YNOT – Without a doubt, links have become a very sought-after component of any internet-based business – even adult industry businesses.

In a new column, Rob Chant of Search Engine Watch put together a very informative guide to not just acquiring links but also how to set goals for their use on any internet business site.

Chant points out that, in many ways, links are even more important than keywords as they factor into ranking and indexation.

As for how many links to have, the trick is to set a realistic goal: paying particular attention to what your site(s) need and not just packing them in. The number of links having much to do with the size, and type, of your market. Google Webmaster Tools, Open Site Explorer and Majestic SEO are all excellent tools for determining incoming links – and even, aside from Webmaster Tools, give you a look at what links your competitors have as well.

In fact, looking at what other people are doing with their links is a key to effective SEO – by giving you a clue as to how many links your site(s) should have in addition to the quality.

Of course, determining who – exactly – is your competition can be a bit tricky, especially with the niche markets and such found in the adult industry. A trick Chant mentions is to pay particular attention to ” sites that are already ranking for the keywords you’re targeting.”

A word of caution comes in, though, that it is not a wise choice to shoot down giants like Amazon or Wikipedia … in other words, be realistic, especially when you are first starting with your link building.

When you have your competitors in your sights the next step would be to use link checking tools like Open Site Explorer or Majestic SEO to check out their counts – which would give you an good idea of what your own counts should be.

However, Chant adds another word of caution: that not only should you be realistic in your link building goals but also to pay particular attention to not just the quantity of the links but also the quality of them as well: it being far too easy to pad link numbers with links that have little or nothing to do with a a site’s target audience.

“It’s all important to have a figure for which to aim and to give your otherwise vague task some context,” Chant concludes.