The art of link building requires that a website owner knows who, where, and what to link to and from. It’s something that seems easy at first, but is actually harder to manage than you would initially think. To stay safe from filters and penalties, only practice white hat methods that are described.

A business that networks itself has a greater chance of surviving- both locally and on the Internet. Odds are that you already know several businesses or friends in business who can give you a link to your website. Offer to do a link exchange and watch as search engines will give you a small boost in rankings. If you do this on a large enough scale, no search term is too hard to rank for with enough time given.

Not so long ago, a web directory was the only way to find relevant websites on the Internet. Things have changed since then, as we have Yahoo!, Google, and Bing to thank for easier searching. The fact is that directories are still valuable for finding local services, and search engines still give a lot of “weight” to those who are listed in relevant directories. Find such directories in your locale and get a listing.

If you have competitors in your niche, such as the kid down the road who just started a web development business, you might see how they are ranking. If the result is better than your own ranking, look at what links they have built through free online tools. Make an attempt to gain the same links if at all possible. Many times it may not be, but it’s worth researching.

Link exchanges are very popular. Those who use automatic programs to do so can get in trouble- this isn’t white hat SEO. Instead make custom emails and send them out to those who you think would link back to you. This might include any clients you have had, or even a competitor who might want to network with you just as much as you need to network with him.

If you do decide to network with those who you may not know, and thus not necessarily trust, use a tool to check that the links to your website are always live. It is sometimes the unfortunate case that a website owner will remove the link and still enjoy the benefits of the link you point to their website. There are free tools to do this.

In Conclusion

Building links is the key to making your presence on the Internet. Just remember to do it the right, respectable, way. Otherwise you could bring the progress of your company and its rankings to complete halt entirely.

Learn more on google pagerank and google page rank.