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Are Web Directories Worth The Investment?
Remember the days when the phone book used to be your go-to source for information? It was the first place you checked when you needed a number, or when you needed to find a particular service, like a technician or specialist. An online web directory does the exact same thing, but with internet websites. When you submit a URL for your website and put it on a directory, clients looking for your services can simply look you up under the appropriate heading in the web directory. You add links automatically, with hardly any effort on your part.
But how much of an improvement do web directories really yield? Is it worth the cost to get more visibility for your website? This article will explore the costs and benefits, as well as discussing the mechanics of an online directory in more detail. We will see what happens when you submit a URL, and we'll see what that URL can do for you as part of a full web directory.
How Do Web Directories Really Work?
There are two main types of directory available online. The first is a paid directory, where submissions are approved almost instantaneously. A link to the specified webpage will be placed in the directory, allowing for instant building of backlinks. Free web directories are also available, but when you submit a URL to one of these directories, you can wait as long as six months for an approval and listing.
Although when most companies submit a URL to a directory their links are approved, be certain that your chosen paid web directory will provide you with a full refund if they don't approve yours. It makes no sense for you to submit a URL and pay the full price if your website can't be listed.
Once you submit a URL and it is approved, it should automatically be added to the online directory. Once there, it is widely available in the equivalent of an online phone book, but for URL links instead of phone numbers. It is usually a good idea to provide a short description of your website to encourage users to click through from the directory page. This description works as a mini-ad for your business and can make a huge difference in the amount of traffic your directory listing brings forth.
The SEO Benefits Of Backlinks
Backlinks are inbound links on other sites that lead back to your site. Depending on the quality of the web directory you choose, these can be valuable components in your overall SEO campaign. You may receive 5 new readers a month to your site directly from your links on a directory, but your improved rankings on the search engines from those links could net 50 or more new visitors.
The key is that all web directory links are not created equal. Your links will have more weight in the search engine's eyes if they come from a quality directory. Paid directories typically have greater pull than free ones simply because they monitor carefully the websites they approve in order to maintain their high quality and page rank.
Is It Worth It?
When you submit a URL and add links to a directory, you are boosting your company's search engine rankings. The bottom line: if you add links to your website on web directory pages, you'll see the benefit in your search rankings. It may not be an immediate benefit, but even while your SEO benefit is building, you'll still be getting new visitors from the links in the directory itself. You'll get an increase in traffic and SEO ranking that will keep building over time.
About the Author Christine O'Kelly is an author for Goongee Web Directory, one of the internet's longest running and largest directories. When Goongee decides to add links, they hand edit submissions for optimal quality every time.
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