Issues with Google link: command?

[justicewhite]

G tells me I have 89 IBLs but only show up to 21 of them.

I know that Google has reported a problem with the site: command and the domains with dash in them but I haven't heard anything about the link: command. Any comments?

[HHI Golf Guy]

The site: command on Google only shows a small sample size of links. For example, even though Google might know of and recognize 1,000 links to your site for algo/ranking purposes they only report and display a sample. The reported amount and the displayed amount may vary.

I assume that part of the reason they do this is so that competing sites cannot duplicate link sources.

[jay19n64]

Don't bother using Google to check your IBL. The best and most accurate is MSN.com, they will show you every link that points to you in there index.

I have one site with 3000 in bound links, and Google only shows 2. I even have links from Page Rank 5,6,7 sites not showing there link. MSN shows them all.

[kensmith]

But you all missed the question. The reason you will see 89 links, but only have 21 show up is that Google will not show links that are similar. Could be links from your own site or multiple links from another site. Either way G decided that they are related enough that they didn't bother to show them. Most of the time there will be a message:

"In order to show you the most relevant results, we have omitted some entries very similar to the 85 already displayed.
If you like, you can repeat the search with the omitted results included."

If you want to see all of the links just click on the link and you will get them all.

[kensmith]

Also by no means would I consider MSN to be accurate, they overstate links and have a habit of counting links multiple times. Plus just because MSN thinks a link has value doesn't mean G will, many of the links MSN shows are from pages that aren't even in G's index hence they aren't even there in G's eyes.