• What is the idea behind directory submission?
• Would we get a full report as to how the directory submission has been carried out?
• What is a directory?
• Are your Directory submissions done manually?
• Why is it important to submit the site to directories?
• What is a good directory?
• Why should I submit my site to directories?
• For how long does the submitted information stay in the directories?

What is the idea behind directory submission?

We have been strongly advised against the directory submission system. The reasons are mainly linked to the lack of effectiveness of such system (some of the directories you suggest have an even lower page rank than ours- 5/10) and the possibility it would actually ‘backfire’ if Google decided to ‘penalise’ those kind of practices. We would be much more interested in a service that would entail 10 customised and qualitative entries in 10 very visible thematic directories where it is relevant for us to be advertised. Would that be a possibility?

The foremost reason for submitting to directories is not for your site to be listed there among other relevant websites. The primary reason for directories is to be listed MANY places, so that many big sites link to you. This increases your pagerank and gives you more traffic. So why not choose the ten strong entries, and also 90 less strong one? This is what we normally do with good result. We suggest many instead of few (even very strong) directories. Your advantage with WebDialogue is that we have cheap outsourced manpower that does the time consuming submission for you.

Would we get a full report as to how the directory submission has been carried out?

Yes, we will give you full reporting on this. And I confirm that it is being done manually in order to optimise your categorisation. That's why it's so time consuming, and so we outsource it to our Indian partner. There will be some text approvals for you to confirm, so that we have your company registered in the right way.

What is a directory?

A directory is similar to a search engine in the sense that it too indexes websites. Directories are divided into various categories and sub-categories. Some directories charge a fee for reviewing a website, while others charge a fee for the inclusion of the website.

Are your Directory submissions done manually?

Yes, it is being done manually in order to optimise your categorisation. That's why it's so time consuming, and so we outsource it to our Indian partner.

Why is it important to submit the site to directories?

If you get a link from a directory it is followed, and therefore the older the directory is and the more popular the directory the more valuable the link is back to your site. If you’re looking for a quick fix, short-term solution to increase your SEO rankings this is not it. Submitting to directories is a long term SEO strategy that takes time to gain quality link juice.

There are both paid and free directories. There are also very niche directories that can be extremely relevant to your product or services that will help generate quality traffic to your site. Overall, it’s better to have fewer links from the niche directories than a ton of links from general non-niche directories.

What is a good directory?

Some characteristics:

• Possibly Increased Rankings: The search engines put more emphasis on links that come from the more popular, well-established sites. Therefore you’re likely to increase your rankings for keywords if you’re getting a link from a well known site like the Yahoo! or Business.com directories. Always think high quality sites over high quantity of sites.

• Link Juice: Search engines give greater value on one-way links over reciprocal links. Therefore getting a link from a directory will be more significant than getting a link from another site where you have reciprocal linking going on. By submitting your site to well-known directories your pagerank should also increase.

• Quality of Traffic: People searching for information in the directories are looking for something specific. Therefore the quality of your traffic should be higher in a directory. The directories are broken down by subject, therefore people are selecting their category that pertains to their search query and should find your site.

• Creates Trust: having a link from a quality paid directory like Yahoo or Business.com comes with an element of trust. Yahoo and Business.com listings go through a human editing process - so when Google or another search engine sees this link, it’s almost a “stamp of approval”.

Why should I submit my site to directories?

Directories are the catalogs with industry specific categories which list lots of website and give a short description of the website related to its products and services, Directories are human edited and reviewed & rank websites submitted to their database.

In directories, websites are often reviewed, summarized in about 25 words and placed in a particular category. Directory submission gives you one-way permanent links, which increases your websites Page Rank. And major search engines likely place significant weight on links from DMOZ and the Yahoo Directory.

For how long does the submitted information stay in the directories?

There is no definite period for the search engines and directories to list your website. Some do it online immediately and some take a lot of time.

The approximate time periods taken by some of the search engines:

• Immediate: Mastersite, Arelis

• 1-4 weeks: Altavista, Infoseek, All the web

• 4-8 weeks: Hotbot, Inktomi, Lycos, MSN Search. Webcrawler

• 4-12 weeks: Google, Yahoo, Open Directory