subject: Directory Submissions - 10 Point Checklist [print this page] There are plenty of things to take into consideration before submitting your business to one of the many online directories. To help out I have compiled a checklist of those important points.
1. Pretty obvious but nevertheless important - is the directory smart in appearance or is it dated, shabby and neglected?
2. Do you want the directory to send visitors to your door or is your submission for the inbound link value to help towards your search engine optimzation (SEO)? This is very important as submitting to a local directory will be of greater benefit if it's actual visitors you want.
3. If your submission is for the purpose of SEO, the value of the link you will receive will be far greater if the site is a high page rank (PR) site. The PR of a site is the overall score that Google gives a site - a PR of 0 will either be due to a site being poor, or being a new site. A PR of 10 is for the big boys like Yahoo and Adobe.
4. Is submitting to the directory free of charge? There are some very good new business directories out there that start their life with free submissions and move on to charging as the site builds. If it's free and you can see its potential, it's worth a submission.
4. There are certainly some directories that can be very expensive so tread carefully. If you have the finances in place, an expensive directory like Yahoo can be well worth the outlay. There are also lots of excellent directories for approximately $40.
5. Is the cost an annual cost or is it one lifetime fee? Make sure you read the small print carefully!
6. Do you get a link with anchor text - a kind of keyword URL, or is it just your usual URL? The link with anchor text is better as it helps the search engines understand what you site is about and therefore aids the process of listing your site for a relevant search term.
7. Do you get a place to write some meaty text about your business or do you only get space for a sentence or two?
8. Does a Google map get included with your listing? These are helpful.
9. Do you get an account where you can update your listing as and when you like? This is an extremely important and useful facility as you may well want to edit some text at a later date.
10. Is the site full of gambling listings? Not a great sign.
Well there you go - 10 important points to help you on your way. I hope this has made the selection process a little easier.
