The fundamental question to be asked above is why do we need links? What is a link and how does it work?

In the most common form, a link from one web site to another is the way this thing called the Internet works.

To put it simply, without links in whatever way shape or form, the Internet would not work as we would not be able to get from one web site to another and hence we would stop using the internet pretty quickly!

So now we know how links work in theory but what about the actuality?

Well basically a link is a piece of computer code that when activated or pressed leads the user directly to a pre defined targeted web site. As you can imagine this is pretty useful and enables surfers to get from one site to another easily thereby making the whole experience of online activity much easier.

It would appear that the common concept amongst most webmasters online at the moment is that the more links the merrier and thus a much higher profile within the Search Engines will result.

Link Popularity Rule!

Whilst this may have been seen to be working in years gone by the generally accepted wisdom is that by and large this strategy no longer applies in the real world that is 2207.

All links are good but some links are better than others!

There are still certain webmasters who subscribe to the above theory but linking analysis is not that simple (oh that it was). Take Google for instance. Google factors in heavily the Value of the links to your sites and calculates these in a proprietorial algorithm that on the surface involves just two factors but in reality probably uses more.

The first of these factors is the strength of the originating web site and the quality of the same web site. It is very much an online version of the basic you are known by the company you keep philosophy. Google considers the quality of your web site in direction to the quality of the websites that are providing you with a link. If Google rates highly the originating web site such as the Yahoo Directory then you are half way to a good listing whenever Google has its next update. On the other hand if the inbound links come from websites that are practically useless then please do not be offended if Google (and the others) highly discard any potential benefit you might have accrued.

As well as analysing the number of inbound links to your website, Google and the other major indexes also analyse the number and quality of outbound links to your website from the originating web site. Basically according to the Search Engine Spiders, the theory goes that the fewer the number of external links the greater the net worth of the value. This means that in an ideal world for your inbound link to have maximum effect then it really needs to be the only outbound link on the originating site?

This as you can see is a massively flawed argument and one that thankfully appears to be disappearing over the horizon! Thank heavens for that.