Why is linkbuilding such an integral part of any SEO campaign?

Many of the search engines use a link-based algorithm to determine search engine results. It is inherent then, that search engine performance hinges on the quantity and quality of inbound backlinks.

According to Google’s Webmaster Help Central web site, “Link-based analysis is an extremely useful way of measuring a site’s value, and has greatly improved the quality of web search. Both the quantity and, more importantly, the quality of links count towards this rating.” Essentially, an inbound link counts as a vote for that web site. The more votes that you have from similar web sites (relevant sites) the better rankings you should theoretically have.

So we all now know that linkbuilding helps with search engine performance.

Are sales affected by the power of an inbound link?

According to an article found on Search Engine Land the search engines and search engine marketers are not the only ones who benefit from linkbuilding.

It is possible that sales, or to take it one step further, conversions in general, may benefit from inbound links as well. Not only can traffic increase based upon the value of the inbound link, but that highly targeted traffic may convert better.

Therein lies the answer to the original question about linkbuilding. Inbound links can affect a web site’s search engine performance and conversions if the inbound links are from targeted, relevant web sites.

How else could you use linkbuilding as an SEO tool to benefit not just your web site, but your entire online presence?