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Are Website Directory Submissions SEO Friendly or Unfriendly?
By Sulumits Retsambew of Sulumits Retsambew Canada SEO
A particularly daunting task for anyone attempting to promote their website and improve link popularity through search engine optimization or SEO, is submitting the website to directories, indexes or portals. Link popularity is based on how many other websites link back to it and is used as part of the major search engines to calculate ranking or SERPs. Many directories incorrectly call themselves a search engine which is done to make their company look more credible and cash in on the phrase. There are only a half dozen major search engines so having a service claim to submit to thousands of so called search engines is another marketing ploy. If the decision is made to use such a service ask to see their list of “search engines” including a report of how websites are submitted as there is more to submitting websites than adding the website URL. The other misconception regarding submissions is that it must be done repeatedly. This is true about submitting to different directories that are independent of one another aren’t part of the same IP addresses, but most directories and search engines will consider this spam which will result in the website being banned. Any SEO company that claims to submit websites on a monthly basis is basically getting paid for performing a non-service and is not a credible firm. A website has only to be submitted once to the major search engines to be entered into their data bases and eventually be indexed. When submitting to directories it is important to look at a few aspects of the directory structure. Thousands of directories are currently online and more going live everyday because it is construed as being an easy means to generate revenue without much effort. As a result, perhaps only 10% of them are potentially viable and worth submitting to while the rest are link farms and email harvesting setups with no desire to add a quality service to the Internet. Most directories also use a popular catch phrase known as “SEO Friendly” although most aren’t even aware what the phrase means or how to make their directories comply with the term. Quality directories will have a minimal amount of advertising on any page, be easy to navigate and allow free link submissions without the need for a reciprocal link back to the directory. Directories that claim to be free yet still make it mandatory to reciprocate with them are not free. Changes in the value system associated with link exchanges have made them unnecessary and less desirable than obtaining a one way link. With reciprocal links, both partners have to maintain a live link to each other for any benefit with the potential for broken links resulting if one or the other website goes offline. Recent changes in Google have decreased the weight associated with these exchanges so instead of gaining a valuable backlink from another website, each link basically cancels each other out. One of the most critical items to check for in a directory is whether they incorporate a “nofollow” tag to their listings. Including this reference in a URL will render the link useless to Google as they will recognize the link but not follow it to the website listed. This is done to improve the directory’s rankings or as a ploy to force clients to pay for a backlink. Payment is no guarantee as there are plenty of instances where clients have discovered a “nofollow” tag attached to their listings. Checking the directory source code for “nofollow” can help avoid being scammed. Some directories require setting up an account and for those it is recommended that a throw-away email account be setup because there can also be an influx of unwanted junk email or spam. A disposable account allows for registrations and confirmation emails without the worry of receiving unsolicited offers. Yahoo, Google and Hotmail are examples although for the website submission itself, directories ask for a domain related email address, so it’s important to have suitable account set up for that. Submitting to directories is a necessary process if a website is going to rank well in the search engines and develop web traffic to sustain it. As with any online activity or pursuit, it’s always prudent to investigate a service or company to confirm its integrity. Legitimate firms will make it easy to contact them with questions regarding their services and will provide job quotes at no charge. Avoid SEO or Internet marketing companies that make extreme claims or guarantees as to where and how their services will place any website on the major search engines.
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Contributor's Note
My goal is to post as much relevant information regarding website optimization (SEO) that is timely and accurate in order to dispel some of the outdated concepts about the optimization process based on my own experience as a serious SEO enthusiast.
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SEO Kosher - Sulumits Retsambew Campaign
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The copyright for this content entitled "Are Website Directory Submissions SEO Friendly or Unfriendly?" has been specified by the contributor as:
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This content may not be copied, distributed or adapted by anyone under any circumstances.
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This intel was contributed by loonattic
loonattic
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May, 2012
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