Submit Your Site To Directories And Optimize
Your Search Engine Ranking

   Your site should consist of at least 20 - 30 pages of unique content.

   The site should be up and running 24 hours/day and 7 days/week.

   All links are working and there are no “under construction” pages.

   Affiliate links are ok, but it's not a good idea to submit a site that is
     cluttered with affiliate links and nothing else.

   Make sure that your site isn't already listed in the directory.
 

   The URL of your site in the following format: http://www.yourSite.com/ 

   A short and descriptive title for your website -- this could also be your
     company name. Don't use any promotional language in your title or your
     submission might be denied.

   A short description of your site. The description shouldn't be longer
      than ~ 20 words. Again, no promotional language.


To avoid typos, copy/paste this information into the submission form of the directory.

Save the text file for future submissions to other directories.
 

   Yahoo: Yahoo charges $299 for a review of your site, which doesn't
      guarantee an inclusion in their directory. Once your site is in the Yahoo
      directory, you have to pay a recurring annual fee of $299.

      Yes, you are right, Yahoo is pricy. In my opinion, getting listed in Yahoo
      is not necessary for a small business.
 

   DMOZ -- The Open Directory: This is probably the second most
      important directory and submission is absolutely free. The only
      drawback is, that it takes ages to get listed -- it can easily take 3-6
      months. Still, I highly recommend you submit to DMOZ, you can only win.
 

   Looksmart: The value of this directory has diminished lately, because
      they lost their contract with MSN. Looksmart charges a combination of
      an annual listing fee plus pay-per-click charges. In my opinion
      Looksmart is too expensive for the value it provides.

      Still, you can get into Looksmart without paying via the Zeal directory.
      Zeal is a high quality directory and I highly recommend you submit
      your site.

      Before you can submit your site, you have to pass a little test -- don't
      worry, it's really easy, you have all the time you need and you can try
      as often as you want. While doing the test, keep the guidelines open in
      a separate window, that way you shouldn't have any problems to
      answer all the questions correctly. 

      Important: Zeal doesn't accept any commercial sites. So, the best
      strategy is to create 20-30 quality content pages (without any affiliate
      links, Google AdSense...), then you submit your site to Zeal and once 
      it's accepted you can start your monetization program.
 

2. Second tier directories 

A link from a second tier directory is regarded as less valuable than one from a major directory. On the other hand, second tier directories offer very interesting advantages:

   Getting listed is very cheap and for many directories you can even
     get a free listing

   It is fairly easy to get listed.

   You can get a link at a higher level, which is more valuable -- that's
      more difficult with a major directory. For example, a listing in the
      category "Guitars" is better than a listing in the category
      "Guitars-Electric Guitars-Fender Guitars".


These directories are an easy and cheap way to optimize search engine ranking and to get more traffic. They offer the best value for your time and money.


Paid second tier directories:

   JoeAnt
   GoGuides
   Business.com
   Gimpsy
   Blue Find
   Skaffe.com
   Seven Seek
   Wow Search Directory

I recommend you get listed in 2-3 of them. The listing fee per directory shouldn't be more than ~ $30.


Free second tier directories:

Take a look at Best Web Directories and submit to as many directories
as possible.
 

3. Niche directories 

List with niche directories that are specific to the theme of your web site. The search engines will give you some "extra points" for these highly specific inbound links. Incoming links from quality niche directories are one of the most powerful ways to optimize search engine ranking.

The best way to find great niche directories? Use Search It!

Search It! is a free tool that allows you to perform all kinds of searches: keywords, competition, monetization models, profitability... An amazing tool and most probably the only search utility you will ever need.

Ok, click here to open Search It! Select "Specialty Hubs and Directories" from the drop-down menu, labeled as: "Step1: Select Search Category"

From the "Step2: Select Search Type" - drop-down menu, select one of the options -- for example: Google Wide -- I suggest, you experiment with several of the options to find the best niche directories.

In Step 3, enter your most important keyword (for example "Fender Guitars") and finally in Step 4, enter a second keyword of similar or wider scope (for example "Guitars"). For detailed instructions, click the "Click here for information..." link on the Search It! tool.


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