A web directory is a site where websites are submitted and grouped by category. The content is submitted by users and then listed in the directory if the editors believe it is relevant and useful. Each category is broken down into sub categories which help users navigate the site. Search engines use these directories to rank and categorize websites.
There are many different directories on the internet. Some of these directories are niche specific and have high standards about the web pages that they will show. Others are broader and easier to get into. Submitting to directories is a powerful promotional tool that many webmasters take advantage of regularly.
Directory Submission For SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is very important for webmasters who want to drive traffic to their websites. When you optimize your website and submit it to a web directory, you gain a powerful backlink. The backlink you gain from a directory can help you gain rankings in the search engines.
Web directory links are very powerful because of their exclusivity. It is hard to get a site with thin content accepted into one of these directories. The search engines know this and they put a lot of trust in the web directory links. This trust translates into high rankings for websites that have directory links.
When your site ranks high in the search engines, you get a lot more organic traffic. Getting a backlink from a web directory can drastically increase your website traffic stats. Web directories are the perfect way for you to gain high authority backlinks from trusted sources.
Direct Traffic From Web Directories
Web directories get a lot of visitors on a daily basis. These people often use the directory like a search engine. Users will type their search query directly into the directory search engine. If your website pops up, they are very likely to click on it.
Customers like web directories because of their easy to use layout and because the websites are high quality. If your website gets accepted into a high traffic directory, then you can expect a great deal of traffic coming from them.
Finding The Best Web Directories For Your Website
Finding the strongest directories for your website is the most important step in the web directory submission process. Some web directories have a lot of traffic and can offer you many benefits, while others do not really help your site out.
Find a web directory that has a lot of traffic and trust in the search engines eyes. These directories will offer you the most valuable backlinks for your site. You should always start by submitting your website to directories that are hard to get into. After you submit to the tougher directories, you need to start submitting to the smaller and easier sites. Smaller sites may not offer you as many fringe benefits as the larger ones, but they still give you IP diversity for your rankings.
Some smaller web directories only accept pages from certain niches. These sites help your rankings by giving you a backlink from a highly relevant website. Search engines see that you obtained a link from a site that concentrates on a niche, so they assume your site has a lot of authority. This authority helps search engine algorithms rank your website higher.
Check Your Website Before You Submit It
Website directories are different from search engines because all of their submissions must be approved by editors. If your website is too commercial or difficult to navigate, they may not accept it. Make sure that your site appears appealing to human visitors. Set up your site so that it is easy to navigate and quick to load.
When submitting to a web directory you cannot get away with having a website that is off topic. The editors will visit your site and then deny you entry into their directory. Make sure all your links work and that all of your information is up to date. Web directory editors do not want sub par sites to be accepted into their directory, so they scrutinize every submission.
Web directory submission has been around for many years. Many people use backlinks from directories to give their websites a boost. It can be a time-consuming task, but the end results are worth it. If you need to drive traffic and increase you rankings in the search engines, then web directory submissions can offer you many benefits.
