Directory Submission Guidebook

Directory Submission are a popular and effective way of getting back links for a website. There are different types of directories online though and you need to understand how they differ to get the most out of them. Some directories are completely free, while there are other directories that offer two types of directory inclusions.  The first type, and most widely used, is free inclusion and the second type is paid inclusion. There is also a third type of directories that have only paid inclusions on their menu of offerings.

A persistent question is whether or not paid inclusion directories are really worth it or not. There is no answer to this question that fits everyone. A lot depends on the nature of your website and the nature of the directory you are looking to use. There are thousands of directories online and the original goal of directories has been twisted severely to match SEO needs as the times have changed. It is rare that people visit directories to find what they are actually looking for – they use Google or Bing for that.

As times changed, directories changed as well leaving only a few respectable directories that people visit to find information as opposed to going directly to a search engine. Around 60% to 70% of the directories around today were created with the sole idea of providing back links for websites – not an actual guide to information. Because of this, before you make any decisions you need to review the directory and its traffic level before investing money for a listing. If the directory is respected and considered an authority, people flock to it to satisfy their needs. These are worthwhile because they can provide you with highly targeted traffic. Paying for listings in general directories usually doesn’t provide similar results to niche directories and serve little value aside from a backlink in many cases.

If you decide to pay to get listed in directories, check with them whether you will get a backlink to your site from a page with good PR and that the directory is not using “No Follow” tag. If the directory uses “No Follow” tag, then links from that directory will not be counted by the search engines. If you are paying for inclusions you must get maximum benefit from both targeted traffic as well as good quality back links. Anything less is throwing your money away and wasting a lot of effort.

If you have a small budget, submitting to free directories will usually perform decently enough. You need to be selective as to which directories you are submitting your website to because everything that your site associates to matters. Indiscriminate directory submissions will only hurt your website’s search ranking because they often lack relevance. You need  links from relevant directories and relevant categories to make a positive difference. Select companies that not only promise to make manual submissions, but that actually do manual submissions. It’s either your money or your time you’re investing, you need to get the best returns on both.