Links are not everything but in the world of the website they an count for a great deal.

A link is how you visitors find your site and how search engines judge your site. It does not matter if you are working on a website for the huge corporation where you work or for a blog about your cat. Once the basics of content are in place you are going to need a few links to get you started. (The basics being: content that people will want to look at).

The world and his brother want to tell you how to do it but when it comes to getting links there are the good, the bad and truly bad.

Below are listed the top recommended ways of getting your link out there. Assuming that you are not going to pay someone else a small fortune to do this for you mae sure you take the time to do it properly.

1. Press Release

The first place to look for getting linked to your site is the press release. If you are running a business or working for one then there should be some one able to write you a good quality press release. Even one based on a template will do.

Here is an example - this was a press release we created to announce our 6-in-1 SSL Certificates. Not complex but brief and to the point. Here is another example this time from Google.com herself.

You should be looking to get a series of these released tot he wider world over the first month of launch (which should be a little while after the site goes live, although that is another story for another time).

If your site is informal or off beat then sites like Buzz42 are a good place to post your press release. Other user submitted article sites may require that you write an article about the subject instead and this too is good but only if you or your team have time or money to get articles written.

Generally whatever else you do you should be looking to submit your release to press release sites. Several hundred of these sites exist but you should cherry pick only the best. If you are going to be spending money be sure to use just a few sites maybe four at most.

Examples of such sites are pr.com and prnewswire.com.

2. Network, Network, Network

If you are running a small business or even if you are running a larger one you will be only to aware of the power of networking to bring in custom. Without it many business would die.

There is nothing different about getting you name (or link) about on line - the game is just the same, as they say.

If you have built up a good relationship with people who write blogs or regularly review things that you are offering from your site then now would be the time to drop them a line. Snap off a few short emails and ask your contacts to consider you for review.

For the one man band just starting out on-line you may find yourself without many contacts.

If that is you then you need to start networking and making friends. If you have done your homework prior to creating your site you should have a good idea who the leaders in your field are. If you have not already stopped of to their sites and engaged them in conversation (leaving comments, filling out a feed back form or contact form) then you should do so now.

While you are getting to know the people around you perhaps your site (especially if it has or is a blog) could carry a review of others. This will at the very least get you recognition as a team player.

Ideally you wanted to have a large number of friends before you started but if you went into this cold its better late than never.

Go and make friends with other people. Don't be afraid to ask for advice or help.

3. Search Basics

So your content is building up nicely and you have a few contacts and you have a few press releases out there. It is time to put your attention on the search giants.

First make sure you are correctly listed in the open directory project. Many search engines use it as a starting point.

Each search engine has it's own rules on how you should let them know about your site so take the time to read up on them before filling out the forms.

After you have submitted your site the search engines are likely to sit on that for ages. While you wait there are a few lesser activities that will add up in your favor later.

4. Other Bits

Are there any specialist listings or communities specifically focused on your market segment or area of interest? Join up.

Is there an outspoken columnist or blogger in your market segment or area of interest? Make sure that they know you exist. Write to them personally and engage with them. They may rubbish you in public or they may praise you but they will link and people will follow those links.

Are you doing anything newsworthy and if not could you arrange to? If so set it up and then let a smattering of bloggers and writers know about it. Talk about it on your site too. This would also be a good chance to get another press release out.

When sending company emails (or personal emails if it is a personal site) be sure that ever message has your web address on it. If your company is large enough to have headed paper get the address added to the headed paper.

Make sure all employees know about the site.

In a large company the chances are some of the employees write blogs. The fastest way to find out is to do a Google search. Int he event that you snag a few people (say Barney from accounts and Jane from reception) ask them to review the site. In fact see if you can get clearance to give them a monetary or work related incentive.

Perhaps you can arrange for them to have access to the executive suit for the day. Don't forget to recommend them tot he boss in your project report saying how they used personal resources for the good of the company. If your two bloggers find they get pay rises or outright promotions out of the work they have done you can be sure that they will blog about it (on their own time and for free).

A similar result can be had by offering something free on the site itself, drop an email to those blog writers you have made friends with and perhaps the local press and leak the word out.

Free stuff is impossible to keep secret and people wills tart telling each other and best of all bloggers will start blogging about it.