Google Webmaster Blog: Building Link-based Popularity
For just about any online business, it’s important to employ proper tactics to build your rankings in search engines. That’s why this post from Google about building link-based popularity should be a must read. It’s pretty short and to the point.
In this post from Google, they clarify some issues relating to building link popularity. Here is the setup for the article:
Late in November we were at SES in Paris, where we had the opportunity to meet some of the most prominent figures in the French SEO and SEM market. One of the issues that came up in sessions and in conversations was a certain confusion about how to most effectively increase the link-based popularity of a website. As a result we thought it might be helpful to clarify how search engines treat link spamming to increase a site´s popularity.
The Google post has caused some confusion and incorrect speculation. Danny Sullivan elaborates and clarifies in an article entitled Stop the Freak Out Over Linking, which I recommend you check out for some no nonsense interpretation of what Google is saying.