The Power of Back Links (SEO)

I have been doing SEO (search engine optimization) professionally for well over two years now and I have really started to see a few interesting changes in regards to the weight and power of back links. I would like to first state that I do not believe one should avoid creating back links. Back linking is very helpful when initially trying to get a website off the ground and into the realm of Google search results. Typically, if I am having trouble getting Google to index/catalog one of my pages, and I have already submitted an xml sitemap, I will initiate a back linking campaign specifically targeted to that page in an attempt to lead a Google bot down my link trail.

However, I am starting to question the effectiveness of massive back linking campaigns for increased Google placement. For example, I recently increased one of my client’s number of back links from about 60 to 150 via article syndication to a variety of directories with PR ranks of 6 or better.  Unfortunately, this actually lowered my clients PR rank from 3 to 2, but luckily their Google placements maintained their previous positions; which leads me to believe that back links don’t have the power they once did.