.: SEO Directories – A Godsend?
By:Danny Wirken
Category:Home / Internet Marketing / Search Engine Optimization
Directories have been around for some time now, even longer than search engines have. Directories, like search engines, are used by people to search for websites containing the information they seek. However, the way they do the search and present their results are very different. Search engines use web crawlers to find and index websites on their own and will produce search results from the database of these indexed sites. Although there is an Add URL page in some search engines, websites generally are added to the search engine’s index automatically and not via submissions. On the other hand, websites owners need to submit their URL directly to directories in order to be included in the directories’ database. The submitted websites are then placed under specific categories with each site having a brief site description. Most directories take some time to approve websites before they can be added to the directories’ listing.
Traffic from Directories
Although, as mentioned earlier, directories arrived in the Internet scene before search engines did, search engines have become the more popular way for searching websites. With the advent of search engines people have come to question the viability of directories and whether people still use them to search for websites. In David Wallace’s article on Directories and Your SEO Campaign – Love ‘Em or Hate ‘Em, he found the answer to this question by going to his web servers that track all the activity in his websites. He found that not surprisingly most of his traffic came from search engines but that there were some directory referrals that still existed as well. Though it is true that in comparison to the traffic that search engines generate for web sites the traffic from directories seem measly, a website owner should not discount the importance of this traffic. As they say every cent counts, rather, every visitor counts.
SEO and Directories
Directories, however, have a new use for website owners, especially those who are SEO conscious. SEO people know that link popularity is very important when it comes to scoring well in order to get higher page ranks and thus get listed among the top results of search engines’ results pages (SERPs).
There are two important factors in link popularity. One is the quantity of links and the other is the quality of links. SEO Directories help websites in that they are able to boost a website’s link popularity as soon as a website is added to the directory. This is because the directories can pass a large quantity of links from various websites belonging in the same category of a specific website. In addition to this good directories are selective in the quality of websites they allow to be added in their listing. Hence, the quality of links passed on by directories is almost always of good quality. So once a website is listed in a directory it is almost always sure that the site’s link popularity will rise and so will the site’s page rank.
New Websites and Directories
SEO directories are also very useful for new websites in that web crawlers usually crawl directories and get to index new sites from there. Although a website can submit its URL to search engines, search engines prefer automated indexing of sites. Aside from getting noticed by search engines new sites should keep in mind that being listed in a good directory will automatically give them a good link popularity instead of the site having to build it up slowly. It is possible for a new site to establish high link popularity without being part of a directory but it would take much effort and time and will most probably not even happen to many websites unless the site is if superior quality.
Choosing a Good Directory
When choosing a directory to submit your website to, there are several factors to keep in mind: the directory’ reputation or quality, the cost of getting listed, the length of time it takes to get listed upon submission. In the last few years there have been quite a number of new directories that have popped up. However some of these directories offer virtually no quality control and tend to accept any kind of website that submits themselves for listing. Although the nature of directories are supposed to be such that only sites of quality get listed, the new breed of indiscriminate directories, whose real purpose is to simply build link popularity for the websites has marred the reputation of directories as a whole. Google and other search engines of course quickly caught on to the new questionable practice of trying to get higher link popularity in this way. Because of this Google has been banning some directories and have given less value to the links found in others. This is entirely justifiable since link popularity, as mentioned earlier, depends on the quality of links, and since the directories accept websites of even low quality then naturally the value of links from these sites is going to low. It is therefore imperative that website owners do some research on the web directory they plan to submit their website to since and submit to only those with sound reputation.
Cost is also always a factor in choosing directories. For low budget sites there are plenty of directories out there that offer free listing. Usually the free listing of course comes with conditions like slower processing time, being required to have a reciprocal link, or being a volunteer editor. The condition that comes with it is worth it though and shouldn’t be a big issue. The free directories usually give websites the option of not having to deal with the conditions if the website opts to pay a minimal one time fee. The only directory that remains to be truly free is the Open Directory or Dmoz. Websites aren’t given the option to pay but the processing time is reputed to be particularly long especially if the volunteer editor of the website’s category is not very active. The length in processing time is however worth it for quality sites since Dmoz is known for accepting only websites of high quality. There are also plenty of options for paid directories out there with prices ranging from a $25 one time fee to as much as a $299 annually recurring fee. Whatever directories you choose to submit to, whether paid or free or a combination of both, remember that the quality of the directory should be your first consideration. Remember also that before you do submit your website for listing on any directory be sure that you have made your site as appealing, full of fresh and quality content, and as of high quality as possible. This would not only ensure inclusion in the directories’ listings but would determine your site’s success as well.
