Submitting to Web Directories
Link Building is the biggest off page SEO activity and one of the easiest methods of obtaining links is from web directories. Here is a useful Directory List that will give you a good start to your link building efforts.
Web Directories are simply a list of links. They are very often categorized into sections for easy navigation. Some directories can be searches as well. Some directories you have ot pay for, some you have to give a reciprocal link back to (which is NOT recomended) and some you can submit to for free!
All links help but links from relevant sites matter the most. The bennefit of link directories is that you cna receive natural traffic as well as a boost in the search engines.
What to look for in a directory
Firstly, is the link that will be provided a static HTML link ie a link that goes straight to your site? Can you see your URL when you put your mouse over the link? If so this is good news. If it first goes to a dynamic URL that is used for tracking this is not as good for SEO. You can still get traffic from it but it won't help in search engines.
Getting listed in a relevant category is very important. Be careful about where you chose to be listed.
To pay or not to pay?
Why would you wnat to pay for a directory when there are so many free ones? This is a good and common question. There are many directories that carry such a huge bennefit that they are worth paying for. The best ones are Google / ODP and the Yahoo Directory. Another good but industry specific directory thats worth paying for is the Applegate directory.
When considering to pay or not ask your self the following?
- Do I get a static HTML link?
- Do I find the directory ranking for any of my search terms?
- Can they prove their monthly traffic?
- Do they provide traffic data for your listing?
- Are they indexed in search engines at all?
If you can answer yes to all of the above and the price is reaosnable then the directory is usualy worth it.
Useful trick for finding relevant directories
Sure there are 1000's of directories on the wbe but how do I find useful ones? A nice trick a like to use
is Boolean operators in a Google search to find useful directories. Search as shown
"Keyword"+"Add URL"
Keyword is your targeted keyword. Add URL can be replaced with Add Site, Submit Site, Sbmit URL and any itteration there of.
This trick will help you quickly and easily find relevant directories that will accept link submissions. An example of this is
"SEO"+"Add URL"
I strngly recomend not partaking in link exchanges or reciprocal linking no matter how tempting and or easy it may be.
You hvae to use your own judgement a lot here but it will pay off in the long run! When submitting to directories use different descriptions, different titles and different links to your site. This will make the linking seem more natural.