One of the most-asked questions relating to SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and building up your site for more traffic is how to handle backlinks (finding, getting, etc), and if buying backlinks is safe. Afterall, it is a one way link. It is from a well-known site. You get what you pay for.

BUYING BACKLINKS

Well, the short answer is DON'T do it.

The semi-long answer I will explain why. One-way links are in reality not valued any more by google than a reciprocal link. The thing is, most reciprocal links are not on topic and exchanged with just about any other site. One-way links tend to be a like-themed site that is pointing to some great information on your website. On-topic, the keyword there.

Getting a link from a well-known site is always good when possible. That is always a plus. However, if it is also well-known to google to sell links the link you just bought is heavily devalued.

It turns out that many places selling high-pr backlinks sell them to many people. That alone can heavily damage your Google rep because the guys and gals over at Google are not stupid and can tell who is selling links, many because they make it blatantly known.

The only good thing to come from buying backlinks is that high-pr websites are often walked on a daily basis, so your new-to-the-internet site is found and walked very quickly. Hardly a trade-off for the damage it does however.

BUILDING BACKLINKS

It is much better to build many backlinks with many sites, specifically on-topic or same-topic websites. There are many ways to achieve this.

1. One time-tested method is to research who your competitors are on Google. Do a 'link:domain' on google to find the backlinks to that website, and start at the top and work your way through trying to get backlinks from the same people. Do not stop at that, but it is a good starting point.

2. Add your website to web resource directories. These are very easy to locate via Google.

3. Join a link exchange service. This is the easiest way to find link partners, since sites looking to exchange are already there and waiting to exchange. Finding new link exchange partners is a piece of cake this way.

4. Write articles and submit them to article directories. Not only does the article get picked up on the article directory itself, but anyone else wanting to use it can do so, giving you another backlink. It's like a viral link campaign. Just make sure to give quality information that it for the user, and if they are interested in more information they will follow the link in your resource box. Just make sure it is a good source of information and not a disguised sales ad or such, as it won't work this way. For an added bonus, using one of the big article submission services that submit your article to thousands of directories and sites can sometimes save a lot of time in the long run.

While buying links may seem like a great shortcut, the usual saying do apply. Building a website the old-fashioned way by building up both yours and your sites reputation is how to get long-lasting success. It does take time, but it's worth it in the long run.