Many webmasters set themselves the objective of increasing the number of links ("backlinks") to their web sites, and are prepared to go to considerable lengths and effort to get even a few such links.
This is because increasing the number of links to a web site is one of the best ways to increase that site's traffic.
The reasons for this are two-fold: 1.
Firstly, every time that you post a link online, it provides a potential source of traffic to your site.
That is to say that when people navigate the web, they often do so by following links, and any link to your site provides a means that people may arrive at your site.
2.
Secondly, and more importantly, the search engines such as Google, take the number of links to a web site into account when ranking their results.
Generally speaking, all other things being equal, increasing the number of links to a web site can contribute to higher rankings in search engines, and higher rankings in search engines usually result in more traffic than lower rankings.
One easy way to increase the number of links to your web site, is to submit to Internet directories.
Directories are basically organized collections (usually organized by subject category) of links, and from a webmaster's point of view, one of the best things about them is that many directories accept free submissions.
Furthermore, since there are hundreds of Internet directories, submitting to as many of as possible, provides a simple and affordable way to get more traffic and webmasters.