Role played by Web Directories in site promotion

Web directories are also sometimes referred to as link directories as well as internet directories. They web directories categorize the websites and provide their links. Most of the web directories also feature the search capabilities. However, they are different from the search engines. A search engine continuously keeps looking for the addition of any new pages or websites to World Wide Web. For this, it has to crawl through the entire web.

Web directories function differently. They don’t display the lists of the web sites or web pages. Instead, they categorize the sites based on the content it features. For example, a website that sells tour packages could be categorized under the travel category. In the same way, a blog website with content related to gadgets could be categorized under ‘gadgets’ category. However, a web directory does not do it directly.

As opposed to search engines that crawl through the web, the webmasters have to reach out to these directories and submit their pages.

With the advancements in the search engine technology, the use of web directories has declined. However, there are still some users that rely on web directories more. Also, they have an important role to play when it comes to site promotion.

The purpose

Many wonder how the web directories enhance the SEO and help in the site promotion. The web directories have two primary purposes to fulfil. The first purpose, of course, is to help the users find the relevant information they are looking for.

But what remains as the most useful purpose today is its ability to aid the SEO campaigns by providing extremely healthy and quality backlink sources. A site that has been added to a renowned web directory stands a good chance of better positioning in the search engine results.

One of the biggest reasons why people use the web directories is because they are looking for advantage in the search engine rankings. Despite the misconceptions surrounding backlinking process, the value of the links that are submitted to a reputable directory has only increased.

If you have a website which has been accepted by the top web directories and the categorization is appropriate, your website will gain more credibility than before. The phrases or keywords you use in the description or title will aid the search engines in locating your website.

In the simplest terms, if your site is well listed on one of the top web directories then your search engine rankings will improve. The strategic positioning of the keywords in your website will become more effective with it.

After submitting your site to the web directory, you may get very little direct traffic from there. However, your search engine positioning will get better provided you have used the right set of keywords in your content. All the top search engines will look at your website positively.

There is one more reason why listing in web directories helps in the site promotion. The top web directories screen the website before approving the submission. They have some strict guidelines. While meeting the guidelines is not difficult, but it does require efforts. So, if your site is submitted to top web directory, search engines like Google will consider it reputable.

Unlike the search engines, the web directory listings are scanned by humans as opposed to the algorithmic bots. This is the reason why they are all the more trustworthy.

Thinks to look for before submitting your site to web directories

You need to be careful because a bad web directory can harm your SEO ranking just as much as a good one can enhance it. Here are some of the things that you should consider before submitting your site to a web directory:

Categorization: Proper categorization of the websites is the most important aspect of any web directory; it is the mainstay of the concept. Browse through the web directory and determine if the sites are appropriately categorized. If they are not, it is best not to submit your site.

Site Listing: Look at the title and description of the listed websites. They should match the content of the site. If it is not matching, it means not enough attention was paid before approval. It would be better to stay away from such a web directory.