Google is all on linking. If you want to grab a top spot in Google's search results you must link like a pro. Linking is a lot easier today than it was ago. Experience has taught us a lot and with the information here you won't need to be anxious about endless trial and error. Let's take a look at the linking strategies that Google give you the most credit for...

Link Strategy 1: harvest the Most Benefit from Anchor Text

You perhaps know that anchor text is the clickable word that makes up a hyperlink. But what you may not yet fully grasp how powerful anchor text is. Do a simple experiment...

Go to Google.com and look for "click here". Did you get a link for Adobe Acrobat Reader at 1st number? Why is that? Verify the page. They have no mention of "click here" anywhere on the page.

Why does it rank number 1 on Google for "click here"? It's all due to anchor text. More particularly, it's since the countless pages that have "click here" as anchor text that will links to Adobe's Acrobat Reader download page.

Did you observe how many opposing pages there are for "click here" on Google? Almost Two Billion! Anchor text is really important. Here are a few rules to get the most from yours...

A. Use your three important keywords for your anchor text. Particularly, you're most important word 60% of the time; you're second important keyword 25% and your third keyword 15%. That is for every page you link to.

B. Use "long tail" keywords when suitable.

C. If your anchor text is element of a paragraph, like a signature block, make sure the surrounding text is optimized for the keyword you desire or close variations. And make sure that the text is varied. You need to have plenty of versions of the surrounding text block so Google doesn't ding it as duplicate content.

Link Strategy 2: Make Your Target URLs Laser correct

URL accuracy is extremely important. Be sure to use the same URL whenever you request for a link. Though a URL link beginning with "http" or "www" may resolve to the same webpage, Google looks them as different destinations.

Find out for yourself? Go to Google.com and enter "Links: http://" followed by www... any domain name you want. This will offer you the inbound links for that particular domain.

OK, now jot down the number of links. Now try it again WITHOUT the "www." And see the number of links. Again try it a third time with the "www" but NOT the http://". Do you get different numbers? This is for the reason that Google sees them as different link destinations.

Link Strategy 3: Go ahead of Reciprocal Linking

Reciprocal links aren't enough anymore. Google is now discounting the importance of simple link swaps so that reciprocal links alone will not do the trick as they used to. With a little time or money or both, you could have the best links imaginable.
The two fastest and least expensive ways are submitting your site to directories or paying a link service, except NOT a reciprocal linking service. Let's begin with directories...

Links from directories might not be all they used to, but still help your SEO efforts. There's a page I like to test out that has the top directories listed as well as links to the site, their GRP, cost and more; StrongestLinks.com

You could click on the column headings to sort by any type you want. This makes finding the top GPR sites quick and easy. This site also seems to have some sort of paid membership obtainable, but I use the free link and it does all I need and more.

Important Note: There is also a third possible risk that comes from link farms, sometimes very similar to certain link services. That risk is having so many inbound links upcoming from a single IP range (Internet Protocol address). Google HATES this and would discount all these links, or worse.

As for reciprocal linking services, I suggest you to avoid them. However there is a good solution called "3 way linking" that will still allow you the set it and forget it option. Here's a service I've had great results with...

3WayLinker.com will not link sites back to each other reciprocally. Instead it will create a series of one way links that are purely counted as inbound links by Google. Even more it helps to eliminate duplicate content in your link text and make sure all the inbound links are from a wide range of IP addresses.

Here's how it will work... Site "A" links to site "B". Site "B" links to site "C". And then site "C" links to site "A". So each one is a true one way link. This also gives the system more choice regarding which sites form a group. With reciprocal links, if both the sites use the same hosting provider, there is a high chance that you will be linked within the same IP range. With three way linking this problem could be eliminated.

So to recap,
1. Get the majority out of your anchor text;
2. Be very reliable with your link URL, and
3. Do more than reciprocal linking.
Now go and get that top spot you've been after!

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