Times have changed and the rules of SEO have become more complex, as Google has gotten better at deciphering what is good and bad content. However, directory submission can still be an effective way of boosting your website’s ranking if used correctly. In this article, we will look at how to use directories for SEO from 2022 onwards.
What is directory submission?
Directory submission is the process of submitting your website to online directories. By doing this, you are essentially creating backlinks to your website, which can help improve your site’s SEO.
In the past, many people would simply submit their website to as many directories as possible in the hope that it would boost their ranking. However, this is no longer effective and can actually do more harm than good. Google’s algorithm has evolved and can now tell the difference between quality and quantity when it comes to backlinks.
Directories Submission Guidelines
When used correctly, directory submission can be a helpful tool in your SEO arsenal. However, there are a few things to keep in mind if you want to avoid getting penalized by Google:
- Submit to high-quality directories only. For directory submission to be effective, you need to focus on quality over quantity. There are plenty of low-quality directories out there that will do more harm than good. Make sure to only submit to directories that are well-established and have a good reputation.
- Do not spam. This should go without saying, but do not submit your website to hundreds of directories at once. Google will see this as spammy behavior and will penalize you for it.
- Choose your categories carefully. When submitting your website to a directory, you will usually be asked to choose a few categories that best describe your site. Make sure to choose them carefully and only submit the most relevant ones.
How do you find the best directories?
There are a few ways you can go about this. You can use Google to find directories that are relevant to your niche, or you can use a directory submission service that will submit your website to multiple directories for you.
How to complete your submission
Google does its best to discount duplicate content on the internet, and excessive duplicate content in backlinks can result in a penalty.
Therefore, it’s best to write unique content for each directory you submit to. This way, you can avoid any risk of a penalty. If a directory asks for anchor text, go with your company name rather than a keyword. This will help you avoid any potential penalties.
When writing your directory submissions, think about what unique selling points your business can offer. For an American audience, focus primarily on the benefits of your product or service. For the UK or European audience, use a mixture of selling the benefits and describing the features.
How much should I pay for a directory submission?
You should never have to pay for a directory submission. If you come across a directory that charges for submissions, it’s best to avoid it. In general, paid directories are low quality and not worth your time or money.
There are a few exceptions to this rule, however. Some niche-specific directories might charge a small fee, but these are usually worth it if you’re in that particular niche. For example, if you have a website about knitting, submitting to a directory that caters specifically to knitting websites might be worth the fee.
Thus, paying for directory submissions is not generally considered good practice and should be avoided if possible. If you do choose to pay for submission, make sure it’s to a high-quality directory that’s relevant to your niche.
In conclusion, directory submission can still be a helpful SEO tool if used correctly. Keep in mind, however, that it’s no longer the be-all and end-all of SEO and should only be used as part of a larger SEO strategy. Have you used directory submission for SEO? Let us know in the comments below.
What other kinds of backlinks are there?
There are many other types of backlinks that you can focus on, such as guest posting, resource page link building, and broken link building. These are all highly effective methods that can help improve your site’s SEO.
Guest posting involves writing an article for another website in your niche and including a link back to your site. This is a great way to get high-quality backlinks and exposure for your website.
Resource page link building involves finding websites in your niche that have “resources” or “useful links” pages. You can then contact the site owner and ask to be included on this page.
Broken link building is a process whereby you find broken links on websites and then contact the site owner to let them know. You can then suggest that they replace the broken link with a link to your website.
All of these methods are great ways to get high-quality backlinks that will help improve your site’s SEO.
