Author note: This article has been updated from the original 2012 version
One word: Finally. Three more words: Why’d you stop? Many of you have heard me say at conferences that Google could easily create a new business just by providing more backlink analysis tools. This week’s announcement was a nice step in the right direction.
In case you missed it, here you go: Discover your links (from Google)
Now, before you get too excited, here’s a few key points. First, read Danny Sullivan‘s outstanding review titled Google Releases New Link Reporting Tools. Rather than spending more time covering what Danny has done better than I can, here are a few thoughts on what would make it even better.
1). Let me filter (So I can see what you found just this week, or last July)
2). Let me include an ignore file (so I don’t have to see those 950 blogroll links I already know about)
3). Let me organize IBLs into categories (blogs, groups, news)
4). Give me some parameters I can fiddle with, like…
– sites with PR above 4
– sites with anchor text in the link
– links that are more than x-years old
or as long as I’m asking…
– links that are x-years old, from pagerank x or better, from a geographic area x, from domain x, that use anchor text with word x, and from pages which do not also link to the URL x.
5). Send me gmail alerts based on criteria I define. You found six new links from non U.S. based academic domains (ac.uk) ? Tell me via email. I’ll pay for that feature.
6). Widgetize the whole shabang.
There’s three times more than these I’d like to see, but I hesitate to say it will happen unless there’s a real incentive for the bandwidth it will require. I know Google is awash in cash, so the incremental income a fee-based and feature rich Webmaster Link Analysis service would generate isn’t likely enough to worry about compared to the billions generated from ad encrusted splogs, but hey, why not let a third party do it as a separate entity, like me? I know what you need to offer, and what it’s worth. Let’s build it. I’ll send you a check every month.
Link well my friends,
Eric
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