Submit to Web Directories to Increase Search Engine Rankings

Submission to web directories has been one of the oldest methods to increase search engine rankings of a site, which is still working. This is an SEO strategy that many websites consider to get targeted traffic to their websites. Such submission could be quite useful if they're done at the right web directories. One good reason for such benefits will be revealed to us when we check out the backlinks of some websites with high Alexa ranking at this search engine.

Usually when you use such services, you can submit one page to several directories. Therefore, this will be a good opportunity to enhance the search engine ranking of that particular page for the keywords in your mind. But there are certain steps that you should take before you submit to web directories. I explain them here at this article for you.

Keyword Research Before Submission to Web Directories

You should conduct a keyword research to for the page you'd like to submit. Then, when you finalize a decision on which phrases to target for that particular page, you can start optimizing that page for it. Here the question will be how to optimize such a page.

Keywords are the road map to the search engine rankings. So, you should use them at your title and close to the beginning of the title tags. Then, you use them at least at headings 1 to 3 of the page. Again, the best practice will be to use it close to the beginning of the headings. After that, an optimized copywriting skill is required to write a webpage content with those keyphrases in it.

Keep in mind that there are some other measures that you can take to enhance that particular page from inside your site like strengthening the linking structure of your site. You can link to this certain webpage from inside your site. When you are explaining some topic, make a link to this page using the key phrase as links. This has a great impact on the importance of that certain keyphrase at your site.

Often the SEO service providers, who are in directory submission, don't write such pages for you and only perform the submission job. It's your duty to do this before you hire such submission service providers. Do not skip this step as it's the prerequisite step to the submission work.

Which Web Directories to Submit to?

1) Yahoo Directory

Yahoo is the web directory the link of which can boost your search engine rankings in Google. When you get a link from Yahoo directory, many other web directories add a link to your page too. The sites indexed at this directory are well categorized by its powerful team of human editors. Of course, the submission doesn't mean you're listed.

An amount of US$299 (nonrefundable) is paid for evaluation. If you're approved, your link will be uploaded. If not, your money will not be refunded. So, take a lot of care before you submit to them to make sure you comply with their rules.

2) Open Directory Project (ODP)

DMOZ, ODP or Open Directory is another web directory that is free, but you cannot accelerate their inclusion process. On the other hand, as human editors work in that directory to index your site, they will include any description that they deem fit for your site. Of course, you can write to them if you disagree with it, but it takes a lot of time to get answer form them. Yet, Google gives a lot of credit to your site if you get a link from them.

You have to wait for a long time till you receive an approval from them. It's worth submitting to them, because Google and Yahoo Search will use their listings. Also other web directories use DMOZ listings.