No Comments Written by Robert on July 24, 2008 – 5:15 pm

When you submit to a directory, you have to take the time to find the best category for your site. Submitting your site to the wrong category could mean a minimal switch magnitude in traffic if no one thinks to look for you in the category you submitted to.

Also, your site might not be added if you select an inappropriate category. When choosing categories you want to pick one (or two if the directory permits you to do so) that consistently gets listed near the top of results for popular searches and that accurately represents your Web site.

Use the keyword phrases you have gathered to help you identify good categories. If local traffic is important to your business you should look at submitting to the regional categories found on most directories.

You can also look at where your competitors are listed in the directory for an indication on where you should be focusing your efforts. LookSmart’s Travel category contains subcategories including Activities, Destinations, Lodging, Transportation, and so on. These categories are then often broken down further into other categories inside the subcategories. The deeper you go, the more specific the category becomes.

Your site’s ranking in a directory depends on the information you provide the directory in the submission form. As such, it is vital that you review each directory’s submission procedure and tips. Compared to a search engine, you will be asked for much more information when submitting to a directory. The title, description, and any other information you give them during submission are what is used to rank your site. The keyword research you performed for optimizing your website is every bit as important when it comes to directories. You must use your important keyword phrases when filling out the directory submission forms. Again, for best results be sure to review each directory’s submission guidelines!

Preparing your Directory Submission

When submitting to the search engines and directories, take the time up front to develop the submission material carefully. Organize the information in a logical order in a text file. Then, when you go to submit, you can copy and paste the content to the appropriate fields on the submission form.

This approach gives you a starting point and will save you time when submitting your website. You still need to adjust your information for each directory submission, though, because they all have unique submission needs. You need to be careful to follow them to the letter to reduce the risk that a directory editor might switch your submission entry. You want your listing to appear in your words, with no editing!

Be sure to spell-check, check, and recheck everything before you start. Spell-checkers won’t pick up misspelled “works” if that word is also in the dictionary. The information prepared for each web page on the site to be indexed should include:

• URL
• web page title
• 7-word, 10-word, 20-word, 25-word, 50-word, and 100-word descriptions for the web page (different engines allow different lengths of description)
• List of keywords for each web page
• Description of the ideal audience for the site
• Category and subcategory you should be listed under for the different directories you plan to submit to.

Pay Careful Attention to Titles and Descriptions

Pay careful attention to your titles and descriptions. When it comes to supplying a web page title, a directory typically wants you to restrict it to your company name. In some cases, they will provide you with additional direction on supplying a descriptive tagline, however, your company name will be required to accurately represent your company or organization.

Proper punctuation and capitalization is a must. It is a good idea to create a number of different descriptions of varying lengths because the different directories allow different description sizes. Start off by creating descriptions consisting of 7, 10, 20, 25, 50, and 100 words.

Make sure that you use the right length for each directory, because you won’t want it to be altered when it is displayed in search results. Editors are notorious for editing descriptions if your submission does not meet the directory’s guidelines or even a particular editor’s style. When submitting to a specific directory it does not hurt to read the other entries in your category to look for a common theme in the descriptions and then modify yours to follow suit.

Your description should be compelling. When you get your site to appear in the first web page or two results of a search, the description is what differentiates your site from the rest. It is the description that entices a prospective visitor to click and visit - or pass by and go to a more exciting site.

Always use keywords in your description. Apply the most important keywords first because keywords used farther along in the description are generally given less weight by the major search engines. If possible, use keywords in combination with other keywords, but make sure your description flows naturally. Round off your description with a call to action. It is amazing how many people do what they are told.

Pay Careful Attention to All Fields on the Submission Form

When submitting forms to directories, be careful to fill in every field on the form. Some of the directories reject your registration automatically if you have not filled in all the blanks. When you have to choose categories, select them carefully. It would be a shame to have a great product, great price, and a great site, but be listed in a place where your potential customer would never think about looking for you. I cannot emphasize this enough: read the FAQs or instructions first to guarantee that you understand exactly what information is being requested.

Proofread your submission at least twice before you hit the Submit button. It isn’t quick or easy to switch listings if you make a mistake. Your listing might be wrong for quite a while before it gets corrected. To switch a listing you typically either have to contact a category editor directly or fill out a switch request form.

More Directory Submission Tips

It generally takes longer to be indexed in a directory because you have human administrators who review every web page submitted before adding it to the database. Make sure your web page contains quality content, is easy to use, is visually appealing, is free of errors and is free of performance issues such as a poor load time. It is the administrators who decide if your web page is worthwhile before they include it. web pages that do not meet the needs of the administrator will not be added to the directory - whether or not you abide by best practices in website development can make or break you when it comes to getting listed in directories.

Consider Yahoo!’s directory.

Yahoo! won’t add you if you have Under Construction signs on your site. Yahoo! likes sites that are complete, contain good, pertinent information, are aesthetically pleasing, and are easy to use. Before you submit, be sure to check if you’re already in their directory. You may not want or need to submit your site if you’re already where you want to be. If you are in their directory, but want to switch the information displayed, then you can fill out a form located at http://add.yahoo.com/fast/switch that is specifically used for changing information already listed in the directory.

The following are some other tips to remember when submitting your site to Yahoo!:

• Remember, your submission counts for almost everything here, so do it right. Yahoo! is a directory, not a search engine. creating your site to be search engine friendly means very little here.
• Make sure that what you submit is actually what your site is about. Yahoo!’s administrators will review your site, and if they feel the description you provided does not match your site, you will not be added to their directory.
• Keep your description to 150 characters or less, and use descriptive keywords that fit naturally inside the description. Yahoo! reserves the right to modify your description if they see fit. You’re the only one who knows what information is important to have included in your description, so you probably do not want Yahoo!’s administrators to modify your description, because you might lose an important part of your description, resulting in less traffic. Keep in mind that Yahoo! does not like submissions that sound like an advertisement - they like concise, pertinent information.
• Submit a short, relevant title, not something such as “The Best Gardening Site on the Web.” Be sure to use descriptive keywords in your title as well. That way, when searches are performed, your web page title will be referenced.
• When submitting, develop your web page title and descriptions to use keywords in combination with others as this can also give you a boost. Check out your competitors to see who’s on the top and what they’re doing right.
• If you’re looking for local traffic, then submitting to a regional category might be a good approach for you.
• Don’t fill out the submission form using ALL CAPITALS - they hate that. Use proper grammar and spelling. Before you submit, be sure to check and recheck your submission.
• If your domain name contains keywords, you can benefit here. Keywords can help your web page stand out when a user performs a search on a keyword that is in your domain name.