There are certain "basics" when it comes to your website's popularity and chances of being visited. One of those "basics" is to get as many links pointing from other sites to your site as possible. Getting a lot of links requires some effort. It was not so long ago that reciprocal links were the rage because they were relatively easy to obtain.

Reciprocal links are links that are exchanged between two or more websites. For example, my site will place a link to your site so long as your site places a link to my site. Innovative software programs and scripts have made reciprocal linking an easy, automated process. Unfortunately, reciprocal links are thought to be devalued by search engines because of these automated programs. With automation, sites are exchanging links at the drop of a hat with totally irrelevant sites. By way of example, you might find a legal forms site exchanging links with a diet pill site. If you are reciprocal linking, you might discover that your URL is appearing on link partners' sites that are nothing but a hodgepodge of uncategorized links, with dozens and dozens of links per page. Having your site appear in these reciprocal link page collections does not necessarily add rank or value to your website.

In contrast to reciprocal linking, the benefits of one-way linking are becoming well known. One-way links are a powerful way to establish your site as an authority because these types of backlinks are considered a "vote" of popularity for your site. In a way, this vote of popularity is untainted because it is not obtained with the "bribe" of a return link.

Since they have lasting value and in the case of free links, since the site giving you a one-way link gets nothing in return, one-way links can be more difficult to get than reciprocal links. It's worth the effort in obtaining them because they pay off in securing solid long-term search engine ranking results.

You can get one-way links in a variety of ways. If you're willing to spend some money, you can buy permanent, one-way links from various online brokers and forums. You can build permanent one-way links through the use of pixel ads, banner ads and other forms of paid advertising.

Another great way to get one-way links to your web site is through directory submissions. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of directories which offer free submissions. The problem with directories is that they are becoming so backlogged that it can take months before your link appears. I think that directories are becoming so commonplace that one-way backlinks from them will eventually become devalued, just like reciprocal links.

Article submissions are perhaps the most powerful and effective way to obtain valuable one-way links. Article writing can be a time-consuming process but one that will reward your site for an indefinite period of time. Best yet, article distributions are generally free. Since writing and submitting articles can become time-consuming, many online marketers grow weary of their article marketing efforts after they have submitted a couple of dozen articles.

If you want a combination of the ease of directory submissions and the long-lasting effect of articles, blog submissions are the best way to go. Blog posts do not take as long to write as articles, yet blog entries (or comments, where allowed) can be more informative and flexible than the brief descriptions you are allowed to give with directory submissions.

The general rule is that the directories will give links to your home page only and will not link to the interior pages of your web site. The beauty of articles and blogs is that you can create one-way links to your interior web pages instead of just the home page.

If you want to create lasting value and traffic for your web site, it is well worth the time and effort to use the various techniques that are briefly discussed in this article to create hundreds of valuable one-way links. One-way links are, in effect, the lifeline for your web page.

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