Where's the "point of critical mass"?

[BungeeBones]

I started a web directory, along with tens of thousands of others and knew from the start that a site needs to have a certain amount of "legitimate" traffic to justify getting a price for a link. The typical scenario seems to be "See, I have tons of links so, therefore, my fee is justified".

I really didn't want to go that route so I am saying the links are free for a while, while the directory is new. After that, fees will kick in.

The question I have, or rather I'm questioning my own conclusion, is what determines how much a link is worth and how do directory owners show what their site is worth? I see pay per click as the driving market force so my rates would need to compete with theirs. Does that sound about right?

[namepimp]

content is the key, no matter how many links u have. you want visitors to return and check your site regularly.