There's no doubt, one way links work for search positioning. But, have you considered that what works today may not work in the future? One exciting aspect about search engines is that nobody really knows everything. That leaves room for webmasters who are willing to research, test, and put into practice the best search engine optimization techniques.

These five rules for one way linking can help steer you in the right direction.

Rule #1: You have to be proactive. Google considers a high quality link something you have to earn. You earn these links by partnering with sites. In order for a partnership to work, you have to develop a relationship. I think more webmasters are open to establishing vital community relationships. It takes trust and a lot of patience for these relationships to build. Focus on what you can do for someone else first.

Rule #2: Keep an open mind. High PageRank still lingers in most webmasters' minds. But, by concentrating on high PageRank sites, we miss out on other linking opportunites. Most of us understand that PageRank doesn't happen overnight. That's why it's important to seek out lower PR, high quality sites. The advantage is that these webmasters are more open to establishing partnerships.

Rule #3: Site age is a big factor. I've put together my owning ranking system for evaluating a site's linking "worthiness". One big factor is site age. Any site that has been around since the late 1990s is going to have a higher "score". These sites have weathered search engine updates, bad economies, and bad press. All else being equal, I tend to lean towards site age as the determining factor for a potential link partner.

Rule #4: Stop worrying about what you can't contol. I get questions all the time from people wanting to know if they can re-design their sites, or link to other sites, or change hosting companies. They want to know if these activities will ruin their search engine rankings. My response is always the same: do what's best for you and your customers. Don't NOT do something because you're worried it will ruin your SEO work. If you have a solid customer base, your search engine rankings won't be as crucial. The viral aspect of the web is extremely underestimated. Search traffic is only one source of traffic.

Rule #5: Can you be trusted?. Having a solid client list, establishing relationships with other webmasters, provding great customer service. These activites are all based on trust. Can you be trusted to follow through? If you are trustworthy, your link building will be trustworthy. If you're in it for the short term, like all spammers, then you can't be trusted.

The web is wide open for those webmasters who are willing to develop relationships for the long run. In the future, one way links will be graded on trust. So, you need to ask yourself, am I trustworthy? It's give and take. Are you willing to give before you can take?