Step 16 - Directories

Subject:  

Online directories aren't dead yet

Body:  

Alright, so last lesson I had you "begging friends and family for backlinks.  If you felt comfortable doing that you should have a some inbound links to your website.  Great start!  Let's move on to something that takes a little less social interaction though -- Online directories.

At one time, directories use to be pretty powerful when it came to search engines.  They aren't as powerful as they once were, but they do still hold some weight.  Also, when dealing with local search terms, you shouldn't have a lot of competition so this step might be enough to get you to the top of Google.  Another bonus, there are probably thousands of these free directories online.

When it comes to directories there are two big dogs:

DMOZ (http://www.dmoz.org):  This is the most powerful directory available.  The first step to any backlinking campaign should include a submission to DMOZ.  Just follow their posted instructions (to the letter, they are picky).  The frustrating part is it can take months for DMOZ to approve your submission.  Don't panic and resubmit too many times, check every 3 months and resubmit then if your link hasn't been approved.

The Yahoo Directory (this is separate from the Yahoo search results) is the other powerful directory.  It does entail a cost though.  It is the only paid directory I will suggest to you, and the only one I would personally pay for.  It is a very powerful link, and if you are investing in a Google campaign it is a great place to start.

You can find hundreds of other directories by searching things like "Free web directories" on Google.  To get you started here is a great list:

http://www.addurl.nu/

When you are submitting to these directories they will usually ask for the "title" of your link.  This will be your anchor text, so you should be using your chosen keywords.

***NOTE*** Some directories will require a reciprocal link, you can ignore these ones.  Also do not pay for these directories, they are low quality links that aren't worth the money.

This is a great first step, and can easily be outsourced to friends or family.