Who does Google favour most in SA? Part 2.3

by Werner deBruin

And then there were 4. The time has come to take a look at the last set of the Top 10 SA Pages that Google favours.

4). CSIR

Description – 8 May
Page Rank	7	Links from EDU domains	113
csir.co.za Pages indexed in MSN	18,611	Links from GOV domains	22
csir.co.za Pages indexed in Google	10,900	Links to home page	2,033
Pages in Google Supplemental Index	3,910	Links to home page (not internal)	6,020
Pages in Google Main Index	6,990	Links to domain	7,146
csir.co.za Pages indexed in Yahoo	19,171	Links to domain (not internal)	3,922
Links from Yahoo Directory	14	Total Deep Links	3,224
Links from DMOZ Directory	0	Deep link %	46 %

Indexing
They have a good ratio of pages indexed by the search engines. They are the first site on our survey where the pages in the main index overshadow the # of pages in supplemental.

Links
Although they have a remarkable link profile, there is some concern with Google only showing 812 relevant links.

Summary
I bet a lot of research has gone into developing the site. The greatest asset this site has to offer is informative and resourceful articles that act as excellent link bait, attracting a few relevant links.

3). University of Cape Town

Description – 8 May
Page Rank	8	Links from EDU domains	2,060
uct.ac.za Pages indexed in MSN	122,346	Links from GOV domains	33
uct.ac.za Pages indexed in Google	214,000	Links to home page	6,327
Pages in Google Supplemental Index	171,000	Links to home page (not internal)	2,325
Pages in Google Main Index	43,000	Links to domain	46,552
uct.ac.za Pages indexed in Yahoo	250,820	Links to domain (not internal)	23,059
Links from Yahoo Directory	293	Total Deep Links	20,734
Links from DMOZ Directory	3	Deep link %	90 %

Indexing
Another pretty close split between the amounts of pages indexed across the search engines. The amount of pages in the supplementary results is a bit alarming though…

Links
Again a huge variety of inbound links; 1,940 relevant inbound links and a page rank of 8 – Impressive!!!

Summary
The secret behind their success lies purely in the relevant high quality links they have received over the years. The fact that it's packed with some pretty informative content contributes to UCT’s success and ranks them at the top of all the educational institutions in South Africa.

2). South African Government

Description – 8 May
Page Rank	6	Links from EDU domains	389
gov.za Pages indexed in MSN	211,445	Links from GOV domains	17
gov.za Pages indexed in Google	207,000	Links to home page	20,407
Pages in Google Supplemental Index	530,000	Links to home page (not internal)	20,326
Pages in Google Main Index	-323,000	Links to domain	97,540
gov.za Pages indexed in Yahoo	461,268	Links to domain (not internal)	51,275
Links from Yahoo Directory	24	Total Deep Links	30,949
Links from DMOZ Directory	1	Deep link %	60 %

Indexing
Again - another situation where we have inaccurate results on Google. This would be pretty alarming if I was doing me thesis on the top 10 sites in SA, but after some investigation, I’ve figured it out. Read more next week.

Links
Apart from the 2,310 relevant Google links, there’s nothing much else that really sets them apart from the top 4.

Summary
After all my investigation into the troubling results, I came to the conclusion that this is purely a loyalty relationship. A good old site with lots of history – a Google dream come true.

1). Mail & Guardian

Description – 8 May
Page Rank	8	Links from EDU domains	2,820
mg.co.za Pages indexed in MSN	31,235	Links from GOV domains	42
mg.co.za Pages indexed in Google	189,000	Links to home page	148,383
Pages in Google Supplemental Index	162,000	Links to home page (not internal)	40,737
Pages in Google Main Index	27,000	Links to domain	184,363
mg.co.za Pages indexed in Yahoo	259,492	Links to domain (not internal)	77,311
Links from Yahoo Directory	69	Total Deep Links	36,574
Links from DMOZ Directory	2	Deep link %	47 %

Indexing
We’ve reached the top of the list, and no surprise that it’s a leading News site.

Links
With 6,000 Links on Google – it’s no surprise to find them at the top of the log. Paying off 42 ministers surely did help as well. =)

Summary
So - with a mediocre # of pages, and heaps of relevant links; Mail & Guardian has been able to charm Google into presenting them with the unofficial award as the South African site with the most authority. Imagine if they did SEO…

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