Scholarship Link Building: Is it Still Effective in 2024?
Scholarship link building used to be a popular way to get quality backlinks, but in 2024, many are unsure if it’s still worth trying.
As Google gets stricter with its algorithms, some people think this method might be outdated or even risky. So, is it still effective?
Yes, it is effective, but only if it is done properly.
In this article, we will explain what scholarship link building is, how Google sees these links now, and the best way to use this strategy. If you are unsure about using it, we will help you figure out if it is still a good choice for your SEO.
What is Scholarship Link Building?
Scholarship link building is an SEO strategy where businesses or websites create and promote a scholarship program to attract backlinks from educational websites (.edu domains).
The idea is simple. You provide a scholarship and, in exchange, colleges and universities, and other educational sites post your scholarship on their web sites, with links back to your site.
These scholarship backlinks are valuable because search engines see .edu links as trustworthy. This can help improve your website’s ranking. But for this scholarship link building strategy to work, you need to do it right.
Google now checks closely how these links are earned, so it’s important to create a real scholarship program and only reach out to relevant educational sites.
The Coca-Cola Scholars Program offers $20,000 scholarships to 150 graduating high school seniors every year. Over time, Coca-Cola has provided over $63 million in support to nearly 6,000 students. This program not only helps students but also builds strong backlinks from educational sites that promote it.
How Google Treats Scholarship Links?
Google doesn’t treat all scholarship links the same way. Those having .edu backlinks are often considered high quality. However, Google has learned more about the reason why these links exist. Here is what you need to know:
1. Google Cares About Genuine Scholarships
For Google, the intent behind the scholarship matters. If your scholarship is real and provides actual benefits to students, Google will see those links as trustworthy. But if it looks like the scholarship is just a way to get quick links, Google may treat it as spam.
2. Be Careful with Manipulative Tactics
Google is strict about link-building schemes. If your scholarship program is essentially a tool to get backlinks and does not actually help students, well, it might bring some problems. Google will view this as a bit of an unfair practice and penalize your site. This can greatly hurt your website’s SEO.
3. Relevance is Important
To get the best out of the scholarship backlinks, your scholarship has to be related to your niche. For example, if you have a marketing business, grant a scholarship to those students pursuing marketing or communications. Google takes more value in links if they come from a relevant source, which can help raise your rankings.
4. Don’t Overuse Keywords
When building scholarship links, avoid using the same exact keywords in every link. Google’s algorithms can detect patterns that look unnatural. Keep the anchor text varied and natural to avoid being flagged as spam.
🔍✨ Extra Insight: Google’s Top Ranking Factors
In a 2016 Q&A, Andrey Lipattsev, a Senior Strategist at Google, revealed that links, content, and RankBrain are the top three ranking signals in Google’s search algorithm. While Google didn’t specify which of the three is most important, this confirms that quality content and strong backlinks are essential for better rankings.
5 Steps to Build Scholarship Links
Building scholarship backlinks requires a clear, genuine approach. Follow these five practical steps to create a successful scholarship program that earns quality links from educational sites.
Step 1: Create a Scholarship Program
The first step in scholarship link building is setting up a real and helpful scholarship program. This means offering financial help to students who meet specific requirements, like studying a certain subject or showing a particular skill.
How to Start:
- Decide on the Scholarship Amount: Do not choose an amount that you cannot afford. It shouldn’t be large, but it should be enough for the students to benefit from.
- Set Clear Rules for Who Can Apply: Be specific about who qualifies. For example, you might want to support students studying tech, arts, or business. Clear rules make your scholarship more serious and credible.
- Pick a Topic That Matches Your Business: Make sure the scholarship connects to your industry. For example, if you’re in the tech business, offer a scholarship for computer science students. This makes the program relevant, which helps in earning scholarship backlinks.
- Create a Simple Application Process: Make it easy for students to apply. You can ask for basic information, an essay, or a project related to your topic.
