Link Building

Search engines view links at votes, with some votes counting more than others. To get high quality links (that help your site rank better) you need to participate in the social aspects of your community and give away valuable unique content that people talk about and share with others. The below Google TouchGraph image shows a small graphic representation of sites in the search field that are related to SeoBook.com based on linking patterns.

In this post Matt Cutts suggested that Google is getting better at understanding link quality. Search engines want to count quality editorial votes as links that help influence their relevancy algorithms.

Link building tips

• try to link to your most relevant page when getting links (don't point all the links at your home page)
• mix your anchor text
• use Yahoo! Site Explorer and other tools to analyze top competing backlinks
• don't be afraid to link out to relevant high quality resources

Link building strategies

• submit your site to general directories like DMOZ, the Yahoo! Directory, and Business.com
• submit your site to relevant niche directories
• here is more background on directories and SEO
• if you have a local site submit to relevant local sites (like the local chamber of commerce)
• join trade organizations
• get links from industry hub sites
• create content people would want to link at
• here is a list of 101 useful link building strategies

Source: Knol