How Directory Submissions Can Help PR and SEO

OK, so I've seen all these SEO lists that say to use link directories to improve Page Rank and SEO. Yet, no one seems to discuss tactics to getting the most out of those submissions. Well, till I realized this made for a great article opportunity.

I've compiled 12 ideas that have given me great results. The first 3 are listed here. Visit my site to see the rest and best of the list; and if you like the article, a Digg would be nice too.

• Always make sure the link being given is SEO friendly.
  The page should link directly to your URL and encourage search engines to both index and follow all links on the page.
• Always read and comply with any listed submission guidelines. Directory owners recieve so many spammy and poor submissions that they rarely give a site a second chance. Take the time to play by their rules - after all they are giving you a backlink with the link text of your choice for free.
• When possible, take the opportunity to submit a link to an interior page (deep link).
  People will often trade links for homepages, but it is harder to get links to interior pages. Keep in mind, deep linking is often against a directory's guidelines and submitting a deep link can get your site permanently banned if the directory owner does not accept them. I recommend submitting pages that appear on your main navigation menu.

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Nice article, but I have some comments:
Most of this tips will help help users to get included in part. directories and they will have less trouble. On the other site most of them are not really for SEO...

I have one more:
create a list of all submissions you have done, to prevent double submissions, or better use some software.

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Nice article. I will try to give my opinion on some of your tips (as I am a directory owner)

Always make sure the link being given is SEO friendly

That is not so true. There are many redirect links directories that have lots of traffic, and even that they don't provide real links, they can give you some real visitors....

Always read and comply with any listed submission guidelines.

That is very right. People some times don't understand that a directory, especcially a good one, can have thousands of sites in queue and it is very difficult to correct every submission, so it is easier for the editor to delete the entry....

When possible, take the opportunity to submit a link to an interior page (deep link).

That's not the best thing to do. It is allways better to submit your homepage, as most of the directories don't accept other pages. Personally I accept one submition per domain, and I don't care if it is an interior page, or the home page, but in most cases that wont be accepted

Something else that is not mentioned, is to keep the keywords low in number. I see many descriptions like "XXX car sales. We sell honda, mercedes, keyword, keyword, keyword......"
Try to write something that will be read by a human, not by a robot, because the editor is a human being and submitions full of keywords are like spam for a directory

Thank you for the kind words. I had planned on having a part two and the points you raised where on my list of things to discuss.

As to the point about deep links, in the original article I discussed submitting to new directories. These directories, either by mistake or by design to get more links quickly, appear to more often allow deep links. Since the vast majority of the directories only accept links to the home page, my thought was to get some links to main category pages to help the secondary content pages. If someone follows the advice in the article and submits to 1-2 directories a day; why not try to get a few links and PR to interior pages?

The point about traffic is well taken but, again I was mainly suggesting submitting to newer directories. Of the 300 or so directories that I've submitted too; only the100lists.com and thetopsites.net have sent me any traffic.

As to not being for SEO, I watched my ranking in Google grow for my sites' names and the other phrases I used for titles after each group of submissions were spidered. I found even Yahoo seemed to be responding to the new links. I'm not sure why you wouldn't consider getting backlinks with the text of your choice not SEO. Could you explain your thinking further? I'm always looking for more ways to optimize my sites.

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why not try to get a few links and PR to interior pages?

That is fine to try it in small directories, but doing it on bigger sites, will propably have your listing declined.

Could you explain your thinking further?

I was talking for seo friendly links, meaning the reciprocal ones. Of course the content of the title should be optimized, but not with so many keywords. I would prefer it to be a meaningfull sentence with keywords. That is because the listing should be anyway can be read by humans (...) and because search engines are developing algorithms to exclude this kind of keyword spamming.

i just payed the 1.99 to get http://www.pokersweden.se to be sponsor???
whers the add?

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i just payed the 1.99 to get http://www.pokerweden.se to be sponsor???
whers the add?

maybe you should read the screen messages! there is always a review by the admin, so give him some time...

