Do Links Count from Unrelated Sites?
Yes. Links count even if it is from an unrelated site.
Links count even more if they are from on topic sites. How do I know unrelated links still add link popularity?
One of my personal blog posts about "Paxil Side Effects" lists a horror story email from a drug councilor who was prescribed Paxil.

I linked to it from a few other spots on my sites and it now lists in the top 30 on Google for "Paxil Side Effects."

How Important Are Links?
That is an amazingly spammy category. My page uses no meta tags and is not even optimized. It is just her story...

Links are HUGE!

What Keywords Should I Use In My Links?
In your link text you want to use your primary keywords or a similar variation of them. You want to limit the amount of bla bla bla you add in the link. The more words there are, the less a link weighting goes into each word.

There are many phrases that are still easy game. On topic links are the best, but if you have a few good ones then some off topic links can propel your link popularity to the top.

Link Popularity Facts

• Google is second to only Teoma in clustering technology.

• Paxil and Paxil Side Effects are extremely competitive categories.
• My unoptimized page has no meta tags and no on topic inbound links is in the top 30 Google Search Results for Paxil Side Effects.
• Links are the most important part of search engine optimization.