Directory Placement Guide

Search Engine Placement Guide

Paid Placement Guide

What Else Placement Guide

Directory Placement Guide

Use this Directory Placement Guide to help get your web site listed in popular directories such as Yahoo, LookSmart, DMOZ, AOL, etc.

• First off, be sure you have read and fulfilled the Placement Checklist for the web site you want to list.
  
  
• Next create a title, description and keyword list for the directory to use when placing your site.   Make sure to adhere to the guidelines set up by the particular directory you are submitting to.  In general you want all to very brief and very similar to your META tags.  Make them very keyword rich.  Consider using "A" or "B" or even a number as the first character in your title to improve placement.  Be sure not to make it ambiguous.  Much of the traffic from directories still comes from keyword queries of that directory, so keywords are still more important than alphabetical placement.  Here are some examples of what a blue cheese web site may use.
  
  Title:  Blue Cheese Dressing and Blue Cheese Recipes
  Description:  Blue cheese dressing and blue cheese recipes can be found here at blue-cheese-dressing.com.  Our blue cheese salad dressing recipes are rated by blue cheese connoisseurs like you.
  Keywords:  blue cheese dressing, blue cheese recipe, dressing, recipe, blue cheese, dressing, recipe, salad, dip, recipes
  
  
• Next, head straight for Yahoo!.  Yahoo! is by far the most important directory or search engine for a web site to get high placement in.  Many successful web sites claim that Yahoo! is their #1 source of traffic and that it refers more traffic than all other search engines and directories combined.  Of course this is all relevant to placement.  Because of the importance of Yahoo!, we suggest the Business Express submission that Yahoo! offers for all commercial web sites.  The cost is $199.  The Business Express terms of service can be found here.  Business Express FAQ can be found here.  Yahoo! explains how to submit to their directory here.  There is a free submission option also but it does not get a web site listed near as often.
  
  
• Make sure your site does not already appear in the directory.  Do a search for the domain name or URL to find out if it is already listed.
  
  
• Find a category for your site.  Try to be specific when you choose a category and find the best possible category.  Failure to submit to the proper category may result in your site being listed somewhere that doesn't get you hits.  Do a search for the most popular specific keyword for your web site and see what category those sites are listed in.  If it is the appropriate category than submit your site.  There should be a "Suggest a Site" link somewhere on the category page.
  
  
• Make sure to pick the "Business Express" option for Yahoo! or other premium submission options in other directories.  Use the free submission options only if you can not pay to get your site listed.  Premium submissions usually get your web site much faster consideration and more attention.  Otherwise, you may wait 6 months to get your web site considered if it gets considered at all.
  
  
• Enter the title, description and keywords for your web site in the appropriate fields.
  
  
• Here are the DON'T MISS directories that you should submit your web site to.

  Directory	More Info	Premium Submission
  Yahoo!	Yes	Yes  $199
  LookSmart	Yes	Yes  $199
  Open Directory Project / DMOZ	Yes	No
  Snap / NBCi	Yes	Yes  $99
  Ask Jeeves	Yes	No
  Business.com	Yes	No

   

• Go to the Search Engine Placement Guide.