Backlinks are links back to your website from other websites. Backlinks are said to be one of the keys to helping to build your site up for search engine optimization, or SEO. The theory states the more backlinks you have, the more likely it is for a search engine to pick up your website, and move you up in page rank. The first place to start would be website directories.

 

It is said that search engines comb through directories, and use the information there to match up websites to relevant keywords. For example, if your site is about shoes, and you submit your site to a directory, a search engine will find your site. However, your page rank on that search engine will depend on how many other sites link back to your site in reference to that keyword. This is why it is recommended that you submit your site to many directories, and not just one.

 

Submitting your site to directories can be tedious, especially if you use free directories. You can find companies that will submit your website to hundreds of directories for a price. It is up to you to decide which to use, but neither method is discredited among SEO specialists or website owners.