Jul

Website Traffic via Directories

A directory online is a list of websites or web pages. Some are large, like Yahoo!, and some are small. Some are general and others are specific to a topic or interest. They are nice for getting one way backlinks to your site.

If you do a search on a major search engine, you find the pages and sites listed in the search engine’s database. Or if you are on a site with a directory, you can search for a topic to find whatever might be listed in the directory. The more directories in which you have a listing, the more likely that your site will be found.

Of course directory searchers do not want to find sites or information irrelevant to their searches or to the categories of the given directory. So when submitting your site to directories, you are usually asked to place your site in an appropriate place so that people looking for what you have to offer are more likely to find it filed in a logical place. And your site will thus not be appropriate for every directory.

Aside from Yahoo!, DMOZ is another large directory, although what the site owners are looking for is unique contributions that make affiliate sites typically unlikely candidates barring a large amount of unusual and valuable content. Not to worry. There are many others. Here is a small sample of some relatively reputable ones (see http://www.seoinpractice.com). Some are free, others for pay or either free or paid versions are offered.

http://www.canlinks.net

http://directory.ldmstudio.com

http://www.directoryvault.com

http://www.freewebsitedirectory.com

http://www.info-listings.com

http://www.linkcentre.com

http://www.newwebdirectory.com

http://www.prolinkdirectory.com

http://www.searchsight.com

http://www.skoobe.biz

http://www.theshoppings.com

http://www.worthwhilelink.com

http://www.wowdirectory.com

http://www.zunchdirectory.com

Probable delays between submission and–if approved–publication to a directory can vary between minutes and months.

Be aware also that the ease of submitting backlinks to directories implies that backlinks from those directories typically is not weighted highly for the Google PageRank or authority of your site (again Yahoo! and DMOZ being common notable exceptions) nor are link exchanges–but why not include directories in garnering traffic back to your site? Even link exchanges can be mutually beneficial to sites and viewers, the former if the two sites are related, but not in direct competition like a site for back-friendly mattresses and a site for a chiropractor linking to each other.

You can find directories appropriate to your site by searching with the following queries or the like:

“submit link” +”your keyword(s)”
“submit a link” +”your keyword(s)”
directory +”your keyword(s)”
directories +”your keyword(s)”
keyword *directory
(or even “free general directories”)

And if you can find a directory for a local area, your competition is usually reduced. Why compete with the world online when you can compete with your local city or county (see wowdirectory.com, above)?

A last word of warning: Do not add too many backlinks from directories all at once, especially if your site is new. That may look suspicious in search engine eyes.

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