “external scholarships”
- site:.edu + “outside scholarships”
- site:.edu + “online scholarships”
Create a list of all EDU websites, as well as their respective email address, that accept scholarship programs from for-profit businesses. You can then create a basic email template to notify these websites about your scholarship program. In your email template, offer a brief overview of your website and your scholarship program. In the closing section of your email template, say something along the lines of, “We would greatly appreciate it if you could share a link to our scholarship page on your school’s website.”
Using this template, send an email to all the EDU websites included on your list. If you haven’t heard from an EDU website after two weeks, send a follow-up email. If that doesn’t work, try sending an email to a different address. Emails sent directly to a school’s financial aid department usually generate a higher response rate than those sent to a school’s main email address. But even if only a few EDU websites agree to promote your scholarship program, your website will benefit from powerful new backlinks that are probably out of your competitors’ reach.
Creating a scholarship program isn’t just an effective way to acquire EDU backlinks; it helps students receive the funding necessary to acquire their academic goals. The winner or winners of your scholarship program can use that money to pay for tuition, books, food or other expenses associated with their postsecondary learning activities.
