man_in_poland - 12:48 pm on Feb 28, 2010 (gmt 0)

If your online business is important to you, either do the link-building yourself or keep it in-house and monitor it like a hawk. No-one will be as passionate about your business and your niche as yourself.

Many years ago I spotted a fantastic place for a link from a site that was related to mine but non-competitive. After several emails and calls, I ended up flying overseas to meet the owner. We had lunch, got on great, and ended up with a link partnership that has served us both extremely well for almost 7 years now. It cost a lot of time and money, but the result was golden.

There are many ways to skin this particular cat (apologies to feline lovers) - but the more work you put into it the more you get back. Read my lips - there are NO short cuts.