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Possibly the single most effective SEO strategy for boosting your online traffic involves gaining backlinks to your site from other places on the web. The more websites that link to your site, the more relevant and trustworthy you appear to search engine crawlers. However, not all links are created equally. A link from the New York Times website is worth more than a link from your sister's blog on green living. (Especially if your website has nothing to do with green living!)  This article will outline some reliable and respectable ways to gain strong backlinks. Some require more effort than others, but all are valuable things to consider when trying to make a website get ranked higher in Google.

Send Your Site to Key Directories

Think of online directories as databases of websites. They list websites by subject, and unlike search engines, do not rank or rate websites. Getting your website listed in a directory earns you a link that can be very helpful for your own site's ranking in search engines, depending on which directory it is. DMoz, or the Open Directory Project, is one of the largest and most reputable sources of backlinks as far as directories are concerned. Each site submitted to DMoz is reviewed by a human volunteer editor. This means that you can be sure that each site included in this directory is actually relevant to the category in which it is placed, and contains information that others may find useful. This also means, however, that it can take a long time for your site to get listed. Submit your site, take heed of the instructions on the DMoz site, and do not re-submit or you'll cause yourself to be placed at the end of the line. Be patient and reap the rewards once you're listed here.  Other important directories include the free Yahoo! Directory. To speed up your site's review you can opt for Yahoo! Directory Submit, which requires a $299 yearly fee for expedited review of your site. About.com and Business.com are other worthwhile paid business directories.

Submit to Specialized Directories

In addition to the large, general directories, there are dozens of targeted directories out there with high Page Ranks. These directories may focus on specific industries or topics, such as finance or education. Some are free, while others require submission fees. If you belong to trade organizations with member directories, ask them to include a link to your site. Locating these directories requires a bit of online research . There are a few sites that can streamline this process, such as Academic Info, and Internet Public Library. Use these sites like you would a search engine, and type in your topic or focus and look out for sites that may be directories. If something pops up with the words "Subject Guides", "Gateway Pages" or "Directories" – visit the site and decide if it's somewhere that could be beneficial for your site. It's not recommended to spend too much time combing the internet for specialized directories, as these types of sites tend to come and go frequently and can often be weak sources of backlinks. Also, be wary of requests for paid ads – it's probably not worth it to post an ad inside a directory unless it’s a very popular one.

Syndicate Press Releases

Write about something noteworthy that's currently happening in your industry, and include links to your site in the article. Send it to online news release services within your field. Using press releases is a pretty reliable method of gaining both backlinks, and brand awareness. It gets your name out there and signals to members of your community that you're a resource of information. This will encourage others to visit your site and possibly link to you. There are loads of press release sites to choose from. Some are free, while others offer different types of packages and SEO-offerings. PRWeb is a good place to start and offers a powerful syndication service tailored to boosting site SEO.

Write Articles to Editors

An excellent way to gain traffic and boost your site's link popularity is by producing informative articles that others can use on their websites or in e-mail newsletters. Submitting an article as a voice of authority can earn you brand credibility. Publishers often rely on sites like EzineArticles.com when searching for quality articles to use in newsletters or on websites. Start a viral marketing campaign by contributing articles to these places and asking that a link be included in your article. Your content can spread like wildfire if it's picked up by editors and publishers. There's more information available on this tactic at Ezine.

Exchange Links with Relevant Sites

The key here is finding sites with content that relates to yours in some way. This doesn't mean you must start e-mailing competitors and asking them to include a free website link to your site; instead, look for smaller sites that fit into your general niche. Shoot an e-mail to webmasters (making them each personal), and request reciprocal links to your site. Then, devote a page on your site for your very own link directory. You may consider using an out-of-the-way page for this content, so as not to turn visitors away from your site the moment they get to it. As in most things SEO-related, you must keep in mind that good things come to those who wait. Be patient, and wait to hear back from webmasters you've contacted. If you don't hear back , the next step could be to make a phone call. To find complementary sites with content similar to yours in topic, SiteSell Value Exchange offers a free link-searching service. Other sites like Linkalizer.com and Linkmarket.com could be useful as well. The most important thing to bear in mind is finding relevant sites. Google relies on links as a primary indicator of what your site's content is about. So even though you're getting bombarded with requests to exchange links with a realtor site, don't accept it for your fashion accessories website. It won't make sense to Google, or your visitors.

Blogs

Become an active member of your online community and contribute something of value that others will appreciate. This can be done in several ways, including starting a well-maintained blog on your own site. Once you've started the blog, make others aware of it by getting involved in your niche's online community. Find blogs about topics similar to yours, and post helpful, relevant comments. Answer questions on forums. Hold back from posting a link to your site until you've already posted at least 4 times on a particular blog. Try to establish yourself as someone in-the-know, who others will want to link to either in their own blogs or by bookmarking you at a place like Digg or Delicious. The key here is to provide good, quality content that others will appreciate.

And there you have it. These tips and methods will help you learn how to make a website soaked in backlink juice. With a combination of these various methods, you should start seeing your site ranked higher in search engines, an improvement in PageRank and a general increase in site traffic. Good luck!