Link text and SEO for MSN beta

[KtoID]

I have been tracking the MSN beta results for quite some time. I have noticed that all of my sites with a high number of backlinks (all of which are contextual and using the same anchor text) are doing VERY well for the targeted keywords.

Any thoughts??? Could MSN have adopted the backlink technology of Google, and the Meta and content technology of Yahoo. It seems to me that it is a hybrid. If so how does this change the face of SEO?

[SEOforGoogle]

I don't think it will change the face of SEO all that much. If you've been trying to optimize sites for all the search engines, you should already have meta tags and on the page factors already coded into your site.

To get the high rankings in MSN are a bonus, IMO

[KtoID]

I agree, however, if MSN steals some of the steam from Google, then it wold force people to pay more attention to Yahoo (algo).

[jackson992]

The nice thing is Msn is basing mainly on on-page factors:)

[dejaone]

I like msn beta and can't wait it to go live 100%.

[searcherdw]

The nice thing is Msn is basing mainly on on-page factors:)/quote

I think it is actually the opposite. I agree that the on page factors like the title tag, and anchor text seem to be important to MSN. But the most important thing is off page links! It seems unlike yahoo and google, MSN beta relies heavily on the number of links that you have coming into your site. It doesn't seem to matter if 100,000 of those links are from the same IP address. As long as you have a million links you will probably be on top. Again though the on page factors do still matter.

[jackson992]

It is plainly evident that on page factors carry much more weight than links. I'd be surprised to see that links have any impact at all at msn.

[KtoID]

I will have to stand by my original comment that backlinks are playing a major role in placing sites on the new MSN. I seo'd a site recently using link building first - this might take a wile to kick in, and then I did the on-page stuff. Before I finished the on-page stuff, I was on top of MSN, but only for the words contained within my backlink anchor text. Now that on-page is implemented, im there for many more keywords , but none as high as the ones with backlink anchor text.