Posted by on October 20th, 2009 View Comments
Posted in Web Directories |
The link building process is greatly enhanced when leveraged by web directories that can help acquire quality links for your website’s improved link popularity and increased user traffic. Needless to say, submitting your URL to web directories – free or paid-for – is a link building means that you must seriously consider. Directory submissions to quality directories generate several benefits, particularly in relation to your link building efforts. When used appropriately and carefully, submitting your website for listing to web directories can provide visibility of your site in search engines, increase your site’s Page Rank (PR), improve your site’s link popularity, and generate inflow of traffic to your web site. In considering cost-benefit concerns, submissions to quality directories are an excellent investment that promises pay offs in terms of improved rankings and link popularity for several years. You can submit URL for directory listings on your own, or when time is something you don’t have, you can hire a good link building company to take care of it for you.
Why is correct category finding important in a link building campaign? Before you can expect to fare well in link popularity or search engine rankings when using web directories for link building, it is crucial to understand how web directories actually work and how they operate. In simple terms, web directories serve as catalogs of web sites sorted by categories and subcategories. Unlike search engines that allow you to locate pages with relevant information, web directories allow you to locate websites according to category.
Directory submissions are one of the easiest ways to acquiring links to boost your website’s link popularity, but among the most confusing steps in suggesting a site for inclusion is the first step: selecting the right category to suggest your site to. Finding the right category is important for possible inclusion to a web directory because it increases your chances of getting your suggestions acted upon by editors more promptly. Sites that are suggested under incorrect categories delays the submission process. Hence, choosing the correct category is important if you are serious about improving your site’s link popularity.
How do I find correct categories for submission? Emphasis on link building using web directories is on the most popular directories, namely Google Web Directory and Yahoo! Web Directory. Here is a preview of how each of them organizes categories so you can find the most suitable category to submit your URL to.
Google stands out among other web directories for some enhanced features such as importance ranking, which is a plus factor for link building campaigners. Google Web Directory has a corps of Open Directory volunteer editors that selects websites and categorizes them. Using Google’s patented PageRank mechanism, the web directory is able to display a ranking of sites based on importance. This notable feature makes the highest quality pages appear at the uppermost in any directory category.
Other web directories list sites within each category alphabetically, but Google uses PageRank to sort sites according to their importance. The highest-rated sites receive a green ratings bar to indicate their popularity in terms of PageRank. This helps users effectively launch a link building campaign by enabling them to determine which sites under any category are worth browsing.
When choosing the correct category for directory submission, submit your URL only under the most related categories to your site. Keep in mind that search engine rankings and link popularity emphasize on relevancy. Google directory narrows your search from a broad range of topics or category. It displays topics in a given category and can recommend terms that will help you conduct a narrowed search. Further, it lets you search subcategories once you narrow your topic of interest within a specific subsection.
To help you locate the most popular subcategories within a broad category, the largest subcategories are displayed in boldface. Google’s World Category features directory content using descriptions in non-English languages. To illustrate, in World/Francais, content and descriptions are written, not merely translated, entirely in French so that a whole section of the Web is displayed completely in that language.
The Yahoo! Directory features 14 main categories to browse on. Each main category is composed of several sub-categories that organize general information to specific information. The Yahoo! directory can list sites either in alphabetical order or by popularity. The popularity listing allows pages to be sorted by relevance based on Yahoo! Search Technology, helping your link building efforts focus on sites that are worth checking out.
When submitting for a URL to Yahoo! Directory with improving your site’s link popularity in mind, to choose the most suitable category for your website. Here are a few tips:
Uncertain? If you think you have found the right category to submit to, check out what sites are already listed under it. If you find that they are unrelated, think twice before submitting. View the “Description” of this category or go to the “See also” heading and look at a list of related categories to help you find a better location. To use directories effectively and establish your site’s link popularity, always ensure that you submit your URL to the relevant directories and to the correct categories and subcategories within these web directories. The task may be time-consuming, but with a little patience, you will see inflow of links to your site.
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