Google and the other search engines are getting smarter and smarter. If you’re doing ANYTHING to try to fool the search engines, it’s probably only a matter of time before it hurts you.

Consider search engine optimization as a long-term project. Sometimes quick fixes and changes to your site help (particularly if you’re doing something the search engines don’t like and you correct it).

But after you have all of the basic things covered, put most of your efforts into long-term optimization strategies. Start with a review of your incoming links and the way you go after those links.

Take some time and look at your incoming links and see which of the two groups below they generally fall into.

Some signs that your incoming links are the “Right Stuff.”

·        A lot of your incoming links are NOT reciprocal.

• Not all of your incoming links are from links page.
• The anchor text is not all the same.
• The number of incoming links increased gradually.

Some signs that your incoming links are the “Wrong Stuff.”

• Almost all of your incoming links are reciprocal.
• Most links are just from link pages.
• Identical anchor text in most links.
• Sudden increase in the number of incoming links.

You may not be able to change the links you have, but from now on try to get incoming links that fit into the “Right Stuff” category you will be on your way to long-term search engine optimization.