When it comes to SEO, the new trend is to create back links or links that are placed on another web site so people and search engines will be able to find your site easily on the web. But you should trade links with every website that invites you to? While there are a number of ways to create back links that don't include linking to another small business website, it is the easiest way to attract online attention.

Other ways to create back links online include:

- Creating a blog and attaching your URL address to each post

- Making comments on other blogs and leaving your URL

- Submitting articles online and including your URL in the byline

- Adding your URL to your email signature

- Joining social networking sites and including your URL in your profile page

As you can see, there are a number of ways to create back links, but each will require a little bit of your time. Link exchanges are very easy in comparison, but you should do your homework before agreeing to swap.

HOW TO JUDGE A GOOD LINK AND A BAD LINK

Just because a website has a high ranking with search engines does not mean it is popular with web surfers. Before you exchange links with another site, visit the site to see why its ranking is high. Are there a lot of keywords? Affiliate links? Photos and other images?

If the answer is yes, you should find out how long the site has been operating by looking up when it was registered. These days, new websites can rank very high on search engines for short time because the creator may know how to use SEO effectively.

Another way to tell if a website is worth linking to is to see how many other sites have added their links. If a website has a good reputation, then it should have a larger number of links. Visit these links to make sure they have the type of content you want to be associated with. Many visitors on the web make assumptions about a company's goods and services by who they are linked to or who they are featured alongside.

REASONS TO LINK

Linking your website with another site can have many positive results. You will see increased traffic, higher rankings, and you will be able to market to another sector of the Internet you may not have been able to reach until now.

Exchanging links is always a risk, but through proper research, you should be able to find sites that can help boost your business.