For a website to rank high, it has to have solid link popularity apart from the on-page optimization. This link popularity refers to the number and quality of in-bound links that point to your website. But, link popularity can make or break a website. Hence, one has to be very careful while building link popularity for one's website.

One of the oldest methods in off-page optimization is Link Exchange. Few tips while doing link Exchange are as follows:

Link exchange is a task defined under Search Engine Marketing by which you exchange your website link with the link of a counter website, thus mutually benefiting both the parties.

At the outset, create a ?Link? or ?Resource? page that carries the same theme/design look. Define Categories for putting the Anchor text (or title) of your link partners. These titles shall - ?on click? open up the website of your link-partner.
Your link exchange partners shouldn't be your direct competitors.
When you offer your link partner with a link exchange proposal, always see that you have already put the link of your link-partner in your resource page and presented the proposal-email with that link for your link partner to refer.
Your email should be personal and should not look like a spam. It should explain the benefits of link exchange that would happen between both the parties.
Also, quote your Title and Description that you want to get displayed in your link partner's link-page. Giving html source is always a better option so that the link-partner will directly copy and paste it.
If you don't receive a reply to your email-proposal, try again after 3 days. Keep trying till three tries for your link-partner to know that you are not a spam bot but you are serious in your intention of emailing the proposal. If you don't get any reply after three tries, take-off the link and acknowledge about it to the proposed link-partner.
Also, it is important to check that your link-partners carry weight. You may check the Page rank of your link-partner's website - home page and Link-page by downloading the Google toolbar in your browser. Also, it is better if they carry a good ranking in the search engines for the key-phrases they link exchange for. This would give you quality link-partners thus giving you a quality link-exchange.

Few more tasks are submitting Press Release and Article into their relevant directories. Write a good Press-note that announces of some good accomplishment of your services and market your services through submitting your Press-Release into quality Press-Release Directories.
Same way is for the article. Write an educational essay on subject that describes your product/ services in your industry. And then submit it into relevant high page-rank directories for getting quality links from Content-rich web pages.

Like Press Release Submission and Article Submission, you may also submit your website into a Quality Online Directory. Get your website URL added to the Quality Directories to get rich link-backs for your website. Take care of submitting your website into relevant category. Directory Submissions, Press Release Submission and Article Submission prove to be very useful for Quality link building.