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Posts Tagged ‘Directories’

Looking for niche directory submission websites for SEO link building? Find them by using DMOZ. Learn how to search DMOZ to find high quality, on-topic directory websites that cover your industry. Learn more about SEO for your business by checking out Kutenda at kutenda.com.

How can I get PHP to list the directories inside of a directory in a select dropdown input?

Let’s say that inside of directory test, there are 5 files and 2 directories.

I want to display only the directories in a dropdown input box.

How could I do this?

Does adding your site in even small business directories help rank your site higher in search engines?

Or is it best to just stick with the big directories? I guess the question is – the more the merrier – big and small? Both will help your rankings in Google, Yahoo, Dogpile, etc.
Example of what I mean – There are some small rinky dink social networks *that maybe only is run by 1 or two people) with a place to list your business web site – will that also help your ranking.

Webmasters like you and me are always on the lookout to enhance the link popularity of their sites. One method of doing so is to seek out authority sites in your niche – sites that are widely known on the Internet (through the sheer number of back links) and have been around for some time (think more in terms of several years). Unfortunately, such websites are often at a Page Rank of 6+ and as such, link exchange or text link ad placement is very, very expensive. Luckily, there is a cheaper alternative. You can use web directories to not only enhance your search engine visibility (through increased link popularity), but by targeting niche categories and using sponsored listings where necessary, you can get a big jump in your traffic as well. So, let’s get started.

What is a web directory?
A web directory is a collection of links broken down into relevant categories. Think Yahoo! and their directory, the Open Directory Project or even the Google Directory (which, incidentally, is pulled from the ODP). At its most basic level, a web directory is a collection of bookmarks made available to the public. In other cases, like Yahoo, it is a professional resource for people actively looking for information. To get listed in such a directory, you can either get listed for free (which might take a while), or in many cases, pay a one-time fee to have your website reviewed and entered in the directory. One major exception is Yahoo, which charges a recurring fee for its commercial listings, and we’ll look at that later.

The benefits of being listed in a web directory
In theory, there are two main benefits of being listed in a web directory:
* Increased link-popularity due to a one-way link from a highly-respected resource.
* Increased traffic due to being listed in a directory that is searched by many people every day.

In reality though, these benefits are directly related to how popular the directory is itself, and how much money you have paid for your listing. Of course, if the link is for free, there is nothing to worry about. But if you are paying for submission, you need to know some very important facts:

- Link Popularity
As far as link-popularity is concerned, you need to factor in several variables:
* The Page Rank of the directory
* The Page Rank of the category page on which you are listed
* Where you are listed on the page
* The number of competing websites on that page
* If there are other websites in your niche that can offer you the same conditions for the same price or less (very, very important).
The last point is very important from the cost/benefit angle. A web directory, while being a hub itself, is NOT a niche website or an authority site. Even within categories and sub-categories, the lack of valuable content means that web directories are, at the end of the day, link pages and nothing more. Where directories win out is the fact that they require one-time fees. In contrast, authority sites (or most websites with a Page Rank greater than 5 or 6) tend to use text links as a source fo revenue, and thus charge monthly fees. A directory listing then becomes a much better option (but only for link popularity).

- More Traffic
Directory listings are also used as traffic building opportunities. How this works is that many directories are searchable for their visitors, so that users can look for information. In theory this is great – you can get lifetime traffic for just a nominal payment, but you should not expect a sudden deluge of traffic from just one directory listing. Here’s why:
* Most directories, apart from the top twenty or so, are usually used for link-building and not pure searching. This means that while people may use GoGuides or Yahoo for regular searches, you should expect that the smaller directories are mainly for link-popularity, and plan your investment as such.
* Many directories offer listings based on an alphabetical ordering, or a first-come, first-serve ordering. In both cases, your website has quite a big chance of being lost out in the noise.
* Directory-search algorithms differ greatly. Some directories, like JoeAnt, base their search on keyword relevancy (which makes it more of an exercise of stuffing your directory listing with keywords rather than making a good website), while others take a more “editorial” approach by factoring in editor ratings. And still, many directories display sponsored listings first, reinforcing the adage that even on the Internet, it’s your advertising budget that talks, and not necessarily the quality of your website.

After you factor in the above points, you realize that there are only a handful of web directories where it is a definite benefit to “pay” to be listed. And even then, you cannot just rely on just being listed – sponsor listings get much more exposure. But before we discuss these dozen or so web directories, I’d like to tell you how you can make sure your website is accepted.

