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The_dos_and_donts_of_directory_submission
| The dos and donts of directory submission.
The do’s and don’ts of directory submission. By Brian Holte
Email: theebookking@shaw.ca Copyright-Brian Holte
If you own a business online, would like to increase targeted
traffic to your site but simply don’t have any free time, hiring
someone to submit your URL to niche directories may be what the
Dr. ordered.
I hope the following interview with Tim Mathews who owns
http://timmathews.com a Directory Submission Service helps.
Before we get started Tim tell us a little about yourself.
I am an avid web designer at heart. I have been in the computer
industry for about 10 years - back when AOL 2 was the bomb, and
if you didn't have a 14.4 modem, you were cruising slow. (Wow,
how times have changed). I really enjoy taking the mom and pop
100 product site and building it into a powerhouse ecommerce
site. I love building sites, then getting them listed in the
search engines and directories, and watching the sales roll in
for the client.
How did you get started in directory submission services?
I first stumbled into Directory submission services when I was
trying to get a companies site listed in the search engines. I
was trying and trying to get it listed, but no use. After
numerous reworking, I finally got the site listed. I was then
thinking... Huh, this was tough for me, and I am a pro! I was
wondering if others were having issues, and alas, THEY WERE!
From then, business has spawned from current local clients to
all the seven seas!
For those new to the internet could you explain what a directory
submission service is?
A Directory Submission Service, in my opinion, is a company that
will submit your website to directories. Now, the client must be
careful when selecting a company. Many I have seen say something
along the lines of "We submit you to over 800,000 Search Engines
and Directories". This statement alone lets me know that they
are not trustworthy. We can all fire up ANY free/shareware
submitter and boast the same statement. What I LIKE to see, when
checking my competition, is a listing of directories they will
submit to. And, of course, no one can guarantee inclusion.
What was your motivation for offering directory submission
service?
Well, to be blunt, I was thinking this could make us some money.
I was thinking of my stumbling in the submissions, and how long
and hard I worked to get sites listed. I learned what to do, and
definitely what NOT to do. I figured it would be a great
service.
What problems did you have to overcome to start your directory
submission service?
Our main problems are the sites that boast hundreds of thousands
of submissions to directories... This confuses the client to
thinking there are this number of "separate" directories. After
explanation that there are far less, (We submit to as few as 20
directories up to around 200 for some clients), so you can see
why this would be a problem.
How did you overcome these problems?
We overcame the issues by explanation of the services that the
"other guys" provide, and most importantly, we overcame the
problem with RESULTS. We do what we say, and get it done.
What impact can using a directory submission service have on
ones online business?
Directory submissions can make the business, LITERALLY.
Submitting to search engines is fine, and SHOULD be done.
Submitting to directories is definitely a necessity.
What kind of gains can one expect to make by using a directory
submission service?
Once Directory listings take, you can expect to probably double
your traffic. Double traffic could mean double sales/leads.
What could the downfall be of using a directory submission
service?
Well, un kept promises. Many "other guys" make big promises, but
deliver seldom few or none altogether. Do your research. How
long has the site been in business? Do a “who is” look up and
see when they bought the domain name just to be certain.
Can you give 3 tips on successfully submitting to directories
such as DMOZ for example?
With Pleasure!
Tip 1.) MOST IMPORTANT Proper Category Selection is KEY You MUST
submit to the applicable category. This is the most overlooked,
because we think we have a site selling Sports Blankets, like
http://www.blanketmall.com/tim and they wanted to be listed into
the "sports category" After research, I decided it be best that
they be submitted into the Shopping: Sports: Theme Merchandise
category. If I would have submitted the site into the root of
sports, I can GUARANTEE it would have not been accepted.
Tip 2.) Wait. Do NOT submit your site to ODP (dmoz.org) again in
a month. Give it 2 months to see results. If after 2 months, you
are not listed, rethink your submission, drill down to a deeper,
more relevant category, and resubmit.
Tip 3.) Do not hound the guides. I have seen people talking
about "direct relationships with guides for category "****" They
say to email the guide and bug them. We disagree with this. If
your site is properly submitted, you will not have a problem. We
have clients that tried this tactic, and have never been listed.
We submitted them, and got them listed.
Thank you for the opportunity to give my feedback in this. It
has really been a pleasure. Thanks!
About the author:
Have You Been Thinking of Creating E-books? Brian Holte is a
freelance writer/researcher and owner of www.theebookking.com he
publishes a newsletter which focuses on brainstorming and
researching techniques for e-books.
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