Directory Submissions and SEO

Directory submission is a very important link building technique. It is a very useful off-page SEO ( Search Engine Optimization) method which helps your website to rank high in the search engine results. A high rank in the search engines leads to more targeted traffic and more sales. Directory submission involves submitting your website to different online directories such as The Yellow Pages, Yahoo! Directory or the Google Directory. The main purpose of directory submission is to enhance the exposure for your website. The following are some points you should consider when submitting:

• Directory submission involves submission of your homepage URL to different online directories. There is a URL submission form which should be filled out properly. The URL should be submitted to the correct category. Each directory has some guidelines and rules which should be complied with. After submission, each website is generally reviewed by an editor.
• Submit your site to both general and niche directories. But make sure that the directories are of good quality, reputed and have a high page rank. Junk directories are not going to get you any traffic to your site (they probably don’t have any traffic coming to theirs either), and you definitely are not going to get any SEO value out of them worth worrying about.
• There are both free and paid directories. A newbie may want to start with the free directories. But paid directories are better, as the links stay for a much longer time. Links may disappear from the free directories after about a year.
• You should not post the same business description to different directories, as this could be viewed by the search engines as duplicate content and/or automated submissions. The best thing would be to write a unique description (about 200 words) for each directory where you submit your website.  Taking your time and doing this right will benefit you in the long run.
• There is no limit to the number of directories where you can submit your website. The higher the better – but do not make all your submissions at the same time. Directory submission is a slow process, as all link building should be. The best results would be achieved by making the submissions over a twelve month period.  All link building campaigns should be seen by the search engines as “natural”.
• Directory submission may be done manually (manual submission) or with the help of software (automatic submission). Though automatic submission saves a lot of time, it has many disadvantages. The websites submitted through automatic submission are less likely to be indexed by the search engines. Also, automatic software may bypass many important directories. In manual submission, the websites are more likely to be accepted by the directories and indexed by the search engines, which leads to more traffic and more SEO value. If necessary, the directory submission job may be outsourced to various agencies, who undertake such jobs at a reasonable cost.

Remember, directory submission should be just ONE part of your overall SEO strategy!  That’s all for today, good luck in your search for traffic and rankings!