We spend a lot of time here discussing all sorts of organic search and SEO strategies for building “natural” rankings in the search engines. But we wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t mention directories.
Directory listings are more like catalogs that, unlike major search engines, require you to submit your site if you want to be included in their listings. They’re a great way to begin acquiring links and driving traffic to your site…whether it’s new or old.
There’s literally a plethora of directories on the Internet for you to choose from. Some allow you to submit your site for free while others charge a one-time or annual fee. Even if they charge, the investment is worth it if you’re just starting out since links from these sites will also help lift your organic search rankings off the ground.
The two largest directories online include: DMOZ and Yahoo! Search Directory
DMOZ – Also known as the Open Directory Project (ODP), it’s free to add your site to DMOZ. While it is free, it also may take up to a year for your site to get listed, which causes frustration for many webmasters. Regardless, a link from DMOZ can be quite valuable so list your site here first and then move on to other things.
Yahoo Directory – Not to be confused with the actual Yahoo! search engine which delivers actual search results, the Yahoo! Directory is perhaps the oldest directory on the Internet. Links from the Yahoo! Directory are extremely valuable in helping build your organic rankings. Commercial sites must pay $299 annually to be included but the links from the directory and other Yahoo! properties around the world make it worth the investment.
Of course, it’s likely there are other industry specific and blog directories out there for you to choose from.
For the most part, the submission process to most directories is relatively easy and since links from them validate your site in the eyes of the search engines, the time involved is well worth it. But once you get listed in a few of the major ones, the relevancy boost levels off pretty fast.
In short, it’s not important you get listed in all directories – listing in just a few directories will give you about as much rankings boost you can expect.
Spook SEO says
Hi Stone!
I believe that if we really want to be visible in search engines then it is really vital that we submit our sites to major search engines like Google or Bing. With this, there is also a chance that we will also rank and gain more visitors.