Nice post.
Google consider unique content and quality backlinks for increase your ranking, so backlinks are very important in SEO. You will make relevant dofollow quality backlinks for increase ranking of your website.

Backlinks are important in seo in increase the page rank in Google, but is PR a major factor for getting your website higher in search results? I'm doubt...

Sometimes I really don't understand why people give more importance to SEO and why they are curious about Google's update. Personally I think SEO is just a small part of the whole marketing strategy and Google is the best search engine to search relevant information.

I am sure, a knowledgeable person won't buy anything from any website, because it's placed at Google's first page. He/She definitely do so some research on all community website such as Forums.

Even, it's annoying that people only consider links for optimization. Why they don't consider links for advertising. In addition, forum signature links are not for back links, it is for advertisement.

This is just my personal point of view, yours might be different.

I totally agree with you Paul, on that part. For some people, SEO is king. But a king without a kingdom is powerless. You cannot rely your sales, reputation and the whole e-business on SEO.

However, it is a significant component for the whole digital marketing strategy and plan. If you consider the fact that companies, still, spend a huge part of their advertising budget in magazine and newspaper ads, and they are even willing to pay more to be on the top of the page, then SEO can be of a great value.

Ofcourse, no one can guarantee a #1 google position for all the keywords. But focusing on certain, competitive, keywords could rank you on top of your competitors' websites. Plus, you need to consider this is "organic advertisement" that people trust.