How to Submit to Directories
Directories are websites where internet users can go to find websites about whatever topic they’re looking for. As a business owner, it’s really important to have your website listed in directories.
The procedure for listing your website on the various directories is relatively simple, but can be quite tedious and time-consuming to do it thoroughly. The basic steps are:
1. Organize. Put together a list of all general directories, meaning not niche directories but general ones like Yahoo and DMOZ. Next, search for all directories which are niche-specific. If you have an online floral delivery business, for example, you would want to search for all floral website directories.
2. Read and know the rules. Now with your complete list, start with the largest, most well-known directories like Yahoo and DMOZ. It’s important to know each directory’s rules for submissions. They are NOT all the same, and violating the rules can get your website banned from the directory.
3. Make sure you’ve got the correct category. In these large directories, websites are listed by categories and sub-categories. So find the most specific and precise category/sub-category that pertains to your website. That’s where you’re going to submit your website. You can usually do a search for your main keyword and find what category/sub-category your business goes under that way. This is an important step, as adding your website to the wrong category can definitely affect your traffic adversely.
4. Write a great title. Your title should be a short. concise title with no hype and no filler. Just the exact title. Do not put the whole title in capital letters! Your title should include your #1 main keyword, and ideally would begin with the letter “A” or “B”. Many directories list websites in alphabetical order, so it’s always a good idea to set yourself so people can find your website quickly in the directory listing for your category. Be careful, though. If the directory thinks that you just added an A to the title to get listed higher up they could remove it. You may even consider changing the actual title of your website so that the first word begins with the letter “A”. It’s not the most important thing in the world, but it’s something you may want to consider, as your directory title must be the actual title of your website, and not one you just come up with for directory listing purposes. That’s a long-winded way of saying that your directory title must match your website title.
5. Write your description with care. Most directories require you to give a title for your website as well as a description. These steps are VERY important. Doing them incorrectly can violate the terms of service of the directory, and minimally can cost you in lost traffic. Don’t put useless words in your title or description. Do NOT use all capital letters. Your description should be short, concise and unbiased. You should use your main keywords in your title and description. It is very difficult to change your title and description later, so make sure it’s exactly right before submitting it. Write it down on paper first if you need to.
6. Double check. Make sure you do not have typos. Make sure you have followed all the rules of the directory. And make sure that you are in the correct category/sub-category for your business. Now submit your website!
7. Follow up. After a few days you should receive an email from the directory if your site has been accepted. This could take several weeks. You may try to resubmit after a few weeks if you haven’t heard from them.
8. Lather, rinse, repeat. Now go through that entire procedure for each directory on your list you made above.
As I mentioned earlier, this process isn’t difficult. It’s just tedious and can be VERY time-consuming if you intend to submit to many directories. Most people can’t really be bothered going through all of this for more than a few directories. That’s one of the great things about the Dream Team. One of MANY of the services they offer is Directory Submission. And that means directory submission to 3000 directories. They know all the rules of all the directories and have this down to a science. As a business owner you most likely have a lot on your plate, and your time is valuable. Why not let the Dream Team experts handle this for you? For more information or to have the Dream Team get started driving tons of traffic to your website, go to http://websitemarketingdreamteam.com/traffic/.