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btw. the url you have posted in the message above is not valid

ok so it takes time i thout it was automated. and yes link wron no s in pokersweden. tanks

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ok so it takes time i thout it was automated. and yes link wron no s in pokersweden. tanks

I am sorry for this, but we can't do this automated because I wouldn't like to see any adult related links here

Your link is up now.

Hi
tanks 1ns again.

i wanted to see if anybody knows any good places to buy good links pr5 and more,

but not sites wanting 300$ and so thats just imposibel for a normal person to pay,

whould be very glad if anybody has some tips about that.. i was trying to read also about how google whould understand what link is what , buyed or not? anybody whit any ideas ther?

6# Use a nickname or just your first name.
If it is a trade or business directory, you may be required to supply your full name and doing so may be in your best interest.

Now think of your brand here, using your full name or company name helps reinforce the brand and therefore helps provide an identity their are 1000s of Tims, but a smaller number of Tim Nash's out there, your name is as much your brand as a company name, using nicknames is only a good idea if the nickname is a greater brand, there would be no benefit using my handle tnash in a directory, but there is a good reason to use Tim Nash apart from anything it provides a level of trust with the moderators, your straight with them and they with you.

One thing you missed out, is rotate descriptions, write 5 or 6 descriptions each with varying keywords and rotate through them when submitting, partly to increase the various keyword associations without keyword stuffing, and also to reduce duplicate content, also if deep linking use a different description then the home page.

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i wanted to see if anybody knows any good places to buy good links pr5 and more,

You can buy pr 5 links here and here.

Now back to the subject, there is another very serious thing regarding directories. Do not submit using automated software or submitting to many directories at once. The problem with that is that google will "penalize" your site for getting inbound links fast.

In general I have stoped submitting my sites to - non niche - directories and this is mostly because directories do not give any rankings in our days, and that is very reasonably as 99.9% of directories are more like link farms.

6# Use a nickname or just your first name.
If it is a trade or business directory, you may be required to supply your full name and doing so may be in your best interest.

Now think of your brand here, using your full name or company name helps reinforce the brand and therefore helps provide an identity their are 1000s of Tims, but a smaller number of Tim Nash's out there, your name is as much your brand as a company name, using nicknames is only a good idea if the nickname is a greater brand, there would be no benefit using my handle tnash in a directory, but there is a good reason to use Tim Nash apart from anything it provides a level of trust with the moderators, your straight with them and they with you.

One thing you missed out, is rotate descriptions, write 5 or 6 descriptions each with varying keywords and rotate through them when submitting, partly to increase the various keyword associations without keyword stuffing, and also to reduce duplicate content, also if deep linking use a different description then the home page.

You are absolutely right about taking every possible opportunity to promote your brand. But, there are so many directories (again I'm talking about new ones, not established ones) that are selling their contact database (in many cases on DP, I think some directories and their quick disappearance would give strength to the idea that the directory was set up simply to gather emails to spam as well as the QBCs realizing that directories are actually work). I was primarily referring to those directories that do not display this information and my honest belief that while most directory owners are professionals - some are not and why make it any easier for them.

You are also right on rotating descriptions. I had originally planned on writing a part 2 to that article and had honestly forgotten about it until this thread resurfaced. Guess I need to add that to the to do list.

Thank you for the read and the comments.

Quote
why not try to get a few links and PR to interior pages?

That is fine to try it in small directories, but doing it on bigger sites, will propably have your listing declined.

I think this is one of those things where you have to read carefully the rules of the website.  Personally, I run three directories (one of them I own) that accept deep links, provided that you submit the domain.  As you can see at http://www.wv-travel-directory.com/directory/0-world/66-villas-listing-sites/view.html, not everybody avails themselves of this opporunity.  There are a handful of similar directories, most of them paid, that allow deep links...just search Google for deep links directory.

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