Dumb SEO Questions

(Entry was posted by Matt Benso on this post in the Dumb SEO Questions community on Facebook, 02/16/2014).

How is a site that restricts access to most of their content appear at the top of the serps?

There`s a certain website that I keep seeing more and more often in searches that requires membership to view all the content. It`s Quora. I`m seeing it in Google searches and Bing searches. I`m not a member of that site and I see it in serps frequently both while logged in and out of my Google account. So it`s not showing up because of my personal search history or anything.

My question is, why and how is a site that restricts access to most of their content getting so much prime space at the top of the serps?

To add to the mystery a bit, I decided to check the backlinks to one of their pages that showed up at #8 for a seven word long-tail search I did. Zero backlinks to that page. I know it`s possible to do that on domain authority alone. But on a login restricted page? I don`t understand how they re getting away with that.?
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YOUR ANSWERS

Selected answers from the Dumb SEO Questions Facebook & G+ community.

  • Matt Benson: There's a certain website that I keep seeing more and more often in searches that requires membership to view all the content. It's Quora. I'm seeing it in Google searches and Bing searches. I'm not a member of that site and I see it in serps frequently both while logged in and out of my Google account. So it's not showing up because of my personal search history or anything.

    My question is, why and how is a site that restricts access to most of their content getting so much prime space at the top of the serps?

    To add to the mystery a bit, I decided to check the backlinks to one of their pages that showed up at #8 for a seven word long-tail search I did. Zero backlinks to that page. I know it's possible to do that on domain authority alone. But on a login restricted page? I don't understand how they re getting away with that.
  • Neeraj Kumar: +Matt Benson Not analysed quora, but read something like '*First Click Free*' where Google gives options to come on a page make pages accessible to google and to people who come from google search first time... then pages will show in SERP...
    May +Jim Munro +SEO +Dumb SEO Questions elaborate on this?
  • Jim Munro: Thanks for thinking of me, +Neeraj Kumar ;but I just ask the questions, I don't answer them. :)
  • bharat thakare: Agree with +Neeraj Kumar ;
  • Neeraj Kumar: So the obvious next question will be whether it is possible to make a page restricted for people but not for search engine? Can i have exact answer so that I can my subscriber based website available to Google and Bing, offcourse I would not like visitors to land on sign in page?

View original question in the Dumb SEO Questions community on Facebook, 02/16/2014).

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