Google and the other search engines are trying to catch those spammers and link farmers who use various techniques we call the 'Black Hat' school. For example, they create entire networks of sites, built merely to promote themselves and their fly by night businesses. But you're caught in the middle of them and the search engines.

But, after all, links ARE important - so why wouldn't you work on acquiring as much of them as quickly as you could? Answer: so you look 'legitimate' to Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask and even those future players yet to emerge.

If you're looking at a business for the long term, you probably already know that patience is a virtue. That can go double for your SEO. That doesn't mean you can't get quick results. The problem is that much of it is in the hands of the search engines and their algorithm. Google's 'aging' policy, which parcels out the credit for a link over time, rather than all at once is one part of this Big Picture. And you must understand it.

So, you're asking - what do you do? How do you run a link campaign? Answer, you roll it out like a Red Carpet. Not as it's literally rolled out - instead I mean how it's played by the arriving stars who promote themselves and their work as they go.

They make their way toward the end, which isn't really the goal. The goal is to work the press and the media. There should be no goal 'End' to your link campaign, either. It should grow and progress over time, never hitting a 'Stop' point until you get out of the business. Then you can rest. And only then.

Your link campaign should emulate the determined, unstoppable movement that propels the people you see on E down the way. They don't hurry, never trying to pack in everything at one go. They just get the message out as smoothly and distinctly as possible, then move down the carpet to the next stop.

You - in your link campaign - will acquire links, but you'll do it at the same determined, unceasing pace. It's not about an immediate overwhelming number of links popping up on the search engine's radar. That's what sets off alarms. It says to them 'Spam! Spam! Spam! Too Many Links Too Soon!'.

That's one of the reasons directories can be a great place to start for links. Some approve you the some day, some a week later, some months later. It's a varied pace that looks organic in its growth. Keep this guideline in mind. Remember, it's a marathon, with a few sprints here and there, in the search engine optimization world. It's business.

About the Author

Author: Jonathan Cook, The Waikiki Marketer; http://www.WaikikiMarketer.com ; Jon lives and works in Waikiki/Honolulu, Hawaii. He provides clients with marketing and copywriting services. He relaxes by walking down to the beach with his dog, swimming with his wife and paddling outriggers.