I keep reading about linking to bad neighborhoods. So I am worried about linking out, but can building links to my website devalue my rankings too?

Yes, but there is a lot you can do to make sure you build a save and relevant link program: remember, link building is not only there to help you rank better, it also suits to raise your visibility across the Internet.

In order to build a safe and sustainable link building program, just keep the following in mind:

- Only join programs that allow you to keep your editorial discretion - in other words, any program that just links you up or forces you to link up could eventually hurt you, and should not be considered as an option)

- When you accept links, only accept them from quality sites that are relevant to your topic.

- Don't link or accept links from a lot of sites over a short period of time in the beginning of your link building program. That will just look like link spam.

Link building is alive and well, and why shouldn't you ask others to link to you if you have content relevant to their audience? Just follow these simple rules, and you'll be fine.