Linking may seem simple at the outset, but it is actually a rather complex data management problem. If you try to do linking work without a good process and a software tool.

Unfortunately, most of what is being said about linking it is not worth the disk space it's written on. Back before Google existed, very few people said much about linking. It was considered to be unsophisticated, grassroots Web marketing, best left to hobbyists. The dot-bombs couldn't have ignored it more if they had tried, which speaks volumes about their management's understanding of the World Wide Web.

Then Google came along, and people began to realize links were one way to the top of that search engine. Linking went from a backwater to one of the most talked-about subjects in the search-engine optimization world. Instant experts were created. Theories on how to "beat" Google with links grew like fruit flies in a biology lab.

What's unfortunate is that the average reader can't possibly differentiate between someone who writes about linking but only dabbles in this work, and someone who does a lot of it. The dabblers inevitably give away their inexperience when they start talking about their process. They use the most inefficient methods possible. If they were good at this, or smart, or experienced, or serious, they'd quickly develop more sophisticated, efficient ways to get this work done. So, we have to discount their complex, contradictory linking theories, which usually don't hold up under close scrutiny.

If you want to skip past all of that noise, here's an alternative approach that works extremely well, and it has for years. Just link as if Google did not exist. Treat reciprocal linking as a branding function for your business. Set out to get as many links to your site from other appropriate, relevant sites as possible. Start now, and never stop. Eventually, you will be king of the link hill in your area of interest. And you will be very hard to knock down, unless someone else is as determined as you are.

As a bonus, when anyone else in your realm of interest starts their own link campaign, they will most likely link to your site first -- because you are out there everywhere, to be easily found. With linking, the big do get bigger, at a much faster rate than everyone else.

Second, realize that linking seems very simple at the outset, but it is actually a rather complex data management problem. The gurus always seem to get it backward. They make their strategy complex but talk as if the process is straightforward. Get a link management tool of some kind. These include desktop applications an online tool or a server-side script. These will allow you to manage the process for medium- to large-size link campaigns. Or hire a professional if you really want to offload this work in favor of focusing on your core business.