Organic SEO or search engine optimization is a slow and steady process. Achieving top rankings takes time and link building is a big part of that effort. If you are to have a successful web site and obtain high search engine rankings you will need quality relevant web sites linking to your web site. The amount and quality of links you need will depend on the competitiveness of the keyword phrases for which you are optimizing. More web masters are focusing on quantity and getting several links fast. This is bad because it can be seen as manipulating the search engines. Check the guidelines for the search engine you are trying to optimize for, this will give you a good idea of what and what not to do.
When obtaining links from other sites focus on the quality of the link. Is the page on topic and relevant to your site? What is the position of the link? Is it off to the side with a bunch of other sites? Does it look natural and like it belongs there? What is the anchor text of the link? These are the questions you need to ask yourself when optimizing off site links. Reciprocal links have some value, but with software that automates the process it seems to...