In the process of link building, there are always two sides of the coin.

1. The developer who implements link building strategies in order to increase its search engine rankings.
2. The search engine like Google or Yahoo, that filters all of these links and gives rankings to these webpages.

Website developers would always aim for that number one page ranking for the keywords that they deem important, while search engine companies would look to eliminate bad links and unfriendly websites, making their relationship a constant contradicting process.

There are numerous ways for web developers to take advantage of the techniques that SEs implement in reviewing and ranking sites from all over the Internet.

With Google and other search engine’s emphasis on the number of quality links present in a website, getting quality links should always be top priority among developers’ list. There will always be plenty of links in the Internet for webmasters to obtain links from, but not all of them are always the ones that the webpage needs in order to go up the search rankings. Almost always, these links are fraudulent and exist only to pull down instead of push up a website’s Internet rankings. Subscribing into these links may actually do more harm than good, especially for a start-up or small business website. Every developer should keep in mind that search engines are always on the lookout and should therefore always do the link building process with caution. Being aggressive with regards to link building is always good for as long as it is done with care and proper guidance. Ranking high on search engines is a very long process that is why one mistake can send to waste all the efforts that one exerted beforehand. The most important thing is to always obtain links the natural way or if paid, be as discreet as possible with it. Doing this is a tricky and challenging endeavor because search engines like Google are always on the lookout for new developments that website developers might use to mask their bad links. Although websites can do away with irrelevant links from time to time, they will not do much once it is the customers themselves who pass on the judgment on these links. This is why links are also important – they are not only the basis for higher rankings, they are also there to entice customers and make them go back to the site and eventually become constantly recurring visitors.

Here are some of the things that developers should remember to be able to find success in the competitive Internet landscape.

1. Value should always be top priority. Link building processes are rooted in one principle that advertises what the website is all about and eventually enticing the customers in the process. A well developed website with great content and existing links can, by itself, generate all the quality links that it will need to be number one in Google’s rankings. What is the point of advertising a website when it does not have the content that is worthy of being advertised in the first place?
2. Do apply different keywords and anchor texts in the website. The more related keywords you apply in the website’s contents, the more chances of the site being more searchable in Google or other search engine companies. In addition to this, different keywords can also result in different quality links.
3. Deep Link If a website developer believes in the quality of his website, then this should not make him hesitate on linking into the website itself. Older posts or articles that are of relevance to the current ones should be brought up and linked as this can also be considered by search engine rankers. A little self-promotion is also a part of the entire link building process.
4. Quality should always be the most important. Linking to as much authority and quality websites is the main priority of the whole process of link building. One may not the most links present in the website but one can always aim for the most quality links present in its pages. Ten quality links will bode better in Google’s search engine rankings than a thousand low quality links.
5. Take the time in building up the linking profile. Successful link building does not happen overnight. As much as many people would want that to be the case, building link popularity is a process that entails time and effort and most importantly, patience.
6. Link to websites that are of equal rank or higher. Making every link count is something that developers strive to achieve. This can only be attained from linking and establishing relationship with similarly successful websites or even more successful ones. This also entails that developers should avoid linking too much on websites with the same IP addresses as this does not go well with Google’s search algorithm.
7. Diversify Linking into different avenues and channels is a good way of syndicating one’s website. Make sure that the website taps into social networking sites, press releases, newspapers, blogs, forums and news sites to maximize the websites’ link building potential. Although Google already looks down on paid link building, there is nothing more assuring than paying for links because it is somehow imperative for the partner company to deliver because of the investment bestowed on them by the website developers. Doing these things discreetly and carefully will result to great things and higher rankings for the website.

Link building is something that has become a reality in today’s business landscape. With the Internet becoming the easiest and most accessible avenue for customers and companies alike to transact and do business, many have also capitalized on the enormous opportunity that the Internet offers. Planning out link building strategies carefully will not only provide success with regards to search engine rankings but will eventually, and more importantly, help target the customers as well. Getting noticed, especially in the World Wide Web, is a very arduous task, to say the least. With many websites popping out every day, building link popularity is imperative in attaining success, especially in the Internet business.