Focus on creating a scholarship that truly helps students. A genuine, well-planned program will attract more attention from educational sites, boosting your scholarship link building.
Step 2: Set Up a Scholarship Page on Your Website
After making your scholarship program, you should make a special page on your website next. This page is where students can see all the info and sign up. Plus, it gives educational sites a direct link to share, which helps with your scholarship link acquisition.
How to Create the Page:
- Make the Scholarship Easy to Find: The page must be easy to look through, and visitors should find it quickly. Place it in your main menu or connect it from your homepage.
- Include Clear Details: Explain everything clearly—who can apply, how much money is being offered, and what the scholarship is about. Include deadlines, rules, and any documents needed.
- Add an Online Application Form: Make it easy for students to apply directly through your site. A simple online form will save time for both you and the applicants.
- Optimize for SEO: Focus on relevant keywords, such as “scholarship link building strategy” and “SEO scholarship backlinks,” to make your page more popular. Also, keep your content simple and clear.
- Highlight Your Business and Purpose: Briefly mention what your business does and why you’re offering the scholarship. This adds credibility and makes the program more attractive to educational sites.
Step 3: Reach Out to Schools and Websites
After setting up your scholarship page, the next step is to let schools, colleges, and educational websites know about it. This outreach is essential for building scholarship backlinks and getting your program noticed.
How to Reach Out Effectively:
- Make a List of Target Schools and Sites: Create a list that includes schools, colleges, and educational websites interested in your scholarship. Look for those connected to your field or scholarship subject because this makes the links from your study more relevant.
- Find the Right Contacts: Look for the contact details of the right person, like someone in the admissions office or the career center. You can also reach out to student resource websites or educational blogs.
- Craft a Polite, Clear Email: Write a simple and polite email explaining your scholarship. Include all important details, like who can apply, the deadline, and a link to your scholarship page. Make sure to mention how this scholarship can benefit their students.
- Follow Up if Needed: If you don’t hear back, it’s okay to send a gentle follow-up email. Sometimes, busy schedules mean your message gets missed, so a reminder can help.
Step 4: Check If It’s Worth the Investment
Before fully committing to a scholarship link building strategy, it’s important to evaluate whether the effort and cost will bring real benefits. This step helps you decide if the time and money you’re spending on the scholarship will lead to valuable SEO scholarship backlinks and improved visibility.
How to Evaluate the Investment:
- Estimate Costs Clearly: Calculate how much everything for the scholarship will cost. This includes the money for the scholarship, advertising it, and any extra charges. Doing this will help you know the full amount needed.
- Predict Potential Benefits: Consider how many academic backlinks you could earn from the scholarship. Consider how good the education links are and if they come from reliable education websites. High-quality links can really impact your SEO.
- Track Website Metrics: Look at metrics like domain authority, traffic, and search rankings to see if similar scholarships have helped other businesses. This can give you a realistic idea of what to expect.
- Check Industry Competition: If your competitors are actively using scholarship link building, it’s likely because they find it useful. Research their approach, and see if you can offer something better or different.
Step 5: Track Results and Make Improvements
After launching your scholarship program and starting to earn scholarship backlinks, it’s essential to monitor its performance and make adjustments to improve. This step helps you refine your strategy over time for better results.
How to Track and Refine Your Scholarship Campaign:
- Measure Referral Traffic and Engagement: Check Google Analytics to see how many visitors your scholarship page attracts. If lots of people are staying and interacting, it shows they’re really interested and your outreach efforts are successful.
- Assess Backlink Growth: Keep track of the number and quality of scholarship backlinks you’re gaining. Are the links coming from high-authority .edu sites? Are they helping boost your overall SEO?
- Set Up Alerts for New Backlinks: Use tools like Ahrefs Alerts to get notified when your scholarship gets a new link. This helps you see which outreach strategies worked best, so you can focus on what’s successful.
- Gather Feedback from Participants: Ask applicants and educational sites for feedback on your scholarship process. If schools found your application process easy and students found the scholarship useful, it’s a sign your program is on the right track. Use this information to improve future campaigns.
