One of the most important aspects of search engine optimization is to build relevant one-way links.

Building one-way links takes time and nurturing. Your first goal should simply be to build up a strong website that people would naturally want to link to. Generate loads of valuable content and you will get inbound links all the time without even trying.

Next you need to analyze your own website and your top competitors' websites to see how many links they have and who those links are from. One of my favorite tools for doing this is Yahoo Site Explorer. It gives you a relatively accurate reading of inbound links to your own and other sites. You can also get a good idea by using Google Webmaster Central and validating your site to get a sampling of who is linking to you.

The worst way to do a check is by going to Google and putting a command like: links: www.mysite.com as this will only give a small sampling of the number of links you really have. So don't panic if you've been using this method.

Just because your competitor has a link pointing to their website does not mean it is a good link.  Do your homework, make sure the site is relevant and complementary to yours and looks like a valuable resource. Check the page rank of the link and make sure it is not grayed -- meaning it is a banned site. If you notice your main competition is using a lot of black hat or spammy techniques to build one way links, report them!

Before you contact a website to get a link, have a plan. What can you offer them? Do they have a blog you can write articles for? This can be one of the best ways, as people are always looking for new fresh blog content! 

Don't be shy. Call them and explain the benefits of using your content.

Take advantage of relationships you already have with suppliers, friends and other people that are in your niche market to get build a strong roster of one way links!

Happy holidays to you and your family!

Nicole Ephgrave