Does search engines see html area maps as links? I'm developing some new link baiting technique and I just wondered if the links are good SEO-wise or just for traffic.
Are you talking about image map areas? If so, then yes. Search engines do see those links. If you ever have a question about which links search engines see, load your site up in Lynx. If Lynx can see the link, then the SEs can too (as a general rule).