Okay, if you’ve done any reading up on Internet Marketing, you’ve probably read a thousand times that it’s important to get your site listed in “good directories”. Some will push dmoz, others will say it’s a waste of time. Others will push free directories and some stand by the idea that a paid submission is the only way to go. Do you go broad-range or niche-specific? How do you know what to write?
Well, here’s a list of things you should do, regardless of the directory you choose to submit to:
- First and foremost - check to make sure your URL isn’t already listed! Believe it or not, there are many human-edited directories out there where people who do the editing will seek sites out. Skaffe and JoeAnt are two of them. If your site’s already listed there, there’s no need to pay for a listing!
- Read the submission guidelines for EVERY site. Lately, directories have gotten pretty strict about what they will and will not allow, what will be considered and what will be immediately deleted. No two directories will have exactly the same rules.
- Search through the directory to find the absolute BEST place to list your site. Don’t try to list higher up in the directory thinking the PR would be better or that it will be seen by more people. You only get one listing per directory usually, so make it the most relevant category available.
- Check out the titles and descriptions that are currently listed in the directory. They’re likely NOT full of hype words like “best” or “#1″. Typically the actual link is your company name (as displayed on your site in the logo or title section), and the description tells what the site itself offers. Not “We are the best company for all your widget needs!” but rather something like, “Widget manufacturing company offers industry news, product specs and photos, tutorials, and online ordering options.” Remember, directories are not newspapers - think of them more like phone books without the ad blocks in the yellow pages.
The bottom line is this: Consider all different types of directories, free and paid, general and niche-specific, and even local directories that focus on businesses based on the geographical areas they serve. Save the ad hype for your PPC campaigns and always respect the submission guidelines for each directory!
This article was written as part of the ProBlogger “How To” Writing Project. To contact Lara for permission to reprint this, or any other article on this site, in any form, please email her at lara[at]anubismarketing[dot]com.
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September 20th, 2006 at 10:36 am
Hi Lara,
This is useful for me. Check out my links directory at linksportfolio.com
You can also submit your articles to my articles directory at articlesportfolio.com
I also submitted for ProBlogger writing project…you can check it out here
http://www.articlesportfolio.com/blogcjcm/2006/09/20/how-to-accept-mistakes-and-dont-blame-others/
Good luck
September 20th, 2006 at 1:12 pm
Nicely done…i hopped over from problogger. I hate doing submissions…but it’s got to be done!
September 20th, 2006 at 1:55 pm
I always get confused when I try and submit one. Thanks for the how to! Nice contribution to the Writing Project at ProBlogger. My How To is up also.
September 20th, 2006 at 5:08 pm
This is something I’ve been puzzling over lately, too. I’ve started to submit to dmoz a couple of times and then stopped when I realized that my blog didn’t seem to fit perfectly into their categories. Thanks for the tips!
September 21st, 2006 at 12:35 pm
Ah, excellent suggestions, thanks! Our how-to is up as well if you’d like to check it out!!
September 22nd, 2006 at 2:42 am
Nice article Lara. Bookmarked for future reference
September 23rd, 2006 at 9:53 am
Hey Lara,
I do like your post, very helpful. I don’t know why you didn’t get a trackback though from my list. ;-}
Joe
September 23rd, 2006 at 10:31 am
Thanks Joe - I’m not sure why I didn’t get the trackback! I checked my SK2 logs and don’t see it stuck in there anywhere…
Either way, here’s the post where I’m linked from Joe’s site, Working at Home on The Internet.