Link building is one of the most significant website promotion strategies. Not only does it give you the opportunity to get traffic from other websites, it is also a key factor in your search engine rankings. When it comes to links, more is better.

There are, however, a few caveats to that notion. These include:

• In order for links to be effective, they must come from websites with topics that are related to yours. If you have a knitting website, for example, links from wholesale car part distributors won't do you much good.

• You're better off not having links from so-called "bad neighborhoods." These include directories that do not review websites before posting them and free-for-all sites. They are highly unlikely to bring you any traffic from their visitors, and the search engines could penalize your site if your link appears there.

• Reciprocal links should be used sparingly and judiciously. There's no harm in trading links with a few highly relevant sites, but if that's where all your links come from, you won't see as much benefit as you would from more one-way links.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, there are many ways that you can get links coming in to your site. Here are some of the most effective.

Write Linkbait

Linkbait is content that just begs to be linked to. It's informative and easy to digest, and it appeals to your target market. If you write a good piece of linkbait and submit it to social news and media sites, you could end up with a swarm of traffic and many new incoming links.

One of the easiest ways to come up with linkbait is to write a list. Titles such as "Ten Free Pieces of Small Business Software You Can't Live Without" or "100 Ways to Save Money Without Depriving Yourself" are sure to get lots of attention. So when in doubt, write a list.

Do Some Networking

Social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn are great places to find potential customers and business partners. They're also a good way to get inbound links. Just setting up a profile on these sites gives you a link back to your site.

But don't stop at your profile. Use the site to connect with others who might be interested in linking to you. By actively participating you give yourself the opportunity to build relationships, and even if those relationships do not lead to business, they could lead to links.

Give of Yourself

Helping others is good for the soul, and it can also give you incoming links in return. Simply answering questions on sites such as Yahoo Answers, sharing your knowledge as an About.com guide, or providing testimonials for other Internet marketers gives you the opportunity to build high-quality links. And as a bonus, it will give you the opportunity to build a reputation as an expert in your field.

These techniques are just the tip of the iceberg - you could also distribute press releases, participate in forums, guest post and comment on blogs, and much more. But no matter how you achieve it, getting quality links is crucial to your website's success.

For more information about developing a linking strategy and a Teleseminar with a special report on Search Engine Optimization visit http://www.seoskillsunleashed.com