Getting quality links to your website is very important; search engines are impressed by them. But there are both good ways and bad ways to go about getting them.

I've received 100's of bad emails similar to this:

Dear Webmaster or Webmisstress,
Reciprocal links are very important to high search engine ranking.
Your website: http://www.normandcompany.com/CELEBRITY_POSTERS_CHEAP_MOVIE/index.html has a lot in common with my website: http://andys_dog_grooming.com ... If you would like to exchange links - please go to: http://andys_dog_grooming.com/link_request.html and fill out a link request form and we will link back to you as soon as possible.
All my best,
- Andy Likmeraw

#1) "Dear Webmaster or Webmisstress"!!! 

      Obviously this jerk doesn't even know who he is emailing. And adding the word "Webmisstress" is just extra stupid. The word "Webmaster" is now genderless (like the words "Doctor" and "Officer").

#2) "Reciprocal links are very important to high search engine ranking." 

      Duh! Thanks for the tip.

#3) "Your website: http://www.normandcompany.com/CELEBRITY_POSTERS_CHEAP_MOVIE/index.html..." 

      I bet he has never even seen my website - or he would have referred to it by the page title, not the page address!

#4) "...has a lot in common with my website: http://andys_dog_grooming.com" 

      My site is about "MOVIE POSTERS" - his site is about "DOG GROOMING"!!!

#5) "If you would like to exchange links - please go to... ...and fill out a link request form..." 

      What!? I thought HE was the one asking ME for a link!

#6) "...and we will link back to you as soon as possible."

      WTF!!! So he has not even bothered to link to ME yet? Thanks for wasting my time, Jerk!

Here is an example of a GOOD reciprocal link quest:

Dear Paul Kinsella,
I visited your website that sells posters "Paul's Poster Shop" and thought it was very good! I particularly like that you have a movie quote to go with each of the movie posters that you sell. Obviously you have put a lot of time into your website. So I've added it to my "cool links" page here: http://andys_dog_grooming.com/links_page.html
I know my site about "Dog Grooming" has very little in common with "Posters", but I noticed you had a page that sells mostly "Dog Posters" - so I put a link to that page rather then your main page.
If you would like to link back - my main page is: http://andys_dog_grooming.com
Thank you for your time,
- Andy

#1) "Dear Paul Kinsella,..."

     Wow! He bothered to find out what my name was. This might be worth reading. (If you can't find the webmaster's name - then go ahead and use "Dear Webmaster", but using his real name is a big plus.)

#2) "I visited your website that sells posters "Paul's Poster Shop"..."

     He probably has visited my website since knows the title.

#3) "...and thought it was very good!" 

     He likes my site! He really really likes it!

#4) "I particularly like that you have a movie quote to go with each of the movie posters that you sell. Obviously you have put a lot of time into your website."

      Wow! Now I KNOW he has visited my website! How else could he know so much about it?

#5) "So I've added it to my "cool links" page here: http://andys_dog_grooming.com/links_page.html"

      Great! Every link helps! Wow! - I visited his link page and it's well made with separate categories, descriptions and even an index!

#6) "I know my site about "Dog Grooming" has very little in common with "Posters", but I noticed you had a page that sells mostly "Dog Posters" - so I put a link to that page rather then your main page."

     Great! Maybe that will be all I need to go from #11 to #10 on Google for "Dog Posters".

#7) "If you would like to link back - my main page is: http://andys_dog_grooming.com"

     Sure! Anything to help out a fan!

#8) "Thank you for your time, - Andy"

     What a nice guy! I think I'll add his link to my blog too.