Let’s play a game to illustrate some not-so-silly linking strategies. Imagine you just launched a new web site devoted to breeding chipmunks. If I gave you a choice of the following three sets of inbound links, and I told you you could have one set and only one set, which set of links would you want pointing at your new chipmunk breeding site, and why?

Set one

http://web.ncf.ca/dg300/links.html

http://www.zoomschool.com/subjects/mammals/rodent/Chipmunkprintout.shtml

http://www.maaoravat.com/Maaoravat/links_eng.html

http://www.fishbc.com/adventure/wilderness/animals/chipmunk.htm

http://www.starpulse.com/Television/Alvin_and_the_Chipmunks/Links/

http://www.eagle.ca/~diane/index21.html

Set two

http://www.angelfire.com/ca/albrit/

http://www.chipmunk.cwc.net/links.html

http://danielwright.wikispaces.com/page/links/Chipmunk

http://web.ncf.ca/dg300/links.html

http://www.wildlifesearch.com/chipmunk.htm

http://www.pestproducts.com/chipmunks.htm

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/nreos/wild/wildlife/animals/mammals/chipmunks.htm

Set three

http://www.animaltrek.com/mammals/chipmunk.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chipmunk

http://www.britishcolumbia.com/Wildlife/wildlife/landmammals/cw/cw_chipmunk.html

http://www.aftagley.com/chipmunk_links.html

http://www.animal-protection.org/tierhaltung/welchestier/sh.html

http://www.technorati.com/tag/chipmunk

Each set of links offers something different than they others, and each set of links would be appropriate and 100% on-topic. So which set of links would be better? set one has several high rankers at Google, but set two has that sweet .edu and some high rankers at both Google and Yahoo. Then again, set three offers you a Wikipedia link and a Technorati tag link.

It’s not as easy as it might seem. You could argue for each set depending on what you value. Search rank? Click traffic? Trust over time? What set of links is more likely to help you not just today, but tomorrow? What if I said your new chipmunk site is an ecommerce site that sells chipmunk posters and calendars? What if I said your new chipmunk site sells pest removal traps and cages? Would that distinction change the links you desire? Do tools like this help you decide? There’s many ways to skin this cat, or, um, breed this chipmunk…

So take one more look, and remember, the set of links you choose will be the only links you can have. Forever.

Which set do you want, and why? Tell us in the comments section below.

Eric Ward has been in the link building and content publicity game since 1994, providing services ranking from linking strategy to a monthly private newsletters on linking for subscribers. The Link Week column appears on Mondays at Search Engine Land.

Opinions expressed in the article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land.

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