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How_To_Manage_Directory_Submissions
| How To Manage Directory Submissions
'More than 80% of the traffic comes from the top ten search
engines'.
You have probably read this statement many times and it's true
at least for the majority of websites.
So how about web directories? Is submitting your site to them a
waste of time?
Even if directories usually don't deliver a lot of traffic they
contribute inbound links to your site increasing its link
popularity a very important factor used by search engines to
rank websites.
When someone queries a search engine using a keyword relevant to
your site, higher is your site link popularity higher are its
chances to come up near the top of the results.
Submitting your site to web directories will help you increase
its visibility and attract more traffic from search engines.
However you need an overall strategy to successfully manage your
directory submissions or you will only lose your time and
energies.
Is your site ready?
You should never forget that directories don't exist to give
away free links. Their purpose is to provide their visitors with
good quality sites.
If you want some chances to get listed you need a well designed
web site containing useful and original content or offering
useful services.
Your site must also be complete without broken links or links to
'under construction' pages.
Other things that can cause a rejection of your submission are:
too many ads (especially pop-ups and pop-unders), automatic
redirections to another domain, having the same exact content of
other sites (example: the 'self replicated' sites some companies
provide to their affiliates).
Preparing your listing details
Open your favorite text editor and write down the following
informations:
1) your web site URL.
2) your website Title. Some directories accept only the official
site name as title, others allow some descriptive keywords, but
in general stuffing a lot of keywords in your title is not
acceptable.
Write 2-3 different titles in compliance with these different
rules.
3) your website description. Write what your site is about in a
couple of sentences. Avoid superlatives, exclamation marks,
excessive hype and generally everything that makes your
description sound like an ad.
Description should be written in third person. Avoid expressions
like 'we offer', 'we are ...'.
4) a set of search keywords related to your site. Separate the
keywords with commas, then write down the same set of keywords
this time separated by spaces. Some directories require the
first format, others the second one.
5) your full name and email address.
Once you have done save the document. By copying and pasting
these informations into the submissions forms you will save time
and avoid errors.
Or you can utilize Clipboard
Magic. This free software allows you to save multiple rows
of data and load them into the Windows Clipboard simply with a
click of the mouse. It's really useful when you need to fill in
many online forms with the same informations.
Finding web directories
The next step is finding directories where you can submit your
site.
You can use top directories to find minor and specialized
directories
DMOZ
Yahoo
Spend some time to determine how each directory is organized and
find the most appropriate category for your site.
Submitting to the wrong category usually causes a rejection of
your submission.
Compile a list of all directories where you have submitted your
site indicating the date of your submission.
Verifying the results
Not all directories send you an email when your site is listed.
You should periodically visit your list of directories and make
a search for your site title or url. Flag all directories where
you find your site.
If your site has not been listed after about 2 months from the
date of your first submission you can try to submit it again. My
advice is to not resubmit more frequently.
You can also contact the directory owner and ask about the
status of your submission, but if you don't receive a reply,
don't insist. There may be many reasons why a directory doesn't
list your site, simply accept the fact that not all submissions
are successful.
Submitting your site to web directories is an essential part of
your website promotion strategy. It's a time consuming task, but
with the right planning you will be able to manage it
successfully.
About the author:
Mike Paolieri is webmaster and co-owner of WebmasterGate, a
directory of articles, tools and resources of interest to
webmasters and web developers. http://www.webmastergate.com/
This article can be freely republished on websites and email
newsletters (opt-in only, no spam) provided no modifications are
made and the resource box above is included with all links made
'clickable'.
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