:: Link Popularity ::

1) What is Link Popularity?
The word Popularity itself connotes being famous, Link popularity plays an important role in the visibility of a web site among the top of the search results. Indeed, some search engines require at least one or more links coming to a web site, otherwise they will drop it from their index.

2) Does PageRank Equals Link Popularity?
PageRank is a numeric value that represents how important a page is on the web. PageRank is actually a subset of link popularity. Whereas PageRank focuses strictly on the quantity and popularity of links, link popularity adds a "quality factor" into the equation. There are 2 main types of links: links from other sites that focuses on the same keyword phrases your site focuses on, and links from relevant categories in major directories and industry-specific portals.

3) What are the strategies used for increasing Link Popularity?
Link popularity is a measure of the quantity and quality of other web sites that link to a specific site on the World Wide Web.Here are some strategies that are generally considered to be important to increase link popularity:
There should be links from the home page to all subpages so that a search engine can transfer some link popularity to the subpages.
One way links often count for more than reciprocal links.
Appropriate anchor text with relevant keywords should be used in the text links that are pointing to pages within a site
The webmaster should only link to sites that he/she can trust, i.e. sites that do not use "spammy techniques".
The webmaster should list his/her site in one or more of the major directories such as Yahoo! or the Open Directory Project.
The webmaster should not participate in link exchange programs or link farms, as search engines will ban sites that participate in such programs.

4) Where Do Reciprocal Links Come In?
The popular misconception floating around is in regards to reciprocal linking. Since so many people think that exchanging links with sites is the easiest way to get them (it may or may not be), new people learning about link popularity are under the mistaken belief that they must have links that are reciprocated on their site (e.g., "you-link-to-me-and-I'll-link-to-you"-type links). Still others are saying that reciprocal links are dead and you won't gain any benefit from them.
Both camps are wrong. You certainly don't need to get reciprocal links, but you can if you want to. Remember, it's links pointing TO your site that are the helpful ones. Links pointing FROM your site to other sites are wonderful to have because they help your visitors find related stuff, but if your site doesn't lend itself to linking to other sites, then by all means, don't do it. You need to do what's right for your company and your site visitors, first and foremost.

5) Should I Care About Link Popularity?
In general, there's no need for the average site to obsess over link popularity. Yes, you'll want to keep it in mind, and yes you should make sure that your site is what people like to call "link-worthy." However, link popularity constitutes only a portion of most search engines' ranking algorithms. Arguably, Google places more emphasis than most other engines on incoming links at this point in time. How much these actually boost a site's ranking is debatable and truly depends on the site. It also depends on the words that are placed in the anchor text. Its found that just a few highly relevant links with strong anchor text can go a long way towards link popularity for many sites.
Whatever you do, do not send automatically generated link requests to any site. Most Webmasters consider them a nuisance at best and spam at worst. Certainly, a personal email may be welcome, and it also doesn't hurt to pick up the phone and begin a dialogue with a potential link partner. Remember, very often these links from relevant sites will bring more traffic to your site than a high search engine ranking will bring.

6) How To Get Linked Without Even Trying?
The most favorite way to get links is to simply have the best site on the Internet in your specific niche. Interestingly enough, if your site is well written, provides tons of useful information and is constantly updated, you often won't have to seek out links at all. Other sites will link to yours of their own volition.