If you are a webmaster, then you've probably submitted your website to several directories, you may even run one yourself. There are thousands and thousands of directories out there on the net and they all have their advantages and disadvantages. Good webmasters need to be able to evaluate these differences to assess what directories will be worth the time, effort and money to submit to.
Traffic
While all webmasters would like more traffic, and often have the goal of obtaining more visitors from directory submissions, the truth of the matter is that most directories don't bring in very many visitors. Even DMOZ, one of the largest and most popular directories on the web, brings in few surfers for many sites listed there. And other directories that spend several thousand dollars each month on advertising may only bring a few visitors.
Now don't get me wrong, sites in popular directories listed in a good spot near the top of popular categories many indeed see a nice amount of visitors, but this is the exception rather than the rule. But even one visitor a month is better than none.
SEO
The top search engines build rankings to a lesser degree based from on-page factors, like how many times your keyword appears on your page, or if the keyword is used with bolding, italics, H1 or H2 tags, etc. To a larger degree, search engines rank pages based on what the rest of the web has to say about them. This means that links to your website count as positive votes, and the anchor text in these links helps categorize the content of your page. If the rest of the web says a webpage is about a "miserable failure", search engines will take that strongly into consideration, regardless of what the webpage in question says it is about.
The main point being that directories provide webmasters with a way to vote for their own website by getting a new link. With respect to categorization, the downside with most directories is that instead of linking to your site with your keyphrase as the anchor text, they link to your site through the title which only provides some categorization depending on the title. Worse, directories sometime use the URL as the anchor text which provides no categorization benefit at all. But the absolute worst way that a directory can link out to your site is through a tracking-script URL which allows the directory software to count hits to your site, but provides no SEO benefit at all. The ideal case would be a directory that used a direct link with your selected keyphrase as the anchor text, but this is very rare.
One final SEO factor to consider, is the difference between floating text links and links that are naturally embedded within content. Search engines understand that natural in-content links may provide more accurate anchor text, and that floating links are often used with links purchased for SEO benefit. If you can get your anchor text link from within surrounding content text, that is the ideal case.
Saturation
Another factor to look at is the saturation of a directory. This simply means how full is the directory, or targeted subcategory, with other websites. If you take Google PageRank into consideration the idea of a link as a vote, as discussed above, becomes more complex. Really each page has a certain varying amount of voting power (PageRank), and this voting power is divided between all the links on the page. In practice, this means that if a link to your site is the only one on the page, it will get the most benefit as it gets the full voting power possible from the page. This is rarely the case, as there are usually multiple directory entries which all share the PageRank. If the directory has grown to 100s of links per category it has reached the saturation point and the benefit of being listed is diminished. So, the best time to get into a good new directory is at the beginning!
Free vs. Paid
Some directories are free, some require a reciprocal link and some require a onetime payment or a recurring payment. Yahoo's directory, for example, requires a recurring annual payment of $299. DMOZ is free, but many sites wait for years to be listed. One of the advantages of paid directories, is that the fact that they are not free, slows down the submissions, which in turn slows down the saturation of the directory. This factor can make a purchased directory entry a very worthwhile investment, these directories are often of higher quality as well, which makes them a better resource for users, which can make them a better source of traffic than junky free directories.
One thing to note here, is that you definately want to avoid FFA link pages. Free-for-all link pages are typically uncategorized lists of links that often require no administrative review for submission, this results in a spammy, uncategorized, saturated list of links that you really don't want to be associated with. So, in summary, take avantage of the quality free directories, but don't write off the paid directories if you are seeking to gain high quality backlinks.
Introducing SEOMA
Now that you are aware of some considerations for selecting directories to submit to, I'd like to introduce you to a new directory you may be interested in. SEOMA was designed from the ground-up to maximize the SEO benefit for listed sites. While most directories ask for just your URL, Title and Description, SEOMA also requests your desired anchor text. This anchor text is used exclusively to link out to your site, maximizing the benefit of the new backlink. And another optimized feature of SEOMA, is that if your anchor text appears within your description, it will automatically be hyperlinked on the custom detail page which is provided in addition to the standard directory listing. Your link will be the only outbound link on this page. So, you get a custom anchor text link from an on-topic category page, plus another custom anchor text link from a dedicated detail page for at least two outbound links per site.
