Internet Marketing News – Search Engine Marketing

We’ve been talking recently about how web directory submissions are essential for making sure you stay ahead in the search engine rankings … and also why quality trumps quantity for directory submissions every time! We’ve been looking at what makes a good directory; today we’re going to hop the fence and check out how to diagnose a bad directory. Bear in mind as you read that each of these characteristics, taken alone, does not definitely signal that a directory is ‘bad’. For instance, DMOZ is just about the most general directory on the web. However, when you start combining three or more of these characteristics on a single site, Google starts to get a sense that a directory’s intentions may not be honorable. At worst, that can actually affect your site’s rankings; at best directory submissions to these sites are a waste of time. Here are the magical 10 signs and signals!

They’ll take anybody
As a website owner, I’d prefer not to be listed on the same page with websites that install spyware, promote illegal activities, online pharma, adult or gambling sites.

Have a Premium membership option
Many sites where you can pay for better placement are frowned upon at Google.

Marketed on their link juice, not their traffic
Directories are great for link building, but should primarily be aimed at people! If a directory is well-trafficked, Google is unlikely to shut it down. If the site you’re considering a directory submission to is strangely silent on the matter of traffic and visitors, take it as a warning sign.

Marketed to webmasters, not site owners
Just like every other community on the web, webmasters have their own special places that they hang out. If directories have a lot of links placed in the ‘webmaster neighborhoods’, they are often more manipulative than useful.

They demand reciprocal links
If a directory wants you to link back to it, your directory submission is a waste of everybody’s time … including the site your submitting to!

They cater to many different categories
As we explored in earlier posts, directories about niche subjects are far more likely to be respected by Google (and not earn you a penalty for doing directory submissions to them!).

In many areas of your life, it isn’t possible to make up for a lack of quality, by simply overdoing the quantity of something. Your SEO results are the same – when you’re trying to build link popularity by submitting to web directories, you need good quality sites, in sufficient quantity to make a difference to your rankings. However, it isn’t always possible to tell just by look and domain name which directories are the ‘quality’ ones! Today we check out 5 more criteria that you should run through before submitting to web directories.

Is the directory unique?
Is it structured like, designed like, and filled with the same quotient of websites as every other directory in its niche? A directory that is hand built, created for a specific purpose and human-edited is more likely to be a value submission to web directory than a straight DMOZ clone.

Offers something useful
You will certainly find a use out of any directory … boosting your link profile! You need to ‘swap hats’ for this exercise, though. If you were looking for information (on any subject), would you find this directory useful? Does it include good quality sites, is the information easy to find, and does it provide plenty of supporting content beyond a simple link?

Refuses certain classes of sites
If your business isn’t in the ‘adult’ industry, chances are that you would prefer not to be listed alongside those sites in a directory. Even if you don’t really mind, Google is likely to.

Professionally created
A couple of good signs that the directory you’re considering is a professional:
* There are no deliberate spelling mistakes in the domain name (kwik instead of quick, etc)
* Designed well
* Has a Contact form, Privacy Policy, etc

Does the directory itself rank well?
You should at least check when submitting to web directories that it ranks for its own name. Failure to rank for its own domain name is a sure sign that the site has a Google penalty of its own, and that will certainly not help your rankings!

In our day-to-day lives, search engines are far more frequently used for finding info and businesses than web directories. Yet, the fact remains that web directory submissions have been a cornerstone of an effective link-building strategy for many years. Even with the possible advent of the semantic web, the top SEO experts can’t see the value of link popularity in the Google algorithm being downgraded anytime soon. However, web directory submissions can be a bit of a hit and miss affair if you don’t know which sites to target. Listing your site in some directories could even earn you a Google penalty! Today we check out the 5 criteria for making sure that your web directory submissions land in a ‘desirable neighborhood’!

The directory is selective
Ideally, your web directory shouldn’t let just any old site in. You don’t want virus-laden sites, sites that could be illegal in some countries across the world, and sites without any real content sitting next to your business site. A couple of good examples of selective directories are Yahoo and DMOZ; the reason they are selective is because humans actually go to the site and review it before inclusion.

Built for people to use
If the list is actually useable for humans, the search engines will view it in a much better light. The ‘link juice’ that you get from those web directory submissions will be worth much more.

Specific in nature
We already have a general list of every site on the web … it’s called Google. The more general a web directory is, the less valuable it will be to list your site on it. General directories can still have some SEO value, but you’ll get both real human clicks and traffic, as well as a link popularity boost from the specific directories.

The directory itself has a good link profile
If plenty of other sites around the net feel that a directory is worthwhile enough to link to, you will get much better SEO value from your web directory submission to it.

