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Are Directory Submissions Still Effective for SEO

 

Are Directory Submissions Still Effective for SEO

As the World Wide Web was finding its feet and more web pages were being created, it presented a massive headache. How do people find your website? Strange to think that not so long ago, Google and other search engines didn't even exist! The early solution was to create a website that lists in relevant categories web addresses. The first ever directory was created by Tim Berners-Lee, a simple list of web servers. In the 1990's there were a number of directories created, Yahoo was one of them. They were the go to places to find anything on the internet, until Search Engines became a more popular. Realistically directories have probably had their time in the lime light and will struggle to compet with Google and Bing, but that doesn’t mean to say they still don’t have a relevant place on the web - your target audiences could be using a niche directory that you can tap into!

In the past web directories have been used or should I say ‘abused’ by people to create backlinks to websites to skew the search results on search engines. They were used as link farms, but the abuse created spammy content and websites with poor content would rise to the top of search results. Google became increasingly fed up with the situation, and in 2012 released an update that penalised any website that was deemed to be spamming its search results by having 1000's of backlinks from random sources. The era of risting to the top of Google or Bing based on how many backlinks your website was over. Backlinks are still valid, but from trusted websites, that are linking to your websites if there is relevance in content.

So where has this left the humble web directory...

....and do they still play a part as an SEO tool? The answer is yes and no! Let me explain, the practise of registering your website on as many different directories as possible to generate hundreds or thousands is dead. Today, search engines crawl for quality link backs rather than quantity. So for example Pixel Puppet is a niche web directory that solely focuses on web design (or related industries) that are based in the UK. It is edited by a human (a.k.a. me) and I review the quality of those wanting to be listed on in the directory. I reject all submissions that don’t meet the critieria of the web directory. I personally ensure that Pixel Puppet is 100% relevant and there is only 1 listing per company. As part of my vision for Pixel Puppet, my focus is on the end user, those looking to find web designers or web design companies in the UK. After running a web design agency myself for over 20 years, my customers were only interested in web design companies in the UK or local to them, as they felt it was incredible important to meet face to face with us. They were put off by outsourcing overseas, even if those offshore companies that were cheaper. I write this speaking from my own experience, so it made me think, perhaps setting up a simple directory that promoted web designers to those seeking professional support based in the uk would be beneficial to both parties.

However, I digress from the point here a bit!

Good or safe web directories are ones that are maintained on a regular basis and provide a solution to the end user (not setup just to build backlinks). Decent web directories have a healthy level of monthly visitors, which means that you will be exposing your brand to their visitor base and will attract new sales or business. If the directory provides a no follow link back to your website, that should also give you a healthy up lift in your organic rankings.

Before considering registering your website on web directories to gain the ‘no follow’ link, then stop and ask yourself a few questions before you hit submit.

  • Do they target themselves to your end users, not just the website owners?
  • Do they have high editorial standards?
  • Is the web directory relevant to your business?
  • Do they focus on benefits to your business?
 

The answers to these questions will help you decide if the directory is a safe one. I will create a list of safe web directories and publish on Pixel Puppet in the coming months, as this is something any website owner can do to help with SEO without having to pay an expert.

I hope this article has helped.