Submitting to the Directories
Submitting to directories takes a bit more effort than submitting
to spider-based search engines. You'll need to take the time
to locate the proper category to submit your site to, as well
as to craft a carefully phrased description of your web site.
Each directory has its own set of rules on what constitutes
a proper description and it is important to take the time
to read those rules before you submit your first site to each
engine. However, most of the rules are fairly similar and
by taking time to follow the steps below, you shouldn't run
into any problems. In addition, you'll be helping speed up
the process of listing your site, since you'll be providing
a web site that is ready to be put immediately into place
with no need for editing.
1.) Locate the proper category for your web site.
Take the time to browse through the regional and/or topical
categories of the directory. Locate the "deepest"
category that still fully applies to your web site. Once you've
found this category, you should review of few of the other
web sites already listed and make certain that your site contains
similar content. Submitting your site to an inappropriate
category simply means that the first editor to review it has
to take the time to locate the proper category and send it
there for you, where it will have to wait for review from
the new category's editor.
2.) Write a description.
Generally, a web site description for a directory should
be about 25 words in length and should describe the contents
of the web site. It's a good idea to fit two to three keyword
phrases into this description, but be careful not to use any
marketing language or hype phrases like "free" or
"best." Descriptions should be written in the third
person and should fit with the style of writing that other
sites already listed in your category have used.
3.) Submit your web site.
Find the submit url link and enter your web site information.
Expect to wait anywhere from 7 days for a paid listing in
Yahoo! to a few months for a listing in some of the volunteer
directories.
The Major Directories
Yahoo! - Although Yahoo! still accepts free submissions
for non-commercial web sites, all business are required to
pay a non-refundable fee to have their site reviewed and considered
for inclusion in the directory. The standard rate is $299US
per year for commercial web sites, though sites of an adult
nature are charged $600US per year. A recent change in Yahoo!
search results now means that search results are provided
by Google, the Yahoo! directory still receives a pretty strong
amount of traffic from users who prefer to browse. It is worthwhile
for most web sites to secure a Yahoo! listing for a least
a year to see how much traffic will be driven to their sites.
Site owners can always cancel the contract when the next year's
renewal comes up.
Looksmart/Zeal - Few web searchers actually visit
the Looksmart site to browse through listings, but because
Looksmart provides the directory listings for MSN, it can
be an important place to be listed. As with Yahoo!, only non-commercial
sites may submit for free. (Users will have to pass a short
quiz at Zeal before they are allowed to submit their web site.)
Commercial listings are now available to site owners willing
to pay a $49US review fee and a subsequent 15 cents per click
fee. Looksmart requires a minimum of $15 PPC per month, which
means the first year of a paid listing with Looksmart will
cost a minimum of $230, but it can be a powerful traffic driver.
The Open Directory Project - Serving as the directory
for Google, the ODP is an essential listing to any webmaster.
Since the ODP is 100% volunteer driven, there is no fee for
submitting a web site for review. On the other hand, since
the ODP is 100% volunteer driven, there is no guarantee of
how long it will take for a site to be reviewed and listed
in the directory. A general rule of thumb is to wait approximately
a month after submission to see if your site has been added,
and if it hasn't, to drop a brief note to the listed editor
to check on the status. If you receive no answer, you can
try emailing the editor of the next highest category, continuing
the process until you receive a response.
Smaller, but still important directories, are hard to find,
so they are listed here...
GoGuides
JoeAnt
Gimpsy
Jayde B2B Directory
Since directories contain sites that have been reviewed by
humans, they tend to be less cluttered with spam and carefully
organized into topical and regional categories. These features
make them valuable tools in the eyes of both human and robot
searchers. Humans use directories to browse a variety of web
sites when they might not be quite certain what they are looking
for. Robots, or spiders, use directories to find new sites
to include in their indexes. This makes a listing in the popular
directories essential to the promotion of any web site.
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