How To Obtain Backlinks

Backlinks and position in results of search engines are the goal of SEO and the later depends upon the former. Backlinks are obtained by a good and unique content, but some tricks can help a lot.

Pages which bring links naturally

Create a page in the style "10 tricks to do this or that", because such a page obtains links easily.
Demystify an established truth. In the same idea as the preceding rule, give the list of the myths concerning some subject.
See the annual report of Google or Yahoo on the most often given keywords in requests.
A contrario, a subject of which you are the only one to speak brings obligatorily links.
If you have means, create statistics on a subject of general interest. Or more easily, make a survey.
When a new product or software is announced, get documented in-depth about it and what is referred to it, to be able to say more than all the others which will announce the news.
A long article is more likely to get links than a short article.

Design of the site

Pages must be accessible and easy to read, written in a simple language, even if it comprises technical terms and it must be easy to find complementary information on the site. Look after the style, the orthography.
Look after the design. Of course employ CSS and images.
Check the validity of your HTML code. See tools.
Do not place too much advertisements, in particular these groups of Adsense giants advertisements on full page.

Show you are an expert

For that, give on your site a list of experts in your field.
Always mention the licence of software and all legal mentions.
Add links on sites of references, but forget this online wiki-encyclopaedia that is known too well, to not weary visitors too much.

Promoting

Directories. Some as Dmoz and Botw are impossible to circumvent, but it is useless and even it can be prejudicial to refer a site on hundreds of directories with a PR almost null or that require a link in return.
See the handbook of SEO to know the essential bases.

Take part in sites of news

Write articles for sites open to external writers.
Send e-mail to webmasters to announce your product.

Digg-like and other wikis

By putting a question on Answers from Yahoo, or by answering questions of other Net surfers, you make yourself be known.
Take part in forums. You will easily have the occasion to put a link on your site if its contents contribute to solve a problem which is posed. On the Google groups in particular.
Write a summary of your best articles and propose them on the blogs and collaborative sites of information (digg-like).
Add comments on the pages which allow it, which is always the case of blogs. As for the forums, that can possibly be the occasion to add a link.
There exists many wikis in which you can take part. It is of course not a tool of referencing, but if there are articles on products similar to yours, and if yours is popular, verify that one speaks about it too.
Most wikis do not bring backlinks because of the nofollow attribute on the links, useless thus to add a link on your site.
Use Twitter and register in following for accounts related to your business. This can let know your site to the Webmaster. In a second time you will get your own followers.

Contribute with scripts

Build a template for Dotclear, Wordpress, PhpBB, PunBB or another CMS. (See the list of CMS). The template must contain a link towards your site and the licence of the topic must specify that the link should not be removed.
If you can program, write an extension for Firefox. This article could help.
More easily, an extension for a CMS, which is only PHP code, such as a protection against spams for example.
Any script is a source of backlinks.

Exchanges

If a site speaks about your articles, speak about this site, that shows to your readers that you are known. But that should not be automatic, and do not contact Webmasters to say to them "you owe me a link" when you speak about their site.
Quote others webmasters in your articles, as experts. They will be flattered and will speak about your site.
If your site is a blog, blogrolls on similar sites allow to exchange visitors.

Make a blog (for a commercial website)

As all public celebrities and characters do it now, as well as companies, add a blog to your site. That let you enter in a blogosphere, a group of blogs dependent between them. It is common in a blog to quote another blog. That also makes it possible to speak about what you want to make known.
News obtain links easily in particular if an RSS feed is created. They must be renewed because their duration is limited.

Select the sources of backlinks

Whatever the nature of the sites from which we hope links, digg-like, partner, another blog, etc. avoid sites that have unfair practices :

Black hole sites: they get the benefit of incoming links but do not link to other sites.
Networks, another form of black hole: they do links inside a network of partners only.
Invisible use of X-Robots: their external links are nofollow, but it is invisible.
Directories, except a few exceptions, provide little or no benefit and make use of the submissions as a medium for advertising. Sometimes they stole the place of submitted sites in search engine results through X-Robots yet.
Exchange of links in footer are to be avoided as well.

To see which sites provide links and which do not provide, see at the Links entry in Google Webmaster Tools.

Useful links

ODP. Lot of links in Dmoz for improving popularity.
Delicious. Propose your site to the appreciation of others.
Blogmarks. Your pages can be tagged by visitors and collect BL.
Stumbleupon. Another bookmark site.
Answers. Online service of Yahoo. Put your questions or answer the questions of Net surfers.
Amazon. Make a review, add comments, or create a list. You can even get a percentage on sales.
Technorati. Relate to blogs, take part in the social network.
Google Groups. Specialized forums.
Submit your content. Page by google that summarize all the services where you can submit your contents: articles, images, and so ones.