I was recently asked, What is the best method for acquiring links?” Other than buying them, here ya have it:

1. Write compelling content that others will link to. (this method can take quite some time, and unless you can write compelling content, you’re stuck with buying content rather than links so why not just buy the links?)

Here’s my favorite-

2. Link out freely. Others will respond in kind. Then guess what? Other people will follow those links to your site and some of those people will link to you.

If you want link love, link unconditionally, no expectations. Praise someone rather than trash them. Link to blog posts, be positive. Search out quality content to link to. Make intelligent comments on other peoples’ blogs and they just may read your content, and link to it.

Simplistic? Yes. Effective? Yes. You’d be surprised at the number of people that would rather send some spammy link exchange request rather than take the time to link to someone else, praise their content or their insight.

By linking freely to other sites you’ll eventually acquire lots of one-way links to your site. Not from the people you link to obviously, but from others that will follow links made by the people that you’ve linked to. All you have to do is link freely and thoughtfully. Give it a try.

Or you can pour some derision on someone else and follow in the path of many so-called master baiters… ; )


  1. Truer words were never spoke.

    BTW — I see you’re still linking to the old SEO Theory URL. We moved the blog to http://www.seo-theory.com/wordpress/ earlier this year (before Matt Cutts told people not to use “wordpress” in their blog URLs).

  2. DG

    Thanks Michael, I changed the link. Lots of information at your site. I plan on spending some time this weekend reading it.

  1. 1 Friday Tea Time - 8/3/07 » TheMadHat

    [...] Unconditional Link Love. Excellent advice [...]




Leave a Comment




  • Blog Stuff

  • What People Are Saying

  • People Are Interested In

  • RSS Word Of The Day

  • RSS Quote Of The Day

    • Frank B. Kellogg
      "It is not to be expected that human nature will change in a day."
  • RSS Neologisms

    • frequency illusion July 16, 2009
      frequency illusion n. The tendency to notice instances of a particular phenomenon once one starts to look for it, and to therefore believe erroneously that the phenomenon occurs frequently. Example Citations: The word issues bothers a fair number of people, including reader David Devore, who recently sent me a link to a language complaint in the […]
    • wallet neuropathy July 3, 2009
      wallet neuropathy n. Lower back pain caused by sitting on an overstuffed wallet kept in a back pants pocket. Example Citations: Physiotherapists have coined the term 'wallet-neuropathy' for the lower back pain caused by men sitting down (such as when driving or in the office) on wallets always carried in their back trouser pocket. The […]
    • intexticated July 2, 2009
      intexticated adj. Preoccupied by reading or sending text messages, particularly while driving a car. —intexticating pp. —intextication n. Example Citations: The usual concerns arise, knowing teen drivers will be packing the ever-present buzzing and ringing cell phones from which most seem incapable of parting. We've had the disc […]
    • Wikipedia kid June 30, 2009
      Wikipedia kid n. A student who has poor research skills and lacks the ability to think critically. Example Citations: As an English professor at Algonquin College in Ottawa, I was very impressed by the report's neologism: "Wikipedia kids." Too many graduates of Ontario's high schools know how to cut and paste, but have learnt […]
    • carrotmob June 26, 2009
      carrotmob n. An event where people support an environmentally-friendly store by gathering en masse to purchase the store's products. Also: carrot mob. —carrotmobber n. —carrotmobbing pp. Example Citations: Forget sticks, and stick with carrots instead. So says Brent Schulkin, founder of a fledgling movement of activist consumers […]
    • phantom fat June 25, 2009
      phantom fat n. Lost body fat that is still perceived by a person who used to be overweight. Example Citations: Body-image experts say it's not uncommon for people, especially women, who have lost a lot of weight to be disappointed to some extent to discover that they still aren't "perfect." The excess fat is gone when they re […]
    • weisure June 8, 2009
      weisure n. Free time spent doing work or work-related tasks. [Blend of work and leisure.] Example Citations: Weisure has been fueled by social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, where "friends" may actually be business partners or work colleagues. "Social networking as an activity is one of those ambiguous activities, […]
    • DDo$ June 4, 2009
      DDo$ n. A scheme where a fine or fee is paid using a massive number of small electronic payments, particularly when each payment generates a transaction cost greater than the payment itself. Example Citations: After the Pirate Bay founders were fined $3.5 million, they swore they wouldn't cough up a single cent. Instead, they've come u […]
    • space headache June 4, 2009
      space headache n. A debilitating headache experienced by astronauts during space travel. Example Citations: Astronauts need to add space headache to their list of occupational hazards, say researchers. ... The researchers believe there are a number of reasons why space travel could cause headaches, the root cause being microgravity. Micrograv […]
    • VB6 June 3, 2009
      VB6 n. A person who eats a vegan diet before 6:00 PM, and then whatever they want after that. [From the phrase vegan before 6.] Example Citations: VB6. No, it's not a tomato cocktail or the latest version of a computer programming language. VB6 is short for Vegan Before 6, the increasingly popular veggie-heavy diet that converts say can do […]
  • More Blog Stuff