1. Link to websites that are already established. Websites that have been established in their industries are a very good source of inbound links for start-up websites. Web developers should always be on the lookout for sites that have at least been there for two years and have high search engine rankings. Linking to these sites will ensure web developers a fast lane towards the top of search engine rankings.
2. Link to websites that have a presence in major web directories. Web directories are a buffet of links for web developers. They usually implement very strict standards with regards to their listings. As a consequence of these stringent measures, sites that are in their lists are quality ones. Search for links or better yet get listed into directories such as Craigslist, Digg or the Yahoo! Directories.
3. Get reciprocal links. There are numerous of other web developers in the World Wide Web who are looking for the same links that you may be looking for. Dealing with them is a very good way of obtaining links as most of these sites develop their own web pages to go up their search engine rankings.
4. Find sites that put links within their articles. The purpose of obtaining links and the whole link building process is to let your site be known to your readers and those who are searching for the topics that one is writing about. Searching for sites that present their links within the contents of their website is better for the whole linking building process.
5. Link to competitors. Sometimes, your competitors may be your best assets in the link building process. They talk about the same industry as you do, so the readers in their websites are sure to be part of the target market. Getting links from them will not only ensure you customer traffic from your targeted market, your site may even chip away a significant market share of your competitors.

Whatever strategy one might think to go about their link building, the most important thing to remember always is to find links that are clean and, as much as possible, natural. Also, it is very important to offer a well-developed websites as this is the main product you would be offering out there. Getting links takes time so covering all strategies and options possible is always the best way to go.

There are natural ways of bringing up the search engine rankings:

1. organic link building
2. exchanging links
3. even linking to competitors

The dynamics of search engine rankings is a very precise but complicated thing. Google, for example, ranks numerous websites from all around the Internet by using and analyzing the number of authority links, whether outbound or inbound, which can be found in one’s website. More and more companies today have resorted to paid link building to ensure that what they are getting are quality and authority links. Paying a little fee will be worth it if customer traffic is increased and more importantly, higher rankings can be obtained.

Paid link building: For a small fee, the following are paid link building services:

1. Press releases or reviews about other web pages and the product that they are offering.
2. Paid link brokers, that search for high value quality links that they can use and post in your site’s contents.
3. Blogging, blogging and blog comments providing valuable relative links to your site.
4. Paid search engine or directory submissions.

Paid link building is a growing trend because it is somewhat more convenient and less tedious, especially for start-up companies. Paid link building has grown so much in popularity, which shows the fact that the Internet business has gone very far since it became mainstream in the mid-90s. Adding to the interest in paid link building is the fact that it is an actual transaction between companies exchanging one good for another, this time an inbound link in exchange for a minimum fee. More often than not, though, fees tied up to these link brokers are recurring and on a “by subscription” basis. It is an investment though that almost always pays back with a number of authority links that are critical in achieving higher search engine rankings. Though it has been said that paid link building is a way to go around the searching algorithm implemented by search engine companies such as Google, and can therefore be more bad than good for websites that obtain them, numerous companies are still implementing this method to boost their rankings. With this practice being looked down on, companies are now more cautious than ever in implementing and hiring paid link builders/brokers. There is absolutely nothing wrong with paid link building, just as long as the links obtained through this method are directly related and concerned with the customers’ web pages. With Google ranking sites according to the amount of relevant links found on their websites, paid link building has emerged as one of the surest ways in obtaining these and putting them in websites. Paid link building also levels the business field as it does not require connections or any quid pro quo situations to be able to acquire the much needed back links. Paid link building has also greatly helped online marketing as it has become one of the main strategies for many companies in marketing and making their products reach their target markets. Though it is still highly advisable to obtain links through the natural methods available, diversifying with paid links is never a bad investment, especially in this very competitive Internet industry.

