Link Building Tip: Use New Directories For Free Backlinks
The following is a Link Building Bible guest post from Bill Woosley, owner of vmoptions.com (backlinks below).
There seems to be some myths regarding free web directories and the benefits they offer for backlinks. In this post I will try to clear up some of these myths and offer a few tips to get the most out of your free web directory submissions.
First, it is important to note that high pagerank free web directories get quite a few submissions on a daily basis. These high ranking directories often have backlogs that will take months to clear. I have found many of the people that claim free directory listings are ineffective usually are the same people that submit to only high ranking directories. It would take months for these people to realize any benefit from their free submissions. Being listed in free directories does help offpage SEO, but one must use a different approach to get immediate results.
Besides operating a deep link directory, I also operate a free directory list that contains more then 1,600 SEO friendly general web directories that are free to submit to. This is the same list I submit client sites to, and I constantly update the list. Even though this directory list can be sorted by PR, I always start submitting client sites to the newest free web directories I have. Newly launched free web directories have few listings, a small review backlog, and usually have more favorable listing standards. The bottom line is newly launched free web directories will get your submissions reviewed and posted in a fraction of the time it takes high ranking directories to review free submissions. And because there are fewer competing listings in new directories, the search engines will index your links rather quickly. If you want immediate results from the time you spend submitting to free directories, then you should focus on submitting to the newest directories you can find.
Those that want to improve their PR can take some additional steps to get the most out of their directory listings. Look at the homepage of any free web directory. In many cases there are dozens of sub-categories listed. If your submission is acceptable in any of the sub-categories you see listed on the homepage, submit to that category. PR flows down from pages linked to from the homepage. If your listing is in a sub-category that is directly linked to from the homepage, you stand a much better chance of getting some PR distributed to your site.
It is also important to vary the submission titles, descriptions, submitter’s name, and meta information as much as possible. As with any link building method, it is important that these links look natural to the search engines as well as appealing to anyone viewing the listings. As a standard rule of thumb, I completely change out submission sets every fifty submissions for bulk submissions. For even better results, change submission sets more often. In the long run, this will reduce the likelihood of the links being devalued.
While most agree that free directory listings are not a silver bullet to top rankings for competitive keywords, I can tell you that they are effective. I have a number of sites, under one year of age, that are PR 4’s and rank well for their keywords. These sites have only backlinks from free web directories, and in some of the sites the PR is distributed rather well to internal pages. For competitive niches, web directory submissions are just a small part of a diversified link building strategy.
Tags: backlinks, Link Building, pagerank, Search Engine Optimization, seo
A very enlightening read. Thanks much for the clarifications
I will save this for your links.
Dennis Edells last blog post..Under Promise – Over Deliver For Greater Success
Great advice…..I’ve already put these concepts to good use: applying to as many pages as possible, and trying to be as close to “Top” as one can get, although I also look at the links on the page and if they look too “spammy” (not relevant), I’ll go one category deeper— Also, try to be in as many directories in one’s own niche or key words. (In my case, I try to focus on : weddings, entertainment, music, or “DJs” as the directory topic).
Hi, is http://www.vmoptions.com/submit.php working ? since I tried to submit but the form gave error
Very nice blog though, I am reading it for osme time now and have learned alot.
Thanks Dennis for your kind comments.
Proxy, the submit form works but uses session ID’s to limit spam. This is needed to keep the onslaught of spam to a minimum. Clear your cache and try to submit again. Sessions expire after ten minutes.
I will keep an eye on this post, so if anyone has questions please ask.
Great post and some useful links. I’ve just found your blog so I’ll be refering back to old posts to see what else I don’t know – many thanks
yeah I agree that it is a lot faster to get listed in a new directory because they don’t have so many incoming request…. also they aren’t as picky with submissions…
Learned something new, new directories are good and change the description. I always alter title text but have been leaving the description alone. Good tip. Thanks.
Tampa Blogs last blog post..Upgraded to 2.5.1
I love directories, so this was a great post. Thanks.
Awesome …Thanks for wonder full article …
I will follow the tips and will try to increase my listings
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Nice tip on targeting new directories. On the (vmoptions) free directory link you provided, the “dates” column shows the date the directory was added on your list? and not necessarily the date the directory was started? Just want to clarify. Thanks.
Thanks. Bookmarked, and hopefully it will work for me
Thank you, Iv only just started learning seo so thanks to blogs like this it making things easyer. Iv bookmarked this so i can check back for updates.
Cheers
CycloDS Evolution In Stock UK
Very nice and informative reading. I liked and learn some from this. Thank you. Alos submitted my website to those directories which are really nice. Again thanks
Excellent. I am using vmoption since long and now I know why submission to new directory is very helpful. As you told that in high PR directory there are many request which are in pending and take time so instead we should search for latest and new directory on the net and submit link with different keywords and title.
Right breakaway ?
Thanks
Doesnt matter what anyone says, article and link directories are still very useful for link building.
Webkinz Secret Codess last blog post..Webkinz, a Ganz Website
An interesting article many good directories, which i believe are a very good resource, to submit to with a very easy control panels to master.
Website Design and Search Engine Optimisation SEO services – Birmingham Website Design Services specializing in search engine optimization (SEO), internet web marketing and web advertising to the Birmingham market place
Here’s a new free directory focusing on sites which use valid HTML (but other sites are accepted too). No reciprocal link required, fast approval:
valid8or.com
Great post. I am going to be one of those boring people who is going to go through them all, but when it comes to SEO, you gotta do what you gotta do. Thanks for the directories. I have a quick question: What would you say, is the best way to link build today? blogs are no follow, webmasters do not reply. What would you suggest? as you have probably realised, i am new to SEO aswell….about 1 month in.
Useful post, thanks for the list is very big
Amalfis last blog post..5 Reverse Mortgage Tips to watch out for
New directories are always on the look out for submissions. They are very quick to review the submissions. I have got approval emails several times from directories even before completing the submissions ( we submit several sites to each directory every day). The key is submitting to a directory when it is VERY new.
It sounds like a job for a semi automated tool to to speed up directory submission.
hi,great info.
keep up with your great tips and i got a new knowledge here.
Cheers!
Get the Tenerife Car Rental TIPs
Hey hey Bill…. thanks again for the guest post….
In the bottom right hand corner of a comment, is a “reply” link, and if you click that, it keeps the comment threaded so you can reply to the specific comments you want.
Yes, definitely switch up the titles and descriptions….
You have a provided some very useful information in your blog, so it was a pleasure to contribute.
I found that reply link you noted as well.
That’s correct, the date each directory falls under is when it was added to the list – not when the directory was created. However, the majority of the directories that are added daily are indeed new. They are found from announcements on various forums, submissions to my directory, and other means (E-mail’s PM’s, etc.).
And don’t let the PR of the domains fool you and make you believe that they are established directories. Many of the new directories with PR are using domains they purchased in auction. By the time the next PR update comes around, most of the directories using dropped/auctioned domains will lose most if not all of their PR.