Web directories have been dead for quite sometime. This used to rule the Internet back in the early 2000’s but have since grown out of favor with Google and the other search engines so there is really no point in submitting to them right? Wrong. Let me explain why web directories can still be a part of your SEO plan.
SEO Friendly Link Directories
You’ve seen these directories all over the web. They have names like leetlinks, seolinks or linkjuiceforyoursite and they are all filled with a million categories and a billion links. Stay away from these directories like the plague. They are not going to do anything for your site. These white-washed, generic directories are useless as they have no value for their visitors or you and in most cases will just end up harming your sites rankings.
Niche Directories
These are the directories you want to be a part of. But make sure the niche is on topic with your website. Don’t just spam directories. Now these links won’t boost your website to page 1 on Google, but they will give you a little bit of juice to rank if you are a new site. Submit to these sites sparingly though.
How To Find Niche Directories
You can find these directories pretty easily. Here are a few Google searches to help get you started.
- “my keyword” + “submit site”
- “my keyword” + “add site”
- “my keyword” + “submit url”
- “my keyword” + “add url”
- my keyword web directory
What To Look For In A Niche Directory
- On topic with your site
- Small amount of categories
- Good url without words like “link” “seo” or other spammy words
- Contains links to sites on topic with directory
What To Avoid In A Niche Directory
- Contains categories outside of the niche or topic
- Spammy url that doesn’t relate to topic
- Filled with spam links to Viagara and Gambling sites
- Sites with coding errors on pages
Local Directories
If you website or business serves a specific geographical area, local directories are also a great place to source links. But make sure they are committed to keeping their links to that specific area and not too broad.
Why You Submit To Niche Directories
If you look at your entire SEO plan in terms of starting a fire, niche directories are like the kindling. You can’t have a good fire with just them, but with some good sized logs,a little lighter fluid and a match you can get a good fire going. So if you have a new site and need to start ranking, niche directories are a great way to get the ball rolling.
