While optimizing a website we should think about it naturally and search engines will like your site, No doubt. You need to do optimization and promotion in a way that is justified and natural. Provide unique content so that people would get benefit from it, and search engines are meant for people.... so do things for the people and no need to be scared for all these updates. Only original and authentic work should stay and I fully agree with Kyle's viewpoint. No HYPE only real WORK.....

If I were to start a site from scratch in this day, backlinks would be the last thing that I would concern myself with. First would obviously be creating the site, second would be creating the framework, third would be quality content, fourth would be working on getting the content indexed at a quicker rate (through backlinks, articles or a Google Site Map).

Then backlinks would come. Google is actually punishing people that put too much emphasis on backlinks...and at very large rates. All the latest updates (Google Panda and Penguin) have been geared directly at addressing backlinks and slapping sites with too many of them.

Quality Content is KING.

I have a two-year old website that's ranking for 38 keywords. The link building work that I did myself are:

1. submitting to article directories
2. link wheels.
3. blogger blog with my keyword in the URL.
4. youtube videos

I did use linking services like Linkvana and ezarticlelink for some time. anyway, I've given up on trying too hard on the link building, i just focus on writing more quality content and publishing it on my website.

I agree with other marketers who say that you shouldn't build your entire business around Google - you'll go crazy that way.

Hi Alam,

I'm not wildly successful online just yet, but from what I understand, most of your backlink ideas are pretty solid... but not all. Link wheels probably won't be as effective as the were this time last year, and they are a lot of work. I've heard of people getting sandboxed for getting too many forum backlinks... But I don't know if that's true or just a rumor. As far as web directories go, many of them want you to reciprocate a link to them, and two way links just aren't very effective anymore. And as far as search engine submission, it seams like pinging would be just as effective if not more so, and it is really easier to do.

Having said all that, social networks are great if you can get people engaged. Facebook, twitter, G+; they show search engines that people like your content, and that will lead to better rankings. I've seen big leaps in SERPS positions by a single blog comment linking back to my site. Article directories are great because they not only give you a little bit of linking power, but they also send traffic directly to your site if you can manage to get a good click through rate....

How old is your site? Google likes to play games with your head when you first get the site up and running. They'll shoot your results way up in the SERPS, then they'll drag you back several pages. It's just the way they role; probably their way of having fun... ;)

Anyway, don't give up on adding content to your site. Backlinks will help you, but on-site SEO is what I understand search engines are looking at first and foremost nowadays.