Increasing a websites visibility in the natural search engine rankings is vital for profitable search engine marketing and for the long term success of your website. That it is because being listed on page one of the search results for your targeted search phrases results in increased visitors to your site. Furthermore, utilising simple search engine optimisation techniques is the most cost effective way to produce positive results, not just for now but for the future as well.

Whilst there a host of factors that is built into search engine algorithms which will determine the ranking of your site, undoubtedly the links in to your site remains one of the most important elements.

Building links into your site can be achieved in a variety of ways and from a variety of sources. There isn’t one right or wrong answer as to which is the best source, rather a little bit of everything will produce the best results for most sites.

When it comes to building links, submitting to web directories remains an effective and relatively low cost way to generate links to your site. It is true that web directories have received some unfavourable press over the last couple of years. However this is due to the rise in number of directory owners that bought cheap domains and hosting, set up a directory, crammed the site full of adverts and then left it rot in cyberspace. By avoiding these directories and following the tips below you should avoid wasting time, effort and money on fruitless directory submissions.

Directories that offer free listings seem like they are good value for money because there isn’t a cost for getting listed. Unfortunately most of the spam directories sit in this category. That said free directories are a great way to build a volume of links from a variety of sources and shouldn’t be dismissed.

To get the best results avoid sites that have a high number of irrelevant adverts. In particular where they are placed close to action buttons, where an inadvertent click would generate a small amount of income for the directory owner. I also tend to avoid directories with a dot info domain name as there are hundreds of these directories set up each month due to the low cost of the domain name. I have never seen a quality directory with this type of domain.

To save your own time it may well be worth paying for a directory submission service to submit to free directories on your behalf. There are plenty of services listed on the forums and check out those that have received positive feedback from other users. By using such a service you can focus your valuable time on submitting to paid directories.

Submitting to paid business directories tends to provide a higher quality of link. Fees can range from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars. For this reason it is important to submit your site yourself manually. I would not recommend using submission software for these directories. The price usually reflects the quality and popularity of the directory, though this isn’t always the case.

Review each site on its merits and consider whether the price seems reasonable and fits into your overall marketing budget. I’d suggest submitting to several of the top directories each month and work your way through your list. There are numerous lists available but look for qualities such as longevity, page rank, mozrank and alexa traffic rank.

Next submit to sector specific directories. These are fewer in number but offer very relevant links that will help your site be viewed as an authority in its field. Use search engines to find such directories as there aren’t many lists featuring these niche directories.

Finally submit to local directories that focus on your country, county, region or town. That way you’ll build up links from sites that will increase your reputation in your geographical area. These are also more useful for providing increased direct traffic and customers as well as improved search rankings.

So in summary have your site submitted to free directories for a volume of links, avoiding sites full of irrelevant ads with dot info domain names. Spend time submitting to a few quality, paid business directories each month. Search out sector specific and local area directories to add the finishing touches to a quality directory submission campaign.

Carl Fletcher writes for Indexed Results, the web directory specialist.

Carl Fletcher writes for Indexed Results (http://www.indexedresults.com), the web directory specialist.

Author Bio: Carl Fletcher writes for Indexed Results, the web directory specialist.

Category: Marketing
Keywords: free directories, business directories, sector specific directories, niche directories