Get
More Traffic
Get
More Traffic with Effective Directories
Summary:
This article explains how to submit sites to top web directories.
Details
or Sample: You often see the following sentence used to describe traffic to
a website: More than 80% of the traffic comes from the top ten search engines.
For the majority of websites, the statement is true. But what about web directories?
Is it a waste of time to submit your site to them?
Directories don’t
usually bring a lot of traffic to your website, but they do contribute to Inbound
links. This increases the site’s popularity, which is imperative if you want
search engines to rank it near the top. When a search is done using keywords
relevant to your site, it increases your site’s link popularity. This enhances
the chances of your site showing up near the top of the search results. When
you submit your site to web directories, you increase its visibility and attract
traffic from search engines. However, in order to manage directory submissions
successfully, you need an excellent strategy. Without one, you will lose energy
and waste time. Site Readiness Remember,
directories aren’t created to give free links. Their goal is to provide visitors
with top quality sites. To increase your chances to get listed, your site should
be well designed and contain content that is both original and useful, or offer
a range of useful services. It should never have pages that are under construction
and all links should be working. Broken links will cause your site to be rejected. Other
reasons for rejection include: 
Too many pop-up or pop-under ads.
Duplicate or self-replicated sites.
Automatic redirect to another domain. Preparation
of Listing Details Prepare an information list in your favorite
text editor. Thing to include on the list are: 
The URL of your site.
The title of your website. Directories differ here. Some will want the official
title of your website, while others will settle for descriptive keywords. Write
two or three titles so you can easily comply with the different guidelines.
Write two highly descriptive sentences about your site. Do not use excessive hype,
exclamation marks or superlatives. Anything that makes your description read like
an ad is to be avoided. The description of your site should always be written
in the third person. Avoid phrases such as “we are,” or “we offer.”
Write keywords related to your site. Always separate them with a comma. Write
the keywords again, separating them with a space. Different directories require
different keyword format.
Write your full name and address. Once you have completed all of the steps
above, save the document. This will allow you to open it and copy and paste the
information into directory submission forms, which will avoid errors and save
time. Utilize Clipboard Magic Clipboard
Magic is free software that allows you to save multiple rows of data and load
it into Windows clipboard, just by clicking the mouse. If you’re going to
be filling the same information into multiple online forms, Clipboard Magic is
a great tool. It can be downloaded at http://www.cybermatrix.com/clipmag.html Finding
Web Directories Next you will need to find web directories where
you can submit your website. Use the top directories to search out specialized
and minor directories. Here are a few suggestions: http://www.yahoo.com http://www.about.com http://www.looksmart.com http://dmoz.org
Spend time at each directory to determine if it is organized. Search out the most
appropriate category for your website. If you submit to the wrong category, it
is likely your submission will be rejected.
Finally, compile a list of all directories to which you submitted your site. Be
sure to record the date of submission. Verifying
Results
Because all directories do not send out e-mails when your site is listed, you
should visit the directories to which you submitted on a frequent basis. Then,
search for your URL, or the title of your site and flag directories where you
find it.
Try to submit your site again if it hasn’t been listed after two months.
Another option is to contact the directory owner and ask the status of your submission.
If the owner doesn’t reply, move on. There may be several reasons why the
directory chose not to list your site. Remember, all submissions won’t be
successful.
Submitting your site to web directories can be very time consuming. However, it
is an essential part of web promotion strategy. If you plan ahead, it will be
a venture that will bring you increased traffic and you will manage it successfully.
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