In my previous post, I laid out the importance of having quality backlinks to a website. Submitting a website’s URL to Search Directories is the easiest and most popular way to get quality backlinks.
If you are a beginner, there is bound to be some confusion between “Search Engines” and “Search Directories” initially. One should know that the process of submitting to a search engine and a search directory is completely different.
Search Directories VS Search Engines
- Submission to Search Engines involves providing the website URL to a fixed link provided by search engines. While, submitting to a Search Directory involves drilling down to the most appropriate category and submitting details like title, keywords, description and URL of the website.
- Unlike search engines, Search Directories don’t send out search bots to index new websites. However, search directories do send out bots to ensure that the websites are live.
- Search Directories don’t index web pages. They index web sites and include them in the appropriate categories with a Title, Description & URL link.
- Search Directories don’t store information from web pages within their site. They only store the data submitted to them by the site owner.
- Search Directories give out search results to readers based on the relevant Title & Description of the website instead of website content.
Types of Search Directories:
Search Directories are usually edited by humans, i.e. after submitting a websites details, a person from the other end visits your website to verify the details you have submitted to them. If your submission complies with their guidelines, your website gets listed in the search directories with a link back to you.
Free Directories:
Free Search Directories list your website and link back to you free of cost. However, it can take anything from a week to a few months for your listing to appear in the directories. The reason for this is, all submissions are edited manually and these free search directories receive thousands of submissions every day.
Reciprocal Directories:
Reciprocal Search Directories list your website provided you link back to them. I.e. your website contains a link back to their website. In this case, your listing may appear in the directory within 24 hours or as soon as someone from other end verifies a link back to them.
Paid Directories:
Paid Search Directories list your website for a recurring monthly, annual or one off fee. The listing usually appears within 24 to 72 hrs of payment.
Deep Link Directories:
Deep link Directories link back to one or more inner pages of your website. Deep link directories can be free, paid or reciprocal in nature. Having a good number of backlinks for the inner pages of a website helps distribute PR across the website.
Bidding Directories:
Bidding Search Directories are not as popular as the above four directories. Here, webmasters have to bid against each other to maintain key position for their keywords.
November 4th, 2009 at 5:29 am
Hi Kittu,
Very useful tips for newbies, these days blog commenting is becoming a substitute for paid and reciprocal directories, its the best way to get link back to your web page.
November 7th, 2009 at 9:26 am
It sure is, but its no use submitting to blog with no-follow links, which most of the blogs are today. Submissions and back linking help only if you submit to high quality, niche sites, which are also do- follow. Steer clear of submission to low quality blogs/ sites.
November 8th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
Anyway.. Reciprocal Directories.. Does it really work to boost rankings?
I always heard, it’s an outdated technique .. !
November 9th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Reciprocal Linking is still very much in use. I remember asking the smae question in forums. You can build reciprocal links to a certain extent, but not hundreds & thousands of them. In the end, along with quality, the total number of links do matter. According to me, 2 -3% of your total backlinks can be reciprocal links from good PR directories.