Article keywords: online business, internet, mobile, seo
Article Source: http://www.articles32.com
www.theinternetone.net
.: New Search Engine Optimization Articles
1). How to Improve Search Engine Ranking
Powerful 4-step process to improve search engine ranking
2). How to Make Websites that Search Engines Love
How you can apply the fundamental basics to create a website that the search engines will love to spider.
3). Articles Are Seeds of Knowledge - A Biblical Look at Duplicate Content
Article Marketing compared to the successful distributon of the Christian Bible.
The Christian Bible is the Worlds most successful publication, with over 6 billion copies printed, similar to the total World Population.
4). Content Management Systems Equal Business Suicide!
One of the fastest way to minimise your chances of web business success is to use a Content Management System (CMS).
5). Importance of Search Engine Marketing Firms
Literally speaking, there is no business in todays world of World Wide Web, which doesnt have online business. To reach ever growing population of internet all across the world it is mandatory to have a good online presence for any business. Moreover, meeting customers online is the cheapest possible way.
6). Internet Search Engines, Important Details Everybody Should Know
Internet Search Engines see something totally different than what we see when we look at a webpage. It is all in the webpage code. Have you ever seen webpage code? Place one of your webpages into your browser.
7). Why Websites Get Banned From Search Engines
These are methods and techniques that end up getting websites banned from Google and other search engines.
.: Top Search Engine Optimization Articles
1). SEO Contests: Good or Bad?
As a webmaster you probably already know what a SEO Contest is or you surely came across some of them or even participated in. Some of the major SEO contests organized are the v7ndotcom elursrebmem (by v7n.com), Ambachdotcom, Carcasherdotcom, and more recently the Cpayscom2 Online Casino where the winner gets $10,000 for ranking number one on MSN. Now the big question is whether it is good or bad to organize SEO Contests.
2). High Paying Lateral Keywords
If you run AdSense on your site you know that some words pay more than others, much more in fact. More than likely you have also learned that terms like "structured settlements" and "mesothelioma" can produce incredibly high PPC revenue, if they show up on your site at all. Unfortunately hundreds of thousands of other webmasters are "on" to this practice judging by the number of sites created regularly to capitalize on the phenomenom.
3). Is Your Website Invisible? The Google Sandbox Solution
What is the Google Sandbox? How Do You Know if You’re Stuck in the Sandbox? Does the Sandbox Really Exist, or is it Just the Google Algorithm? Why Do You Get Sandboxed? Is There a Way to Trick the Sandbox Filter?
4). An SEO Glossary - Common SEO Terms Defined
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has become an essential weapon in the arsenal of every online business. Unfortunately, for most business owners and marketing managers (and even many webmasters), it's also somewhat of an enigma. This is partly due to the fact that it's such a new and rapidly changing field, and partly due to the fact that SEO practitioners tend to speak in a language all of their own which, without translation, is virtually impenetrable to the layperson.
5). Creating Sitemaps For Google, MSN AND Yahoo! - The Easy Way
If you own or maintain a website or intend to own one, wouldn’t it be great if you get frequent visitors who find satisfaction in getting exactly the information they need from your page?
While that satisfaction largely depends on the contents of your website, how you get to be accessed by website users is the most critical factor of website development.
6). How to Make a Sitemap For Your Website In Five Steps.
A website's sitemap can be compared to the table of contents of a book. The sitemap is important because it guides visitors to the parts of the website in which they are interested. The sitemap allows surfers to reach their destination without wasting time.
Sitemaps are also important from the point of view of search engines. If the search engine finds a sitemap it is much more likely that your page will be fully visited (spidered) and indexed; allowing web surfers to find your pages in their searches.
7). 301 Redirect - The SEO way to rename or move files or folders
In this article I will discuss page redirection techniques, what works and what to avoid.
What is page redirection and why would you want to use it?
Let’s say you rename a page on your website, for whatever reason. Perhaps you decided to revamp your entire naming convention, perhaps you decided to restructure your site and need to move pages into different folders, or you just realized that you are missing valuable keywords.