If you have a new site or are launching a new site consider following these steps and you would end up in gaining huge free traffic. Always submit your site to free search engines. Once the links are indexed, it becomes easy to optimize the site. Write good content and submit your site to social book marking sites as del.ico.us, digg, myspace, simpy, reddit etc. Create blogs on different sites and regularly keep on updating them, Try adding useful and unique content, Visitors are always looking for useful and unique content.
Submit your site to free web directories, search engines, niche directories, and high page rank directories, authority directories as DMOZ, yahoo, and Google directory.

Write articles on your subject and submit in article directories. It is usually seen that articles provide permanent back links. Place adds on free classified sites
Make RSS feeds and syndicate your sites content. Submit your feeds on RSS directories
If any page is missing or is not found or 404 error redirect that page to index page or any other important page
Offer something free on your site be it free newsletter, free articles-books, RSS feeds
Participate in link exchange
Add your site to Google webmasters account
Create xml site map
Leave comments on blogs with your sites link
Create a guest book on your site
You tube and pod casts are also an excellent way to launch viral campaigns.
Send emails with description of your company
Advertise on Craig list and gum tree
Submit in forums with link to your site
Ask bloggers to write about your services or products
Submit in deep link directories