EQUTE — The key to any search engine optimization is keywords and links, but finding new, helpful links gets harder and harder as the SEO goes on.

Government sites give a lot of Google link juice, so just get a link on there, how hard could it be?

OK, so maybe it’s harder than just calling them up and saying, “Hey, can you link to my site, I’ll link to yours.” They don’t need your links and don’t want to go giving links to just everyone. But baiting them into providing one — and possibly many — high value links really isn’t that difficult, just play to the vanity of politicians.

Schedule a short interview with your local lawmaker, it doesn’t matter if it’s a Senator, your mayor or a city councilor — even the head of the water services subcommittee is a politician. Take that interview and put it on your site and tell them it’s up, more than likely they will use it to fill space on their blog, their Twitter account or their Facebook page.

The interview doesn’t have to be the be-all-end all of interviews, nor should it be. If you go into a politicians office with loaded questions and controversial topics, they will be less likely to put it up on their site for everyone to see. Toss them a whole bucket of softballs.

Your interview doesn’t even need to be completely industry specific, especially if you work in a specialized field. Ask them to explain local business development projects that affect your business or new highway projects near your office. If you run a brick-and-mortar business — let’s say a local sub shop — you can ask them what their favorite sandwich is. Or if you run a yoga studio, ask them if they’ve ever tried yoga. Getting the mayor into a downward-facing dog position on video could make your video go viral locally. And if you run an online business ask them their favorite Web sites or how much time they spend on Facebook.

Keep it short, keep it simple and keep it incredibly positive. Ask them questions that get them laughing or telling a personal story rather than droning on about laws. It’ll make the video more appealing to viewers and will further entice them to link to you. If you make them look like a folksy and funny instead of like a stodgy politician, they’ll be eager to share the video.

Afterward, do your own SEO on the interview, politicians are good, steady local searches. People and possibly the media will naturally link to interviews like this because these people affect local communities. And if they put it on their site, even more people will find it and link away.

Remember the bigger, the better as far as politicians, but if you can’t get a Senator, you might still get a great .gov link. If your chosen politico happens to do something sensational in a bathroom stall or with their Argentinean mistress, you’ve got a goldmine.

An afternoon getting in touch with local legislatures is also the ideal break from the typical dull link building campaign.