Directory submission is something you will certainly hear a lot about if you are promoting a Web business. Directories come in various shapes and sizes: some are purely for business listings, some are generalised, some operate in a niche, and some require payment for a review. There are also varying degrees of quality: some are ‘fly by night’, some are neither hopeless nor great, whilst others are what we call ‘quality directories’. A quality directory is a worthwhile place to submit your site.
However, which quality directories you select depends on your site’s topic. You aren’t going to want to submit an electrical site to a niche directory specialising in health and beauty. You see?
Truly worthwhile directories are few and far between, which is why I have provided a checklist of some of the hallmarks you would expect to find.
1) They will reject sites on the basis of pre-determined criteria. If a site fails to meet the minimum standard, they will not gain entry.
2) The directory will be human-edited.
3) If there is a fee, you pay for a review (you’re not paying for a link).
4) The design of the site will be of a high standard with sections of the site easy to navigate.
5) The site will have a logical URL structure with clear paths to the various categories.
6) They will perform regular directory ‘housekeeping’ to ensure their index of sites is up-to-date and relevant.
Good directories also have a few other traits not mentioned here. An excellent place to submit your site and kick start your quality link building is Yahoo! Directory. They charge a $299 (US) recurring annual fee but this could be very worthwhile. If you have the money, go for it!