Keep this in mind: Google wants content. And the Google toolbar tracks how long people stay at your site. In other words, when someone with Google toolbar installed visits your site, Google knows how long they stay at your site, how many pages they visit, and so forth.
Google also monitors how fast you are building links. Put those two together: Google sees you built up a lot of links very quickly and then notices people don't stay long on your site. Google deduces you are simply engaging in link trading and don't have a lot of content that people want. Google reduces the number of people it sends to your site.
Some tips:
Don't take links off your site. Google wants to be able to depend on your links.
Look for quality links, not quantity. One good link from a stable site with a lot of orginal conent is better than a couple dozen links from sites that are just using other people's material, because Google can find that material anywhere.
If you buy links, buy them for years at a time. Google knows you're buying links if you suddenly get 100 links one month and they are all gone 3 months later. Google doesn't like that.
Read about SEO. Read a lot. Everything you can find. Not all will pertain to your site, but figure out what does.
Check your stats. See what pages Google is sending people to. Figure out why those page are getting visits.
You may want to click my profile and read some of my other posts about SEO. There are hundreds of little things you can do to improve your site. Getting quality links is the most important but all the other little things add up.
Remember: Google looks for content.
Kesey Seven
www.webelez.com