Is Link Building Still The Same?
Search engine algorithms are constantly changing and the change is forcing changes to our SEO practice too. It guides and compels us to change the strategies for link building we are using.
With every update on search engine algorithm the incoming links became even more valuable. Today you can't rely on the link building methods to hunt for backlinks that were most effective just a couple of years ago.
Are you sending emails to web-masters with a proposal of link exchange? Hahahaa…
If you have noticed, those emails have exactly in same content, format and structure. “Post the link in your website then send your link and anchor text. 
What about blog commenting, forum profile links, Squidoo lenses? Are they still working for you?
Oh! With forums, I can't forget the misfortune I experienced. Back in the day, I found some forums that were really nice places to hang out and the benefits were huge numbers of back links and traffic! With addicted participation on two well reputed forums (mazzako forum and ddboard forum) I gained a good amount of backlinks and one of my sites got PR6 (psexam.com). It used to be a great link building method. Can you imagine the downfall to PR2 from 6 after both of those forums were closed for unknown reason? 🙁 I wonder how long these types of forums will survive!
So, what can be the better reliable strategies for link building? I hope you can suggest a few more, but here's my best guess for what will work best in 2012. If search engines are smarter, we too aren't that stupid! Let's explore the three methods that are hot in trends recently.
Link building with free Themes, Plugins etc.
There are thousands of new bloggers coming online everyday. I remember David Risley said “They are coming” – the millions who yet don't know blogging and social networks, online marketing etc. and that implies still the huge opportunity.
Because THEY are not yet confident to spend money for themes, plugins and diverse other essential blogging tools, free themes, plugins and many other web applications are very popular in the blogosphere. If you have a creative mind and possess some skills, how about getting decent links back by giving your tool away for free?
You are not earning money out of your creative work, but the monetary value of the link building could possibly surpass the amount of money you might earn by trying to offer it for a price.
Back Linking from Social Networking and Bookmarking sites
This is another lucrative avenue for you to explore. If a nice piece of content goes viral, it and can offer huge amounts of backlinks. Search engines have started to value social networks higher. Google already declared that social engagement is a ranking factor in their algorithm and suggests to incorporate the +1 button on your websites and blog posts.
There can be a debate on NOFOLLOW links but be assured that the crawlers have grown smarter!
Mason Stoller has already published a post on the importance of Social Bookmarking sites for SEO here on BasicBlogTips. The post is worthy enough to visit and be sure to check out his list of social bookmarking sites.
Guest Blogging as The Best Form of Link Building
Needless to say, there's no better proactive strategy to acquire those highly valued links from within the blog post other than guest posting. We have reasons to believe that all links are not equal and one link from inside the post area outweighs dozens on comments or in the footer or sidebars. Kimberly Castleberry calls these links Editorial links and she has a nice post about this topic – Editorial Links vs Blog Comment Links.
I hope it is not very hard to get an guest blogging opportunity if you have a decent reputation. Anil Agrawal has a list of 100 blogs that allows guest blogging to make you easier. Don't wait, approach the blog owners with your quality post. You are most welcome with your nice and useful piece to publish in my SEO MMO Tips blog too. Please find my contact information below in Bio box.
I'm sure there are lot more effective link building methods that you want to share it with me, don't you? Waiting for your comments.