subject: Tips For Getting Listed And Benefiting From Human-edited Online Business Directories [print this page] Getting listed in human-edited online business directories has proven to be
one of the most effective Internet marketing strategies if and only if you
can make sure your website qualifies.
What are Human-Edited Online Business Directories?
There are primarily two types of business directories in terms of operation
in the Internet. They may be human-edited or automated. With automated
directories, you simply submit your website and its details to the system and
it will be uploaded as soon as possible, no questions asked. With human-
edited directories, your application will have to be reviewed and approved
before your link could be uploaded.
Pros and Cons of Submitting to Human-Edited Online Business Directories
Human-edited online business directories may or may not provide services free
of charge so cost would not be included in its list of pros and cons.
Pros:
Edited with a Human Touch Because the online business directory is operated
and controlled by humans, websites containing undesirable content and which
have successfully got past search engine spiders will not fare considerably
better once theyre evaluated properly by human editors. As all the links in
the directory are thus considered valuable, your website, if and when it
qualifies, will immediately benefit from improved credibility and reputation.
Automatic Exposure Getting your websites link uploaded will immediately
bring you exposure to people who might not have known about your website in
normal circumstances.
Improved Rankings In terms of link popularity and page ranking at least,
you can definitely see improvement after some time.
Cons:
Processing Time Because youre working with human editors, expect
processing time to be slower than what it could be with an automated online
business directory. If you have provided a free website submission, expect
the directory to prioritize paid submissions over free ones as well.
Ultimately, as long as you dont mind waiting longer than usual to have your
submission approved then theres everything to gain and nothing to lose from
submitting your link to human-edited online business directories.
Tips to Getting Listed and Benefiting from Human-Edited Online Business
Directories
Tip #1 Pay if you can afford it. To expedite the submission process, get a
paid account and you can have your website link uploaded in less than twelve
hours.
Tip #2 If you have mirror websites, do not submit them to the directory. This
will only place you at risk of getting blacklisted by the site. Submit your
main page instead.
Tip #3 Determine the best category for your website. This will ensure that
the right people are seeing your website. If your website falls under more
than one category, however, inquire if you can make multiple category
submissions for one website. Lastly, avoid submitting similar websites to one
category. Stick to one website per category.
Tip #4 Websites with illegal or undesirable content will immediately be
banned. Even if your website is affiliated or linked with such a site, it is
enough to get you banned. Eliminate these affiliations before applying to
avoid trouble.
Tip #5 If your website is under construction or under maintenance, do not
submit it for the meantime to the directory. Fix what needs fixing and when
its up and running, thats the time to make a submission. Readers from the
directory will only be frustrated if they click a broken link and this will
consequently dent the reputation of your website and the directory.
Tip #6 If you are using another language besides English for your website, it
might require you to place your page in a different category altogether.
Tip #7 Read the rest of the terms and conditions provided by the directory to
avoid making any unnecessary violations.
Tip #8 Most human-edited online business directories will require you to
submit a brief but detailed description about your website. Be aware that the
description youll give should be objective and not blatantly promotional. If
you are caught providing information that isnt factual or accurate, this
could also prevent you from getting listed.
When making the description for your website, just focus on its key features
while making no mention of its benefits.
Tip #9 Once your submitted link has been approved and uploaded, visit the
directory to see how it has been categorized, titled, and described. If it
proves to be unsatisfactory, you can usually submit a form indicating the
