Everyone agrees that getting backlinks, or links from other people's sites, is important to helping your website get good page rank and thus visitors. However, did you know that not all backlinks are created equal?

For example, a common way of getting backlinks is exchanging links with other people's sites -- that's called "reciprocal linking." However, a much more valuable link in the search engine's eyes is a one-way link from someone else's website to your own.

Furthermore, the best one-way backlinks are from sites that are about a topic that is the same or similar to yours. So, for example, if your site is about fishing, then getting a link from another site about fishing is the best type of link you can get. The search engines call this "relevance" and relevant backlinks are always better than links from websites that have nothing to do with the subject of your website.

One of the best ways to get one-way, relevant backlinks is by submitting your site to directories, which is usually a free service, but some directories do charge a nominal fee. You can find a plethora of directories by going to Google and typing "search engine friendly directories" in the search bar.

When you visit one of these directories, you will see that a directory is a categorized index of websites. You will see main categories, such as Arts & Entertainment, Business, Computers, etc. Under each main category, you will find subcategories.

To submit your website to a directory, go to that directory and click on "Add URL" or a similarly named link, and then add your website to the appropriate category and subcategory. For example, if you are submitting your fishing website, look for the "Recreation" category (or something similar) and then the subcategory "Fishing."

You will need to enter your website URL, the title of your website, a short description, a list of keywords, and an email address. It's best to provide an email address related to your website. So if your website domain is myfishingsite.com then you would want to use an email address like webmaster@myfishingsite.com.

If your submission is accepted by the directory, then a link to your website will be published on a page that is only about fishing, thereby giving you a great one-way and relevant backlink. As a side note, you do not have provide a reciprocal link, although most directories will offer that option ...

Karen Kirby

Karen Kirby possesses over 25 years' experience in the computer industry, an MS in Computer Science, and a BA in Honors English. She has been helping people with Internet marketing since 1995. Karen specializes in website development, traffic generation, and article/ebook publication.