Directory Listing Tips and Strategies
Getting Directory Listings
- DMOZ – You get one shot to get listed in DMOZ (at least once every 6 months). So you need to make sure your site is completed before you submit. The DMOZ editors love sites with great content so make sure you have plenty of solid information before you submit. When you your site is complete, submit it to the proper category and wait.Submitting to the wrong category will cause nothing but delays as your site gets passed from one editor to another.I have had sites get listed in 2 weeks and others have taken the full 6 months. DMOZ will not notify you if your site has been rejected, but if more than 6 months have passed you can assume you didn’t make the cut.
You can try emailing your category editor but you will find that few emails to editors will elicit a reply. You can check the Resource Zone to determine if your site is in the queue but it will not speed the process.Before you resubmit you will need to evaluate your site to make sure your site has the type of content DMOZ is looking for in their listed sites.
- Yahoo – Yahoo, like DMOZ, expects your site to be a finished product with good content. However, since they are taking your money, only in the worst of sites will not get in the yahoo directory. If you get rejected, Yahoo will give you a second chance at a listing.If your site gets rejected, take that time to fix your site and resubmit.
- Miscellaneous small directories – In almost every market niche there is are many directories that you can submit your site. However, there is somewhat of a cottage industry that has developed around directory listings. The game is to create a directory and build its Pagerank to a level where websites are willing to pay $25 to $200 per year for a listing.Some of these directories are now being banned or discounted by the search engines so be carefully to only submit to quality directories.Before you pay for a listing at one of these sites you need to determine your strategy. Are you looking for a listing to boost your page popularity or drive traffic? You’ll also need to look at the importance of the directory in your industry to help drive your decision.
In some industries a listing may be a stamp of approval from an important site, in other industries it is just another link that may bring in a few visitors and boost your pagerank.
- Use an Expert - There are several people that specialize in directory listings, for a fee, you give them your URL and they do the rest. Often these people are editors at the directories so they have an inside track on getting your site listed fast.