How to get listed – Overview
Getting listed in a web directory is a function of three things:
- Time: It takes a certain amount of time before an editor can review your website and approve (or reject) your request. This is usually anywhere between a week to almost never (in huge web directories like Yahoo and Dmoz). You can reduce this to within a week by using the paid listing option.
- Money: Apart from Dmoz, the big directories usually require a nominal payment for your website to be listed. While you can calculate the benefit of such a listing from reading the previous section, know that usually there are several listing options, which the better services (that give your website more directory visibility) obviously costing more.
- Quality: In some cases (very rarely nowadays), directory inclusions can be rejected due to the poor quality of a website. Maybe the editor considered that your website was not ‘useful’ enough (meaning it had little or no useful / original / any content), or sometimes, there may be moral issues (although editors are urged to abide by directory guidelines and not personal beliefs). If rejected, you will almost always receive feedback (you might have to ask for it) on how to improve your website.

In earlier days, quality was a big issue. Today, it is still a major concern for top directories like Yahoo, but this is more to separate the truly atrocious from the rest rather than to separate the best from the rest. Each web directory has their personalized criteria, but there are two crucial elements to getting listed:
* Paid Inclusions – Apart from Dmoz, and some directories where you can sign-up to be an editor, the top directories require payment – anywhere from $15 to $299.
* Website Quality – By this I don’t mean design; I’m talking about having truly useful information – even if your website is a commercial website, simply putting up a bunch of affiliate links will not count as a quality website .

As part a Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategy, directory submissions are classed as offsite optimisation and are often grouped within or beside link buying or link building services to generate inbound links to a website.

Some of these directories accept payment for listings, while others are free but many of the good quality directories are human edited. A few examples of good directories are Dmoz, Free Index, Business.com, and the Yahoo directory to name a few. To attain a listing you need to go through a process of filling out applications, requiring distinct categorisation of the website in question and company description that is reviewed by human editors and either approved or rejected (in some cases). This process ensures a website listing on these type of directories has authority and credibility in the eyes of search engines as opposed to those that can be achieved via an automated listing or submission system.

Looking at this from the view of a “search engine spider” a website which is consistently listed in the same or similar category within various directories indicates that the website ‘does what it says on the tin’ and should aid in the process of cataloguing the website correctly within the search engines database. This assists your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts because search engines use directories as a check on websites as well as building good quality back links. Companies which are attempting to promote themselves fraudulently or incorrectly for certain keywords yet are appearing in a totally unrelated category on a directory should be found out through this process. It is likely that your SEO agency will work the directory submissions in accordance with the traffic goals for your website to target users searching for industry or your product related keywords reinforced by the category you appear under within the directories.

Example – A lighting company

When the search engine spider finds a website within the “lighting” category on different directories and the website backs up the categorisation with related content and Meta data, it makes it easier for a search engine to return your web as a result on the search engine results page (SERP’s) for particular keywords without requiring the need for ‘over’ optimisation.

Geoffrey Harris is one such example which has its listings on Dmoz Geoffrey Harris and Yahoo Geoffrey Harris. Despite the page rank of the website being nothing great it appears on a range of keywords related on lighting such as floor lights and wall lights.

One downside to only focusing on directories as opposed to a well thought out comprehensive link building strategy is that there are only a limited number of authority directories available and although these range into the hundreds, for large sites in competitive industries these do often not lend enough SEO power compared with a professional, progressive link building campaign.

An SEO campaign should take into account both directory submissions as well as linking building from websites and other online resources to maximise the potential return from search engine optimisation.

How to increase google pagerank? Every website owner is looking for the most effective ways to improve google pagerank of their sites. I guess you are also among people who want to achieve higher rankings in Google, Yahoo and other popular search engines as fast as possible. So read on this article to find the best and easiest method for quality link building.

How to Increase Google PageRank? – Submit Your Site To Top Web Directories

Directory submission is still popular nowadays. Why? – Because it really works at all points. Just try and you will see how your traffic and pagerank is increasing day by day. Here the main trick is to choose the right web directories for your website or blog.

Here are a few tips:

1.   Choose only the most suitable directories for your site.

Remember the more relevant directory you submit your site to the more targeted traffic you get.

2.   Choose top web directories.

As you know, directory submission is a pretty monotonous process, therefore focus on the best sites to achieve fast results.

3.   Submit your site on a daily basis.

It is not smart to submit your site to top 50 or 100 directories in one day. As you know, Google highly appreciates natural link building.

Conclusion:

Now you know the simple trick how to achieve better rankings in search engines. Start applying this tip just today and get a few hundred quality backlinks to your sites and blogs. More links mean more traffic and better Google rankings.

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Have a problem? Ask in the forum:

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I want an international directory or listing of stores and department stores that sell consumer products like watches, household items, ect.

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