Understanding the Value of a Link

With all the talk about link these days, it's no wonder folks get confused about what types of links they should go after. From reciprocal links to directories to the Google nofollow controversy, it's getting tough for the average web site owners to know what makes up a solid link building plan. With that in mind, Debra Mastaler offers up a great post at Search Engine Land called "There's No Such Thing as a Worthless Link."

Debra explains:

All links count in some way, even those cloaked in things like nofollow, robot.txt or a third party tracking code. These types of links may not be SEO friendly, but they do work and depending on where they sit, can go a long way toward boosting your visibility. Even though popular sites like Wikipedia, del.icio.us and Yahoo Answers use nofollow on their pages, the traffic and visibility they bring to your brand can be huge. If the exposure the site brings outweighs the loss of link popularity, go for the link I say.

Debra goes on to share the qualifies she looks for if she's seeking links for the sake of improved search engine rankings. She also explains the difference between media contacts and editorial contacts and offers some specific suggestions for approaching each type of site. She also shares her thoughts on how to leverage the new "hub" sites like Squidoo and HowToDoThings.com.

One of the things that makes Debra's advice so great is that it's realistic. Debra doesn't try to tell you how easy link building is; she offers up proven advice that will take time, but will also offer results.

Quality links just don't find their way onto your site, you have to work for them. This process might be time consuming but once these links are in place, they'll work over the long haul.