Mark is the creator of many popular websites including Money Talk and SEOMA.
Okay, you have a domain name, layout and content. Now... Read More
Google's premier of desktop search proves that the desktop is... Read More
Its a matter of here today, gone tomorrow at the... Read More
How many years did you register your domain name for?... Read More
It is no secret that Google and Yahoo are on... Read More
Definition: A doorway page is content created specifically for the... Read More
When you want your brand new site to be indexed... Read More
If you are a webmaster and you review your logs,... Read More
In recent times, I have been closely studying keywords that... Read More
Welcome to part three of our series of articles on... Read More
There is perhaps no more level playing field in business... Read More
If you are confused about terms like "search engine optimization"... Read More
Google Labs is currently testing Google Print, which returns results... Read More
I recently invested quite some time into generating search engine... Read More
Internet users have never had it better what with Yahoo!,... Read More
I've had several prospects and clients say to me "I... Read More
Why get into Search engines and directories?Increase backlinks of your... Read More
Indulge me for a moment.Forget that Google is a search... Read More
Last Week I did a Search engine Experiment. I wanted... Read More
Search engines constantly strive to advance their technology and algorithms... Read More
Yet the simple truth is that without traffic a website... Read More
The META tags are used to provide extra information about... Read More
I set out with the intention of writing a self... Read More
Search engine optimization is one of most popular online marketing... Read More
Online search giant, Google, often tests the waters for new... Read More
When online "Use it. Use it. Use it."Google is our... Read More
Creating a well-designed website is the first step in your... Read More
Defining Meta Tags is much easier than explaining how they... Read More
SEO is all about "Individualism"According to me SEO is not... Read More
Search Engine Optimization is a key to any successful internet... Read More
The "Number One" Question - the question that I (and... Read More
Reciprocal links are an important step in your overall plan... Read More
What's the most potent free traffic source on the web?***... Read More
This is the second part of an article series in... Read More
If you own or manage a business Website, chances are... Read More
The first months my website was online, I was constantly... Read More
Recent studies suggest that more than 80% of new visitors... Read More
Listed here you will find the five of the most... Read More
Stealth as in Spying. But Knowing What your Top Competitors... Read More
Being listed in search engines and ranked high on searches... Read More
Most people feel that optimizing is to target the search... Read More
Their is simple way of making your website rank top... Read More
Back in November 2004 I discovered a way to get... Read More
Link popularity is just one of the ways you can... Read More
Like many folks, I have been using KEI for some... Read More
Ok, so over the past month or so I've been... Read More
Getting your website up and running is hard enough. After... Read More
You built that content rich web page optimized for your... Read More
When, shopping for a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) company/specialist you... Read More
Search engine optimization is one of most popular online marketing... Read More
There are today search engine and internet marketing services, in... Read More
If you have been a webmaster for more than a... Read More
Search engines use algorithms calculate the order in which the... Read More
News broke this week that Yahoo has purchased the Inktomi... Read More
Getting your website returned by the search engines as a... Read More
The Budget Webmaster's 6 Step Guide to Improving Existing Rankings... Read More
As a member of several search engine optimization forums, I... Read More
Some web sites receive hundreds or thousands of unique visitors... Read More
... and why I 'm dying to get finally in... Read More
With all the recent publicity given to Google as the... Read More
There has been endless webmaster speculation and worry about the... Read More
The methods employed to increase your search engine rankings may... Read More
Rankings, Rankings, Rankings!How do you get your website ranked well... Read More
'Are Google's Days in the Dominant Position in Search Technology... Read More
The advent of Internet has affected lives of almost the... Read More
I often talk to people who have lost faith in... Read More
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) |