An integral component to your search engine marketing strategy should include the use of link marketing strategies. Placing links to your site from other quality websites will successfully attract attention to both your website and the host site. Links operate like recommendations or votes between websites. The two most common linking building strategies for website promotion are one way links (aka one way backlinks) and trading links through reciprocal link strategies with other websites.  The right linking technique can noticeably increase the amount of website traffic you receive.

One Way Links
Some websites use the one way linking strategy. You can add a link to your website on another website. Visitors to the host website can access your site when they click the link. Once visitors are redirected to your website, there is no return link for the host site. This can be beneficial if the host website is popular and generates a steady amount of traffic. It is important to make sure the host website’s content is similar to your own. Some websites charge a fee to post links. If the fee is reasonable, it could be worth considering since linking is such an effective marketing method.

Reciprocal Links
Another popular linking method is trading links, or reciprocal linking. Reciprocal linking allows you to place another company’s link on your site. They in turn allow you to place a link on their website. Since this is considered a form of mutual advertising, there is usually little cost involved. The problem with reciprocal linking is that webmasters and SEO experts have used it so much the search engines no longer respond very well. If a website similar to yours wants to exchange links, it won’t hurt; but it is unlikely to improve traffic to your site or increase its search engine ranking.