Directory Submissions - A Necessary Evil

After spending that last 4 hours searching for quality directories, submitting and then repeating the process, I'm reminded about how much it sucks. Although directory submission is tedious, it is necessary for SEOing on a budget...or lack thereof.

For those who work within the web world, you're probably familiar with directories. And for those of you who are not the web techie type, the following may be somewhat foreign but I'll do my best to be thorough...feel free to ask questions in the comments.

First let's touch on "Quality" Directories

So what makes one directory better than the other? Who's packing the juice and who isn't? Well, it's safe to say that since roughly September of 2007...Google is not a fan of directories at large. There were several [directories] hand picked by Google and either penalized or removed completely from the index. Other's weren't penalized per se...but did have their pagerank removed or reduced.

So are directories worthless now? No. Not at all. Google may add less weight to listings (in some cases no weight) but adding your site to worthwhile directories can certainly add to your link reputation as well as your online exposure...to a lesser extent.

A few questions to ask before submitting:

Is it FREE or PAID? "You get what you pay for" - I'm sure you've heard that before. Generally speaking, paid directories are well-managed. The owners of paid directories often reinvest the revenue generated by submissions into advertising and search marketing which creates a better resource for everyone. Keep in mind that just because a directory is paid doesn't necessarily mean that it worth the money. There are some directory owners who would be more than happy to take your cash and offer zero value or service. Just be warned. Free directories, on the other had, are the mystery meat of the directory world...you just never know what your going to get. The upside is that the only cost is time. And some of the free directories (especially new ones) will ultimately become paid directories managed by people who want to succeed.

Should I buy a regular or featured listing? You budget will probably determine the answer to this one. If you have the money, buy as many featured listings as possible...for two reasons. One, your listing will appear at the top and usually set apart (in appearance) from the regular listing which will result in a bit more traffic. Two, a featured listing at the top will carry far more weight than a regular listing at the bottom of page ten.

Is the directory littered with advertisements? Banner ads, adsense, and text links aren't necessarily bad. However, think twice about submitting to a directory that is littered with ads and sponsored links. If you're paying, the focus should be on your listing and the other listings around you. If there's more than one banner ad and ten sponsored links, then take a closer look.

Does the directory provide "deeplinks"? Many directories will allow site owners to sumbit their site as well as 3 -5 pages from within the site. Most directories that practice deeplinking are paid directories but the money is well worth it. Links to internal pages can enhance search rankings and provide added exposure.

If paid, are refunds provide to rejected sites? It's been a hotly debated topic among webmasters and directory owners for sometime. Most directories do issue refunds if your site is not approved. Some offer a partial refund while a few offer no refund at all. Yahoo is an example of the last. They charge a $299 review fee and do NOT offer refunds to sites that are rejected. In their eyes, you're paying for their time to review a site and not a place in the Yahoo directory.

What type of sites have been recently submitted? Most directories have a "recently submitted" section that lists 15 - 20 freshly submitted sites. Be sure to take a look and ensure that the sites submitted are "quality" sites. So what's a "quality" site? Ask 20 people and you'll get 20 different renditions of what defines quality. To be safe, just make sure that you don't see any porn, pills or gambling sites (unless that's your niche).

Perform A Quick Directory Diagnostic Check

Lastly, if a directory seems unusually expensive or shady or both, perform a couple of "checks" in Google and Yahoo to ensure that the directory in question hasn't been penalized or banned.

Start with Google. In the search box type the following and hit enter:

If the directory in question is not the first result or at least on the first page, then chances are the directory has been at least penalized. Maybe banned.

Next, insert the following into the google search box and hit enter:

The "site:" operator returns all pages found in google from a given site. If no pages are returned the site is either very new or has been penalized or banned.

For a final check, determine how many links to the directory in question are found in Google. Do this by inserting the following and hit enter:

The "link:" operator returns all sites linking to the directory in question. The more links the better, but keep in mind that google only returns a sample of a site's backlinks. If the number of links seems small (less than 20), then head over to Yahoo and repeat.

There are factors such as a directory's age that can make a great directory look questionable using the above quality checks. It's best to save this type of research for paid directories so that you can ensure you're getting your money's worth.

Wrapping It Up

The directory world is an industry. As with any niche or industry, there are good vendors and bad vendors. Make sure to shop around when paying for directories. Before purchasing a link, size up the directory and apply some of the techniques above to ensure you're making a worthy purchase.
As far as free directories are concerned...the only cost is your time. Don't waste it! If you come across a free directory that looks like it took 15 minutes build then move along.

Good Luck!