The power of backlinks does not lie only in its numbers. It lies in the power of the website you are posting on. Google has certain characteristics for a strong backlink, and if you hope to see an impact from your backlinks, you should probably know what they're looking for.
In - Content Links
Google likes links that are in between text. This shows Google that it is related to the topic of the website, and is a good link. In website directories, there are no paragraphs or content whatsoever, so the power of these backlinks is reduced. However, a powerful site in your industry with a link to your website can boost your website all by itself.
A good way to get backlinks like this is to leave long comments with links to your site on high-traffic blogs. If your comment is semi-related, it should be an OK backlink. The only real way to do this is to get your website written about by a high PR site. If you have some valuable content on your website, promote it, and eventually people will start talking about it.
Anchor Text
The anchor text of your link is a key factor as well. If you have a link to your "hot dog website" that says "mustard recipes" Google will not boost your PR. Make sure the text for your link is a keyword relative to your website's focus.
Unorthodox ways
Besides article marketing, forum marketing, etc. There are plenty of ways to get strong backlinks to your website. Myspace is a website in the top 5 of Alexa. If you start a myspace group and link to your website, you can bring in thousands of visitors to your website, and raise your PR as well.
Linkswaps is another way of getting backlinks. Believe it or not, plenty of people will be glad to swap with you, and it will be a one-way link to your website. Simply contact the webmaster of related sites within your niche, and wait for a response. Eventually you will come across someone looking for a swap.
The last idea i have for you to get links back to your website is YouTube. Youtube is another extremely powerful website, and some videos are getting over a hundred million views. If you have a video related to your website, link back to your website within the description and you have a one-way link. Be sure to have a quality video.
Backlinks are not the only key to your success with traffic, but they do play a key role in Google SEO. Be sure to keep varied, but related keywords linking to your website or Google will pick up your submissions. If you want some free info on traffic building techniques, check out my website.
http://www.traffictactix.com