It is true that a few years ago, link-building was the pinnacle of search engine optimization practices. It didn't matter the context, quality, or goal of the links: gathering a high inbound link number was the sole mission. 

Pay Per Click ads can be strategic assets to many keyword and internet marketing campaigns. However, these PPC initiatives come at a cost (this should shock few, seeing as the word pay is indeed within the name). 

Not too long ago, I had a conversation with a prospective client. He was the marketing director of a relatively well-known supply company. One of his employees had asked me to speak with him about SEO. Here's how the conversation went (names have been changed...).

"#1 rank for any keyword in 7 days!" . We've all come across ludicrous promises like this one from time to time when researching search engine optimization tactics and services, right? We know it's impossible to fulfill such claims while maintaining a sense of site content-integrity. 

Every page-owner or website contributor out there wants to know that their content attracts views.  Understandably, most writers wouldn't write if they weren't sure that people were, in fact, reading their material. That being said, understanding the traffic that comes to your site is critical to your sites success.