I do know that if there's a ton of links on a page, the value of a linkback for your site decreases. But concerning a 'normal' page with a normal amount of links, would it make a difference to Google if I get a linkback towards the top of his page vs. the footer? Thanks!
Links near the footer are obvious to Google that they aren't that much of value since they are burried at the bottom, proper internal\external link structure is essential to search engine optimization.
In addition to Ssandecki's points, consider adding "nofollow" to links to articles that aren't your own. However, I see a lot of questions on Digital Point where people are asking as if what they're seeing is an SEO thing. Most of the time, they're not. A lot of the time, they're usability things. Unless it's a link to one of your own articles, add: target="_blank" Code (markup): As an anchor tag attribute to avoid having people jettisoned off elsewhere, leaving your article behind. Also, try to keep the meat & potatoes of your article (by that I mean the point in the article that really matters) free from links, to avoid distracting people while they're reading. Hope that helps...
Links near the top of the webpage gets more exposure to natural visitors. In terms of the link juice and search engine optimization, I don't think the value of the link has anything to do with its position on the webpage.
Where a link is located is extremely important. The same is true with ad space. The higher up on the page the more 'value' the position has