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A directory is a collection of information pertaining to various websites. This information is hand picked and chosen by directory editors and website inclusion is dependent on the quality and relevance of each particular site. Directories are divided into categories and, in most cases, subcategories; each contains links to relevant websites. Once information has been collected and collated it is then searched by human visitors. The major search engines use directories to help determine relevance. As well, a listing in a directory may count as a link to the listed websites.

There are a very large number of directories on the Internet, and while some are multiple or general category directories there are also a large number of topic specific directories available. Submitting to directories has long been considered a powerful online promotion tool for several reasons.

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO for short, is often considered to be the most important and beneficial form of marketing a website. By optimizing the pages of a website and other, off page factors, it is possible to influence the positioning of your website in the search engine result pages. One of the major off page factors that contribute to your site’s performance in the search engine results is your inbound link popularity and the quality of those links.

Search engines deem links from quality directories to be very beneficial links. The manual process by which a website is chosen gives an indication that your site is both good quality and relevant to the given category. The major search engines look very highly on quality directories and give a link from one of these directories a lot of weight when determining how well your site will perform. At the very least, quality directories are indexed regularly by the major search engines, giving you a powerful way to ensure that your new website is indexed quickly by search engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN.

Of course SEO isn’t the only method of online promotion that pays dividends. Directories are popular with surfers because of the structured and easy to navigate fashion that they arrange their results. As well as being able to navigate through the categories, many directories also include a keyword search function for added ease. Getting a prominent listing in a popular directory can directly generate reasonable amounts of targeted traffic straight to your site.

One of the most difficult aspects of submitting any website to online directories is choosing the most effective ones. There are a large number of directories but while some offer the advantage of being heavily populated and considered search engine friendly, others cannot boast the same advantages.

In terms of search engine promotion, the most beneficial of all directories to submit to is the Open Directory Project, also called the ODP or DMOZ and located at http://www.dmoz.org. Several major search engines quickly pick up new listings from the Open Directory Project even though your site may not receive much in the way of direct traffic. The Yahoo directory, located at http://dir.yahoo.com/, is also very popular and used by search engines other than Yahoo. If you have a B2B website, you should also submit to http://www.business.com/.

After that you should turn to submitting your website to smaller general directories. It is best to start by submitting to the best directories you can.

The next step in making directory submissions is to look for directories that concentrate on, or around, the topic of your site. A quick search on any search engine will give page after page of directories to choose from and, as a general rule, those that appear at the top of the listings will be the more popular.

Of course SEO isn’t the only method of online promotion that pays dividends. Directories are popular with surfers because of the structured and easy to navigate fashion that they arrange their results. As well as being able to navigate through the categories, many directories also include a keyword search function for added ease. Getting a prominent listing in a popular directory can directly generate reasonable amounts of targeted traffic straight to your site.

Before you submit to any directory always ensure that your website is complete and easy to navigate. Don’t forget that directories, unlike search engines, use human eyes to view your website. It absolutely must be appealing and clean for human visitors and should be directly related to the topic under which you are submitting. Check for broken links and ensure that information is factually correct and easy to read.

Once you’ve checked your website, find the directories you will submit to. Every directory has a “Submit Resource” link or something similar. Some directories will require you to first navigate to the bottom level category that is most relevant to your content. This means you should be as specific as possible when choosing the category.

In the case of this page, we should submit to something along the lines of “Business – Internet Business – Internet Marketing – Directory Submission” and not to the “Internet Business” or even “Internet Marketing” category. The more specific you are, the more likely it is that your site will be accepted. You will need to complete the submission form, which will require simple details regarding you and your site. The final step is to wait for an editor to assess your site.

Directory submission is by no means a new Internet marketing trick but it is still a widely viable one that can help to get a site indexed by search engines, drive traffic directly to your site, and increase your performance on search engine listings. Try to find the most relevant directories and always ensure that your site is ready for inclusion. Also make sure that you submit to the appropriate category.