If you pursue high quality link building using other methods and increase inflow of backlinks by submitting your URL effectively to Internet directories, the greater your change in breezing ahead of your competitors. The successful use of directory submission to boost link popularity and rankings depends on the number and quality of directories you submit your website to. The importance of “quality” in directory submissions, as in other link building methods cannot be overemphasized. Algorithms in Google and other major search engines favor sites listed in high quality directories.

Are Free Directories Worth It? There are thousands of possible directories that you could submit your website to for your link building campaign, but screening out thousands into a group of high quality directories will take time. When time is an issue for you, you can hire a link building company to handle directory submissions for you. High authority directories are the most popular go-to directories for site owners who are gunning for top spots in the SERP rankings. An important option you need to consider if you intend to submit a URL to an Internet directory for enhanced link popularity is The Open Directory Project at DMOZ.org. The Open Directory Project feeds content to search engines like Google, Lycos, Hotbot, AOL Search, Ask Jeeves and Netscape, among others.

Listing your site at DMOZ is helpful to your link building campaign since this allows your information to be found on several smaller search engines and directories on the Web. Moreover, DMOZ is considered to be among the free higher authority directories that are guaranteed to build link popularity. The downside with DMOZ however, is that its free listing feature subjects sites to very strict quality control procedures before submissions are accepted. Hence, acceptance is not easy and turnaround takes a considerable amount of time. Despite this, site owners must consider submitting to DMOZ and other free quality directories for link building. They must also submit to paid directories listings for site inclusion.

Paid Directories Why do you need to pay fees to be included in the directory listing? According to Matt Cutts of Google, the purpose of the fee in a high quality directory is to compensate the time and effort of someone (an editor) doing a genuine evaluation of a URL or site. There have been concerns that Google’s rejection policy of URLs with paid links would render listing into paid directories useless in link building efforts, but Cutts has explained it clearly that Google does not penalize directories requiring minimum fees for editorial reviews. What Google blacklists are directories that sell links for link juice, passing PR and purely for profit with no regard for the end user. If used effectively, directory submissions as a link building method guarantees a high return on investment (ROI).

By increasing the number of backlinks to your site, directory submissions help you gain link popularity and a better placement on the SERP rankings. Directory submissions are a long-term advertising technique that can directly send customers at your doorstep. Since it acts like an online phonebook of sites, having your site listed in many quality directories means a greater likelihood for prospective customers to view your site and obtain contact information. In the group of paid Internet directories, there are major differences in payment options. Some charge a lifetime or one-time fee and others charge an annual or recurring fee. Depending on your ROI goals, you need to evaluate the payment guidelines and review payment options before selecting the directory to submit to. Here are definitions to guide you:

1. Paid web directories. These are Internet directories that charge site owners a fee for their site inclusion on the directory. They are also called premium, commercial, or pay-for directory listings. Among the high authority paid directories include Yahoo! Directory, Skaffe, Joeant, Abilogic, eLib, and BOTW Directory.
2. Annual fee web directories are directories that charge site owners an annual fee to get listed on the directory. They are also referred to as recurring fee, recurring membership listings, or recurring fees.
3. Permanent fee web directories require a one-time charge for directory listings. This means that you pay a lifetime fee for site inclusion.

There is some debate on which payment option is best. Some prefer the permanent fee listings since it is more economical, but others question the quality of services in one-time listings. Recurring or annual fees are usually paid in order to maintain directories. As submissions increase, the larger the directories become, so Internet directories deem it fitting to charge site owners to maintain the directories and pay for editorial costs to ensure effective and sustained indexing for Google rankings. The choice is entirely left on the discretion of the site owner. A rule of thumb: do not pay too much for submission to paid directories. Submit to free directories and suggest your site only to high quality paid directories that guarantee ROI.