The first search engine created was Archie, in 1990, and later other better-known engines such as Excite, Lycos, Altavista, Inktomi and Yahoo emerged on the scene. It wasn't until 1996, when Larry Page and Sergey Brin launched Google that the relevancy algorithm began to reach the "next level". The Google boys hypothesized that a search engine capable of discerning the relationships that exist between websites via linking would produce more relevant results than traditional methods which ranked results primarily based the number of times the search term appeared on a page. The Google search engine was originally nicknamed "BackRub" because the system analyzed "backlinks" to estimate a site's relative importance.

Google's innovative approach led to a revolutionary shift in the way that modern search engines gauge relevancy and determine rankings. Today, all of the major search engines rely heavily on linking to determine the relative importance of one web page versus another. As such, the practice of search engine optimization is rarely successful without an appropriate link acquisition strategy.

The relevancy algorithms that determine search engine rankings consider two types of factors in determining who ranks where; "on page" and "off page" factors. On page factors consider keywords and their placement within the HTML of your pages including Title Tags, Keywords in Document Text, Meta Keywords, Meta Descriptions, H1 tags, etc. Off page factors are related to the quantity and quality of the web pages that link to your site from external sources.

Opinions vary throughout the industry, but Silverback Marketing believes that "off page" factors represent the majority of the weight related to relevancy algorithms. Your website and HTML code can be perfectly "optimized" for the search engines, but if your website lacks sufficient inbound links, you most likely won't be able to rank ahead of your competition.

Silverback Marketing has a diverse set of customizable external link acquisition programs designed to enhance your link profile and improve your search engine rankings. Our programs range from small, selective optimization of single keyword targets to comprehensive campaigns designed to improve the overall link popularity of your website.

Other Link Building Services include:

• Traditional Link Building Campaigns
• Link Advertising Campaigns
• Link Baiting
• Article and Press Release Submissions
• Directory Submission Services