a Q about Link wheels/pushing.

I've been reading up on link wheels/pushing recently, and its quite interesting.

However, what I'm not quite understanding is how its different from simply obtaining some highPR backlinks.

The more I look at a link push diagram, the more it looks LESS powerful than a high quality backlink (from something like an edu or gov domain)..

The only beneficial difference I can see if that a "created" backlink(the link-push node) is from niche-related material.

Does that make sense, or am I missing something?

Linkwheels differ from linkpushing in that a linkwheel is a structure that can be seen as an unnatural process by google et al. It is sen as a contrived scheme to defraud the algorithms of the search engines... it's better than a link push for the short term but over the long term it will hurt your site. If you are looking to just capitalize on the news of the day, a linkwheel is what you want.

A link from a high ranked (PR8 -9) site is a nice backlink to have and I would never suggest that one use one over the other.

I would suggest a healthy and balanced diet of nice backlinks, forum posts, blog comments and article marketing. The linkpush process only organizes those type of backlinks into a chaotic random process.

The other benefit is that as your articles in a linkpush age and ruminate, they only get stronger and provide stronger link juice to your site as well as provide targeted traffic from those that click through from your article as well as the opportunity for your article and the links therein get picked up by others and have a somewhat viral effect that would of course benefit your site.

I understand the difference between a push and a wheel, my Q, more simplified, was - would a high PR backlink(PR7-8-9) be better than a link push.

Let me explain.

I am in the process of creating a static niche site(a niche that always seems to be 'in season' to a relatively small portion). I would like to set-it-and-forget-it and collect residual adsense profits.

I am considering a link push, but am concerned about the long-haul. From my understanding, most pushes are creating mainly from semi-disposable properties. The bigger the push, the harder it will be to maintain.(the more blogs to keep updated, etc.)..and there is the possibility that G may eventually stumple upon the push structure and take action.

I may be off the mark, but it seems as though:
link wheel - quick hot trend site
link push - short-to-medium term niche
High PR(PR7+) - long-haul sites

I know the link wheel is essentially dead, but still seems to be effective in the short term.

A couple of thoughts... although I'm big on link pushing obviously, I would not rely on that process alone and do not for any of my websites and I make a very good full time living online.

A variety of different backlinks is important for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is you want your backlinking structure to look natural. The name of the game is to appear as though your links are coming from a variety of places... recently I wrote about how one should have a balanced diet when it comes to SEO and that balanced diet should be forums, blogs, articles, etc.

If you can nab a high PR backlink(PR7-8-9), DO IT!... that's a great deal to have in your back pocket and if it stays doooo foooollow, you are golden.

The thing about the structure of a linkpush is that it is not really a structure. Done properly, it will be very random and somewhat chaotic so it is not something that will be seen by the search engines as a contrived scheme.

The other part of a linkpush is that you would not want them on sites that are on the edge.. there are a zillion solid Web 2.0 properties that are not going to go anywhere and even if you do lose one or two down the road, it will not impact your push to a huge degree unless it is one of your main hubs.

But do not rely on any one {type|kind|sort|form|style|category|version|mode|classification|means|group|method|format} of backlink structure... mix it up and make it varied for best long lasting results.

Ooooh no no...I didn't mean "exclusively". What I was thinking was that a highPR backlink(I do have a couple nice ones that I haven't directed anywhere yet) was something I wasn't keen on wasting for a site that may be relatively short-lived.