On a trusted domain
The ultimate example of this is the Yahoo Directory itself. Your web directory submission to Yahoo is valuable because the www.yahoo.com domain already has enormous trust and authority.

Search engine submission is a widely misunderstood topic in Internet marketing. Some people believe submission is necessary for your site to even be indexed by Google. Still others believe it is completely unnecessary. Both are right … if you just take the extremist edge off the opinions! The truth about search engine submission is:

* Eventually, the ‘bots’ or ‘spiders’ of major search engines will find your site on their own. This may take up to a month.
* Not all search engines have the ability to automatically discover other websites.
* If you have an ‘orphan’ page, which is linked to from no other place on the web and must be accessed by typing in the URL directly, it may never be indexed by the search engines.

There are still benefits to search engine submission, and these are most apparent for businesses that are either just starting up, or have made major changes to their websites. If you don’t want to wait a possible thirty days for the search engines to find you (and being listed for longer does help bump up your rankings), manual submission is a good idea. Similarly, if your site is well established and you have made a major change, you should submit the updated version of the website to the search engines so they don’t show an out-of-date cached copy of your page to querents, and you don’t get a bunch of visitors searching for things on your site that aren’t there.

Today we are looking at the top fifty search engines that a good search engine submission service will include your site on. If the ‘big four’ have automated link discovery, good for them … there are still more than fifty others that do not!

1. Google
2. Yahoo! Search
3. Bing
4. Open Directory
5. ScrubTheWeb
6. ExactSeek
7. EntireWeb
8. SearchSight
9. Cuil
10. Web World
11. Skoobe
12. A1 Web Directory
13. VieSearch
14. Link Centre
15. LinkSite
16. IllumiRate
17. Dramba
18. Directory Storm
19. Arakne Links
20. Info Listings
21. Amfibi
22. Info Tiger
23. AMRAY
24. Wikidweb
25. My Directory Live
26. IS
27. SurfSafely
28. What U Seek
29. BusinessSeek
30. Ablaze Directory
31. NewWebDirectory
32. Domaining
33. SonicRun
34. Pedsters Planet
35. ASR
36. Gimpsy
37. AbiLogic
38. CyberWebSearch
39. OneMillionDirectory
40. Amidalla
41. Triple W Directory
42. Finest 4
43. Submit
44. Wondex
45. NetInsert
46. The Living Link
47. 01WebDirectory
48. Clock Tower Studio
49. Search Web World
50. Cipinet

Search engine submissions are one of the first steps that should be taken in an SEO campaign … don’t let misguided information stop your business thriving on the net!

In Google’s eyes, relevancy is king. Everything must be related. In some ways, it is like a mental disorder or compulsion! However, when it comes to Internet directory submissions, there are always a few prominent exceptions to the rule. If you are submitting your website to directories, you should look within your niche. However, there are also quite a few general web directories that are essential for all businesses to submit their site to. We’ve explored the topic before – now we complete the big list of essential Internet directory submissions.

Merchant Circle

With a free directory listing, the Merchant Circle site will usually get your site to the Google top ten for your business name, even when your site itself isn’t ranking that high. This is an essential directory for startups to submit to.

Yellowpages.com

If all of your customers come into the store, and you don’t offer online sales of any kind, then Yellowpages is a website that you must be on. There are millions of searches made on Yellow Pages every week, and even if you never see any website traffic from the listing, you could actually be seeing plenty of business from it.

Business.com

This Internet directory submission costs the same as a Yahoo Directory listing; however most of its value comes from the search engine ‘juice’ it generates. Companies generally don’t see a high proportion of human traffic coming in via Business.com … but after all, search engines drive 80% of the traffic to a given website anyway.

Pegasus Directory

When a site ranks well in Google for its on terms, it bodes well for its listers. Add an Internet directory submission to the Pegasus Directory for a few human visits as well as good search engine juice – it is human edited.

LinkCenter

This UK site is a paid one with a Pagerank of 3, and takes a fairly unique stance among directory sites of not allowing gambling listings or adult sites. They aim for a family-friendly feel, and this should be worth the Internet directory submission fee for corporate and kids’ sites. Nice interface compared with other directories, as well.

What to avoid

More is not always better, when it comes to Internet directory submissions for your website. If you hang with the wrong crowd, Google is likely to peg your site as a delinquent. Look out for these shady directory tactics to avoid being penalized for no good reason:

* Different directories run by the same owners
* Different directories hosted on the same IP address
* Directories with duplicate category structures
* Directories that have previously been penalized by Google.

Incoming search terms:

• merchantcircle internet directories