Links

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

Chains are strong, but if the links become weak, everything can get a bit off kilter.  That’s true for physical chains, of course, but also for human relationships.  Strong links are just as important in the websphere.

While strong backlinks are important to a site’s ranking with the search engine, they are not always easy to achieve.  The topic of search engine optimization can be daunting to new website owners.  For an easy to understand overview, I’d recommend checking out Thomas Goldkamps’s  Effective Search Engine Optimization site.  His short and clear explanations of keywords, metatags and backlinks will help you gain a quick understanding of a complex subject.

Understanding, of course, is just the beginning.  Some work will be required to build your site’s backlinks unless you wish to pay for them.  Buying backlinks can be expensive and impractical for bloggers and website hobbyists.  You may wish to make use of free tools to help you do this.  Free Backlink Tools (FLBT) is a site that provides a variety of resources for building backlinks.  Their Link Exchange Manager is a free link-building tool that helps your trade links with similar sites.  Its verification feature insures that the trading site has added your link.  FLBT also maintains a directory of link building resources, including free link directories. 

You’ll need to be patient with the process, as it takes time to build strong links.  It will be worth the effort, however, as you see your site rising in the search listings.