Sometimes it seems like there's nothing really easy in the Internet marketing world. In the beginning, there's so much to learn. The good news is that it's really not that difficult. A new marketer can be up and running in no time with all of the web-building software and information available.

Most marketers do some sort of web site linking as part of their overall marketing strategy. Here are a few questions that seem to come up most often, and, of course, the best way to work with each of them.

(1) Do reciprocal links still count?

Yes, but only if you remember "Quality Over Quantity." In the search engine world, sheer numbers still count for a lot. But there is some evidence to suggest that too many reciprocal links can hurt. Nevertheless, high quality reciprocal links are still worth pursuing, especially if they are from relevant sites with good content. Try not to link to sites that are not relevant to yours.

(2) I'd like to try reciprocal linking to see if it will help me increase traffic to my site. How do I get started?

To request a reciprocal link you send an email to ask the Webmaster to provide a link to your site. It's always a good idea to show him or her that you've actually taken the time to read their site and think it's worth having your link on it.

If you can, offer something of value in exchange for the link. It doesn't necessarily have to be money. Remember that webmasters are people and they value a good product or service. A respectful "pitch," and an interesting or humorous angle will go a long way toward getting their attention.

(3) What do I do if the person I email about a link never responds?

It's fairly common for webmasters to miss your first email. Maybe their spam blockers caught it, or it was accidentally deleted.

The only way to find out is to send a second, follow up email. In my experience, few webmasters get upset if you send one polite follow up a couple of weeks later. Sometimes they even change their mind when they see that you're serious enough to send a personal communication. If you don't get a response after your second follow up, move on.

(4) Will links from high PR sites help me rank better for my keywords?

Not necessarily. PageRank does not determine how high your page will place for any given search. The term PageRank is not so much about "rank" as it is a "rating" of your page in terms of the entire World Wide Web. It's an indicator of how important and influential Google considers that page in comparison to all the other pages out there.

Google PageRank is a "value" assigned to a web PAGE - not a web SITE. It's based on how many, and how important, the links pointing to your page are. PageRank can be anywhere from a PR0 (not ranked), to PR10, with 10 being the highest. Very few web sites ever achieve a PageRank of 10. The site you link to should have good PageRank - but not too far above your own.

(5) How do I find out who is linking to my competitors so I can either ask them for a link, or avoid them?

You should do the following in both Yahoo and MSN. Go to Yahoo.com and type in the following information from your competitor: linkdomain:thedomain.com

You will see a list of all the backlinks - sometimes thousands! Now go through all those results, study the sites, look for Webmaster information... all the usual homework. Then you should do the same at MSN. Between Yahoo and MSN, you should find all of the important backlinks. A nice fringe benefit of this method is it will give you a good idea about how hard you need to work to get on the first page for your keywords.