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As far as zoologists are concerned, there are 17 types of Penguin, but to SEO specialists the only one deserving of attention is that created by Google. Google Penguin, also known as the webspam update or the over-optimization penalty, is the latest Google algorithm update that mainly targets sites with unnatural backlink profile. So, unless you want your website to end up on the endangered species list, you have to adjust to the new reality.

Google Penguin was one of the main changes over the last year have that caused many site owners to delete their backlink profile and to start link building all over again. Under these circumstances, the question is whether there is a safe formula for building links to a website? Which type of links should the strategy emphasize? Which will ensure your site remains off Google’s radar? There are a whole host of links that you could still get:

Directory Links

These used to be a basis of link building for SEO purposes, but with rumors abound that Google has moved many free directories out of its index, they are by and large not worth pursuing. Overall, its not that these kinds of links are useless but they’re not a priority.

Forum Links

It seems easy to get this type of link and it may be so, but placing too much emphasis on link building via forums might be a waste of time. Forum links are only effective if your links are useful and relevant to the forum’s discussion; otherwise you’ll end up watching as one by one the links disappear and your accounts get bumped. Manually posting spam isn’t the way to build backlinks; it’s not even the most efficient way to post spam!

Reciprocal Links

Unless you own a time machine, forget about this one. You might genuinely be helping users but as far as Penguin is concerned, this just looks like you’re doing each other a favor to beef up your web presence (which is true). If there’s a time lag between the two links this looks more organic but you can’t make an effective strategy out of this one.

Weblog Links

Links on a blog can be a bit of a mixed blessing. Of course, if the blog is useful and relevant to your business then a link on these sites can be a good thing, e.g. a link to you catering business on a cookery blog. However, a link for its own sake can be more damaging than nothing at all, e.g. a link to your catering business on a blog about steam engines. One downside to blog links is that these tend to be site-wide links which are a type of link that is less helpful than it sounds (see below).

Site-wide Links

This is the type of link which sounds great to the uninitiated; a link that is promised to be on every page on a site. The only drawback is that Google will count this just the once, regardless of how many pages it appears on. This might help drive traffic but then again it might not.

Infographic and Widget Links

The idea with this type of link is that it goes viral and is thus posted all over the internet, including the embed codes which link to your website. These can be phenomenal and they shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand. However, unless you have an awesome idea, this isn’t something for the initial stages of SEO.

Social Media Links

These are another great way to get start getting links to your site. Social media marketing, i.e. building a presence for your business on social sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or LinkedIn is a great idea in its own right but this also happens to be a good way to build links to your site. Even if the links are no-follow, they are worth having and this is a great way to increase your audience and reach potential visitors and customers.

Requested Links

These are the links where you are essentially asking site owners for favors. It’s hard-work and the rewards are minimal but you might end up getting something you would otherwise have to pay for. It’s worth trying your luck but this is not a strategy to use from the start.

Guest Post Links

These are a great way to get a link to your site and it’s fairly simple: find a blog that encourages guest posts and suggest a piece which includes a link. However, this is far from a free lunch – you’ll only get published if the content is good for the blogger and his audience. This is something that will only work if you add value and create content that is unique and useful. If you can get these they are definitely worth having. Again, it is recommended to choose blogs that are relevant to your business and have wide audience.

Local Links

A great way when you’re getting started is to add yourself to the local pages of the three major search engines. This doesn’t bring a volume of links but it will get you listed with the folks who control this whole show; Google, Microsoft and Yahoo. That pretty much guarantees that the link will remain in perpetuity, so they are worth having.

Editorial Links

We’ve saved the best ‘til last. This is the type of link that everybody wants. It is the type most appreciated by Google. These are the links you get without making a request. The downside is that there’s no formula for this (unless it’s the formula for turning base metals into gold); you’ve got to write content that makes people sit up and take notice. That requires not only great writing and expertise – you also need time; time to write the content and time for it to be noticed.

Of course, you should aim for your site to be original and relevant but this requires patience and doesn’t come with a guarantee. Ultimately, you can’t base a link building strategy only around good content. Rather, this should be a principle underpinning whatever it is you are doing.

Anchor Texts following Google Penguin

That’s the type of links covered and their respective merits but what about anchor texts? The changes Penguin has brought about means you also need to take the way that you link into account. The key here is variety; mixing it up between branded and keyword anchors, even using the URL itself can be good. Another tactic is long-tail keywords, this means having the link spillover – so to speak- to include words which surround the keyword(s).

Overall, the most important thing in link building is to make it relevant and useful to searchers. However broad your mix of linking strategies and anchor texts, if what you’re linking to isn’t helpful or relevant to whoever is searching then best haul your bones back to the drawing board.