- Adjust Your Content and Outreach Based on Results: If your initial outreach didn’t yield many results, try new approaches. Update your scholarship page content, refine your pitch, or target different schools to see if it makes a difference.
Should You Go for Scholarship Link Building? Pros and Cons
It’s always important to know both the good and the bad before you dive into any link-building strategy. Here are the pros and cons to help you decide if this strategy is right for your business.
Pros
Below are some pros of scholarship link building:
1. Creates Fresh, Quality Content
One big advantage of scholarship link building is that it can bring new, high-quality content to your website. Many scholarships ask students to submit essays or projects. You can publish the best entries, giving your site fresh content that boosts your SEO efforts. Google loves updated, quality content, so this can help your site rank better.
2. Improves Local SEO
If your scholarship is aimed at local students, it can also improve your local SEO. Schools and colleges in your area are more likely to share your scholarship link, which helps your site show up in local searches. Highlighting how your scholarship benefits the local community can make schools more willing to promote it.
3. Long-Lasting Backlinks
Unlike some backlinks that might disappear over time, scholarship links often stick around for months or even years. Schools keep scholarship information up for the full application period, so your links can keep bringing traffic long after you set it up. If you offer the scholarship every year, you can keep getting regular traffic and new links.
Cons
Below are some cons of scholarship link building:
1. Costs Can Be High
Running a scholarship program isn’t cheap. You have to set aside funds for the scholarship itself and also spend on building and promoting the program. For small businesses, this cost might be hard to manage, especially if you’re not sure you’ll see a return on your investment.
2. Time-Intensive
Scholarship link building takes time and effort. You have to plan out the details, set up the page, manage applications, and reach out to schools. It’s not a one-time thing; it requires regular attention. You might need to hire help, which adds to the cost. Think carefully if your business can handle the time and effort this strategy demands.
3. Uncertain ROI
Even with all your hard work, there’s no guarantee that Google will value your scholarship links. If your scholarship looks like a trick to get backlinks without offering real value, Google might ignore those links altogether. Plus, it’s getting harder to get educational sites to share these links, especially bigger universities.
4. .edu Links Aren’t Always Special
There’s a myth that .edu backlinks are always great for SEO. That’s not always the case. Google doesn’t treat edu links differently just because they’re from a school. According to John Mueller from Google, these links are watched closely, and some may not give your site the SEO boost you’re expecting. So, don’t invest in this thinking it will automatically improve your rankings.
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Conclusion
Scholarship link building is a smart way to get quality backlinks, but it only works if your scholarship is genuine and helps students. When it’s done right, schools are more likely to share it, giving you long-lasting, valuable links that boost your SEO.
Consider teaming up with educational groups or industry partners to add credibility. This can help spread the word and bring in even more backlinks.
When planned well, scholarship link building benefits both your business and the community, making it a win-win for everyone.
FAQs on Scholarship Link Building
Can Small Businesses Benefit From Scholarship Link Building?
Yes, even small businesses can benefit if the scholarship is well-targeted and genuine. A smaller scholarship can still attract quality backlinks from local schools and niche educational sites, boosting your SEO without a huge investment.
How Do I Choose The Right Scholarship Amount To Attract Quality Backlinks?
The scholarship amount should be appealing enough to attract students but also realistic for your budget. A higher amount may attract more attention and get picked up by larger educational sites, but even smaller scholarships can be effective if promoted well.
How Long Does It Take To See Results From Scholarship Link Building?
Results can vary, but you typically need to give it a few months. Schools might keep the scholarship link live for a semester or a full year, so patience is key. Regular monitoring can help you track the effectiveness.
Is It Better To Focus On A Single Annual Scholarship Or Multiple Smaller Ones Throughout The Year?
It depends on your goals. A single, larger scholarship might attract more attention from major educational sites, while smaller, more frequent scholarships can keep your name visible throughout the year and help build consistent backlinks.
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Ekta Chauhan
