[Paul_KY]

submit to directories
link exchange
post to forums
and if I have money buy links

IMHO, a site only need to be included in one or two directories and really, a directory listing is not needed at all. What REALLY matters is that your site is found/spidered by the search engines. I try to be very careful where those spiders find my site. I mean, who knows which sites/directories the search engines consider, “link farms”? I like to play it on the safe side, and that may go against the grain of every SEO tutorial on the net. But it’s how I play the game.

My main site has ZERO link exchanges (Perhaps some relevant links from some of my other sites, but no other outside influence). ZERO. The others have maybe 5 link exchanges combined.

I NEVER post to forums, not even as a signature.

I LOVE to buy advertising on relevant sites, but I ALWAYS build a subsite so I can track the effectiveness of the advertising campaign, so I never get links to my index pages. The ONLY reason I purchase advertising is to receive relevant traffic, producing a positive ROI. PR has NEVER been a motivating factor in purchasing advertising on other relevant sites.

I spend my time making pages/sites, which produce income. Instead of thinking of the $40,000 per month (Income) idea/site, I try to work in the mindset of creating 4,000 pages, which yield $10 per day. The more pages I make, the more income. Some pages/sites are duds, some produce. And sometimes the duds end up being produces, and vise versa.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, for some strange reason I start seeing inbound links due to the content I guess. Who knows...?

This is what works for me. Oh, and be ready to pour 15-18 hours per day (In the beginning) into one's hobby (lol).

Hope this helps.