Off page SEO can be summarized in one sentence: being able to get the most number of web pages linking to your website. This shall determine your link popularity. The higher your link popularity, the higher your page rank will be; and the higher your page rank is, the higher your position in the search engine results will be, growing your website's search engine traffic.

We have previously mentioned the importance of studying your competition, as well as the method used to determine the websites that are actually linking to them. The rationale behind this tactic is this: if those websites can link to the URL of your competition, there is no reason why they won't link to yours.

The most obvious tactic to use is to request for a link. But this is easier said than done. Normally, webmasters will only link to your website if you'd link back to theirs. This is called reciprocal linking, and in the hierarchy of links, reciprocal links rank at the bottom.

As much as possible, you'd want to have one way links to your web pages.

This can be accomplished quite easily. Here are some tactics you will want to utilize:
1. Article marketing - Article marketing refers to the writing of articles and the submission of the same to the many article directories in the World Wide Web. There are literally thousands of article directories out there, but the most popular ones are www.ezinearticles.com , www.goarticles.com and www.isnare.com . With every article submission, you are allowed to include your resource box. Your resource box can contain a link to your website. Your articles can be republished elsewhere provided that your resource box can be kept intact. This is by far the best way to increase your link popularity. Webmasters are always on the lookout for fresh content, and the article directories are the first places they check out for the same. You have to do this regularly, however. You have to submit an article at least twice a week, more on the first two weeks once your website is published. Having link backs from ezines will increase your traffic.

2. Blog and ping - There are many blog services that are offered for free. Blogspot is perhaps the most popular of them. All you have to do is to create a blog relevant to the subject of your website. Thereafter, you can include your link in each entry you will post. You can also get the RSS feed of your blog and enroll it with your Yahoo and MSN account. Simply type in the RSS feed address to your account at www.my.yahoo.com and www.my.msn.com . Then, with every entry you publish, ping the same over at www.pingomatic.com . This way, you'd be able to alert the search engine spiders of both MSN and Yahoo. Your feeds will get RSS search engine traffic.

3. Press releases - Press releases are perhaps the most underrated tools to acquire one way links. All you have to do is to write an objective, newsworthy press release announcing your website, and thereafter, submit the same to press release wires throughout the internet, such as www.prweb.com . A lot of online publications are on the lookout for items to publish, and they check press release wires for relevant pieces they can use. Press releases are also excellent ways to gain direct visitors.

4. Leaving your links at websites with high page ranks. There are some websites that allow users to post certain entries. These websites have high page ranks. The idea is this: if your link appears in a website with a page rank of 4 or higher, then you'd be able to facilitate a substantial boost for your own page rank. Such a website is www.craigslist.com . You may also want to leave comments containing your URL in relevant blogs with high page ranks.

5. Forum marketing - There is bound to be a forum that is relevant to the subject of your website. And most forums allow its users signature boxes where they can include their website links. These signature boxes will appear in every post you will make, and as such, are excellent tools to increase your link popularity.