Get directory listings first. There are numerous directories( Dmoz, Yahoo, Zeal) etc which one can submit a site to. With some one like dmoz you can aspire for more than one incoming link as well. You can try some of paid options of URL inclusion if your budget permits it ( business.com, yahoo.com etc) Then there are multiple, regional & topical directories which one can look for & get site submitted to. Then of course there are some portals which are hubs for theme that your web site is on. Find them & submit to them( a great way to look for them is to go to Teoma & give your key search term in their search box .On results page look at resources sections. The hubs of your theme or domain area will be listed in there)

Once you have found & listed into these directories, hubs, portals etc what do you do. Take next step for creating one way links.

That is become internet guru on your subject matter. To get yourself to that status write articles & columns on your subject matter of expertise. These articles should be genuine content which adds value to reader & are not just under cover publicity campaigns for your product or service. Once these articles are created include your bio ( obviously with your hyperlink into it- this is great place to control your anchor text so be judicious ) & submit that article to various online resources & content providers.

To find a listing of those do an online search for keyword Article banks.( most cited resource for this is http://www.coachmaria.com/articles/articlebanks.html) Choose you targets & start to submit articles.(Don’t forget to host that content on your site as well). This is generally what people will link to.

Another place to contribute these articles is to sites which are ranking ahead of you on your key search phrase. Most probably they will also have quality content on their site. So if you have genuine content, they will welcome your contribution.

I'm an eBiz consultant and owner of Mosaic Services- an SEO Company. I regularly write and submit articles on various SE specific topics.

How can I tell web site I want to exchange with has any traffic?

Check traffic ranking with Alexa (www.alexa.com). This will give you a good idea of its popularity. Another way is to check its page rank with Google. If a web site has a page rank of 4, it is more popular than one with a page rank of 20. Try to exchange links with sites that have more traffic but you must be realistic also.

How do I show my links on my web Site?

You can put your links anywhere on your web site, provided you do not have a large page with links to all kinds of sites. Remember, keep your links relevant to content of your site.

If you have only a few links, best way is to have a list with title of web site and a short description of its content. Large numbers of links are not recommended as it looks a bit tacky.

Exchange links can be worth time and effort if done properly. The golden rule is only exchange links with other web sites that have content related to yours.

(c) John Lynch

( For a Free 6-part mini course on Internet Marketing including free interviews with top marketers such as Jay Abraham, Joe Vitale etc., free autoresponder and free Internet Marketing ebooks by top gurus. http://www.merchant-account-service.com/internet_marketing_explained.html)