Auto Directory Submission Software
I’m sure if you’ve been reading up on link building and search engine optimisation for a while now, you will have heard about directory submissions.
Some people swear by them, some people say they are no longer effective.
If you are wondering what a directory is then take a look at Best Of The Web, a long standing and well established directory.
This post is not going to be about whether I’m for or against directory submissions as a link building strategy, but rather share some advice on how NOT to do directory link submissions and some practical tips on how to do it properly.
I would strongly advice against…
Auto Directory Submission Software
I am working on a site for a local business that has previously paid a company to manage their search engine optimisation.
I spent some time going through the inbound links that have been acquired for the site and noticed a recurring theme that should have been avoided, links from directory sites in the wrong category.
The local business sells blinds and curtains, and yet, I was finding their site listed in many directories in the ‘pet’ category.
The only real logical conclusion is that the person who acquired the links used an auto directory submission software.
Now, I’m not going to come down on these types of software as they can be a great way of finding decent links, but most come with an auto submission feature and a manual submission feature.
Here are my tips to ensure you get the maximum return for the time you invest in using directory submission software:
- use an email address that is to your domain, in my case that would be @fmsseo.com.
- write as many descriptions about your site as the software allows as this will make each listing a bit more unique.
- check and double check the category that you are submitting to as relevancy is the key to success.
- use an email address especially for directory submissions and not one that is used for your main business purposes as you will receive a lot of spam.
- use effective keywords that accurately describe your site, product and services.
- always manually submit your information.
- submit a few links each day and avoid mass submission.
One of the best directory submission software available is easily Directory Submitter. You can download the software for free and gain instant access to 350 directories.
If you start to see some success you can always upgrade to a Gold account ($76) to gain access to an extra 2000 directories (approximately).
As with any link building strategy, link diversification is important so ensure you are incorporating other link acquisition methods into the mix.
Final word of advice, test and measure.
To your success,
Karl Foxley
Image: graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
23 Comments
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This would be a good idea. But does this make our links a spam?
.-= TechGyo´s amazing last blog ..Now See the Moon in 3D using Google Moon =-.
I would only say that a link becomes spam if you are posting to the wrong categories.
Hello Karl,
Very insightful article. I have always wondered about auto submission software and the whole idea that I have no control over where my site is being submitted. Not all links are good links.
I will definitely try the Directory Submitter you recommended.
Absolutely Robyn, not all links are good links. It’s great to see you here and thank you for submitting you link to our Biggest List of Traffic Generation Tips, I’ll be adding it later today.
I wonder if directory links are of any value any more. One thing is for sure, use an email address that is not needed, as the spam you will receive is unbelievable.
Karl, your home page is excellent! It’s very clean, simple, and lets a new visitor know exactly what you do.
.-= Colleen´s amazing last blog ..West Pasco Washington Homes For Sale =-.
Thank you so much for your kind words Colleen.
As for directory submissions, I always go ‘case-by-case’. I test to see if the actual page I’m going to be listed is indexed in the search engines, if not, I simply move on. It also good to see the last time Google visited the site to see how relevant (or how much value) the Big G place on the site; if it has been a while, you may as well skip that particular directory.
Thanks for dropping in and I hope to see you here again.
Karl
Thanks for the tip. I have been thinking about using some directory services. I have several clients wanting a backlinks service and I am trying to speed up the process.
.-= element321´s amazing last blog ..Beginning jQuery Tutorial Links – Daily Delicious links April 22, 2010 =-.
Semi-automating things really does help speed things up… full automation in this respect is just too fast to be any good.
Thanks for the great advice. I haven’t used any of these services before, so I’ll keep this in mind when the time comes. You’re always looking out for other bloggers. Thanks again!
.-= Ileane@Blogging´s amazing last blog ..A Growing List of Top Google Buzz Tips =-.
Thanks Ileane, your kind words are always appreciated.
All good points Karl. As Dennis said full automation is likely to screw things up. Lots of people use submission sites to submit articles to sites like Ezine articles. But I have seen a lot of articles without the authors info or links. Clearly it was automatically submitted and the software or submission site didn’t submit the resource box.
.-= Ned from Maryland´s amazing last blog ..Purple Cow =-.
An article without the all important resource box is a missed opportunity for sure.
Thanks for dropping by Ned.
Karl
Karl, have a look at the autofill form extension for firefox. It really makes CSS gallery and directory submission A LOT easier and faster than the copy paste from excel/notepad I was doing until then.
.-= Tom´s amazing last blog ..Twitter do’s and don’ts: 14 DON’Ts to avoid losing your hard-earned Twitter followers =-.
I’ll have to have a look at that Tom. I currently use Roboform for some form filling and I have created multiple scripts using iMacros Firefox add-on that does most of the work for me.
Let me know what you think?
I’ll be patient with manual submission karl, since I have full day to do that
)
Even sometime submission is boring
Thanks for sharing.
.-= Latief@AnotherBlogger´s amazing last blog ..Why We Need A Blogging Plan? =-.
I always play some audio training while submitting to directories, makes the time pass as, like you said Latief, it can be really boring.
Karl
It is indeed boring because of the repetitive nature of the activity. Because of this I’ve on several occasions considered using automated submission software but, as pointed above, most of these software have lots of shortcomings. Besides, they also cost a fortune, for me at least for now. Thanks for suggesting ‘Directory Submitter’. I’ll check it out.
.-= James M.´s amazing last blog ..Moralde.com: YEAR 001 =-.
Very good points. Partial automation in areas that can’t really be screwed up is always appreciated. Full automation will mess something up 99% of the time…I don’t care what the sales pages tell you.
Two Uber important areas that going full-auto is bound to go screwy…..wrong categories as pointed out in the article and not fully knowing EACH SITES TERMS OF SERVICE (TOS).
While they all might have the same basic rules, I dare to say each and every one is bound to have 1-2 points different from others.
For those that say, What’s one or two minor screw-ups? These are not minor. The wrong category could make the individual article virtually useless, and defying the TOS could get you BANNED from the site altogether.
Awesome article Karl.
Thanks for the additional points Dennis. You’ve absolutely hit the nail on the head, a link is a link and I’d much rather make sure I have a higher chance of approval than waste my time just to earn myself (at best) no link, or (at worst) a complete ban.
Manual submission is always the best but need more time for it. I think it is worthy for quality.
.-= Dana @ Blogging Tips Blog´s amazing last blog ..Lightened Your WordPress Security, Please! =-.
That’s a great point, time is an important factor in any search engine optimisation campaign.
As discussed in the previous CSS gallery submission, I think that manual is also best for directories. Just like auto-bookmarking software auto-directory submission has been over used by spammers and it resulted in the PR dip that most directories suffered (and still suffer) a couple of years back.
We really need to educate people so that finally realise that anyone who offers 2000+ links for $5 is still not worth the money. For clients’ sites it’s manual submission all the way!
.-= Tom´s amazing last blog ..Twitter do’s and don’ts: 16 DO’s to get the most out of Twitter =-.
Absolutely Tom.