Which provides the greatest benefit

[rhody007]

This is a tough question to answer because both can play a significant role in the success of a site trying to get to the top of the search results.

Here's the basic rundown. A site that isn't linked from any other site doesn't stand a chance in the search results. It doesn't matter how well-optimized it is, the links matter. At the same time, a site that is well-linked, but not optimized, CAN get good search engine rankings, but performance will always be sub-par.

Links are important to get on the map, but once there, the optimization plays a much more significant role in helping establishing good rankings. But, then there comes a point, again, where a site can only be so optimized, and the links are what is needed to tip the scales.