Despite what they told you in elementary school, there is no shame in one-way link building. In fact, link building is a very important aspect of any search engine optimization campaign, and one-way links are most essential. A quality link should be effective, efficient, and last longer than swallowed chewing gum.
There used to be a time where reciprocal links were all you needed to get ranked well, but these days it helps to build a quality stable of one-way links for your site. One-way links are harder to track, manage, and sometimes to even initiate, but they get your site ranked higher in a shorter period of time.
Swapping links, in the eyes of Google, is easier to do. Google sees this as you swapping with old college buddies or that guy who bought you a shot at the last conference. But one-way links are people who are your fans, followers, and someone who thinks you are authoritative or who needs to be listened to. There are several ways to develop one-way links without embarrassing yourself or your mother. Here are five examples: