The buzzword of the hour is SEO. It has
transformed the architecture of sites, brought about many new jobs, and is now
considered vitally important for those that want to take their online
operations to the next level. In its simplest form, search engine optimization
(or SEO) is about doing everything you can to boost your natural ranking in the
major search engines. The algorithm that ranks your site (despite variations
across engines) is a compilation of many different variables. There is no one
magic secret or special key you can turn. The goal is really to check off as
many variables as possible from that algorithm. The kicker is that, for the
most part, we dont actually know what is contained in these algorithms that are
so important to us. We can, however, make educated guesses. And there are
several aspects of SEO that most, if not all, industry professionals agree on.
One of those factors is the importance of link-building.
The Internet was built upon links. Sites link
to one another to guide users through relevant information. Since these links
basically mean, theres relevant information on this site, each link pointing
towards your site counts as a vote towards it. These votes help improve your
natural ranking, especially when coupled with a well-built SEO friendly site.
The big question is, of course, how do I go about getting other sites to link
mine? Fortunately, the answer is an easy one, because there are many well run
search engine friendly directories that would be more than happy to link to your
site as part of their directory.
It is very easy to adhere to the rules of a
web directory with very little effort. In addition, because the editors of any
directory are really looking for the same things, the rules from web directory
to web
directory tend to be very similar.
Count Those Characters:
One of the big rules imposed by directories
has to do with the length of your title, description and keywords. If there
were no limit, some people would write an essay for descriptions and cram in
every possible keyword. Let me assure you that no directory editor wants to
review a site application that could be broken up into chapters! Directories
impose restrictions that essentially force you to be straight to the point. You
might not be able to say everything about your site, so pick the most important
points and go with that. Before you start submitting anywhere, sit back and
write a few well-formulated descriptions that span 100, 150, 200, and 250
characters. One of those four levels will generally work in any web directory
you come across. Once thats done, most of the hard work is out of the way. Now
all you have to do is look for the character requirements, copy and paste your
blurb of that length, and youre all set. The same thing holds true for
keywords, so prepare a few different options so that, come submission time, its
just a matter of picking the right one.
Would You Approve A Spam Filled Site
Application?
Do not spam your directory listings. That cant
be more clearly stated, yet for some reason, people still do it. You are never
going to get listed in any human reviewed directory when you try this tactic.
An example of this would be that if you sell widgets, when you submit your
information you repeat the word widgets in your title, description, and
keywords as many times as possible. Typically comprehension takes a back seat
as the focus becomes cramming the word in as many times as possible. Directory
editors hate this and its a very easy rejection. If you think that even
attempting to spam like this is helpful, you might want to think again. If you
spend time submitting to web directories with poorly articulated, spam-filled
information, you are going to get rejected. Youve then wasted a lot of your
time and gotten absolutely nothing in return.
Choose The Right Category:
Web directories are sorted by topic and
editors typically take great pride in ensuring that everything stays well
organized. A tiny little bit of effort on your part to choose the right
category can vastly improve your chances of being listed without any delay. The
reason is simply that if you are an editor and you want to approve a site, you
probably only have to click one button. But, if that site chose the wrong
category, then you need to edit the application to modify the category (and now
the editor has to find the correct category in the hierarchy!), which takes
more time. If you are the editor sitting there with thousands of applications
to process, its much easier to click the reject button than it is to start
fumbling through categories. So, put yourself in their shoes and do them a
favor, because ultimately its you and your site that stand to benefit when you
are approved.
A successful web directory submission campaign
is when you maximize your time so that you get listed in the most directories
possible. By following the above tips, you can help ensure you get approved,
which goes a long way towards achieving your goal. With everything pre-written
and good intentions to play by the rules, youll be flying through your
submission campaign in no time.