There is quite a bit of controversy about the right way to use SEO and build backlinks. Should you buy backlinks? Or should you go about building your incoming links the "old-fashioned way". This is one hot topic in worldwide forums and not something that's easily answered. There really is no right or wrong.

In the past, big companies were the only ones that could afford in-house staff or outsourced workers to work on this facet of their online marketing, the facet which many would argue is the most important. Big companies can build enormous websites with hundreds and hundreds of pages. And they can do it very quickly. They have no problems getting backlinks to their sites. In fact, they probably get millions of them which means that the search engines will prefer them.

Small business owners were forced to build their own backlinks. Until recently, they didn't have the resources to have this done for them. So they could in no way compete with the huge corporations that gobbled back links up like candy and forever insured their top spots in search engine rankings.

But it's become easier for the small business person. There are now services that allow the smaller fish in the pond to buy backlink that don't cost an arm and a leg. However, there are some important concepts to keep in mind and things that you need to avoid.

First of all, remember that all backlinks are not the same in quality and that obtaining a bunch of low-quality links can actually harm your search engine ranking rather than improving it. Secondly, while buying backlinks can save you lots of time, it is not cheap and you are at risk for being flagged by Google (in particular) and the other search engines. And you want to make sure that you are not just throwing your money away to any service. Do not choose just the cheapest links to save you money. Do your research first.

Stay away from hundreds of links that all come from the same origin (usually referred to as "link farms"). These are easily tracked and very much frowned upon by the search engines so they will get you nowhere fast. Also steer clear of businesses that advertise the buying and selling of links - these links will also sooner or later be flagged by the search engines and they are not worth the risk. Remember that backlinks have become a very hot commodity.

If you do decide to invest in them, you want to make sure you are getting the quality you pay for. Don't buy backlinks that you must pay for each month. You're better off to buy a backlink each month rather than paying for the same one over and over again. What you pay for your back link may vary. But make sure that you do the research before just choosing any service. Some highly recommended services include LinkVana and Neurolinker.