Sunday, October 26th, 2008
Jay Gaulard writes for a wide selection of websites on various topics. He is a veteran of the internet and has come to be respected in his many areas of expertise. This article was written on behalf of Experato, a popular website directory.
Build a Name for Your Website with a Website Directory
You’ve built a brand new website for your business and you’re really excited. However, you have to do something to get the word out and you’re not sure what to do. You know that you can post flyers all over your town or simply tell your friends, but that’s not going to do much for you. So what are you going to do?
Well, you’re going to start with a website directory. The website directory is an effective way to combat the always changing algorithms of search engines and to really get an edge on the competition. Basically, you need to do all that you can to ensure that you are marketing your site correctly and a website directory is going to help you do that. You’re going to be able to battle some of the hardships of Internet marketing is you use a directory to get the word out.
Using the directory
Another thing that is special about submitting your website to a website directory is that you get a free back link to your website. The back link is very important because the more links you have on the web, the better off your site is. This means it is going to be indexed by search engine spiders.
You see, search engine spiders follow these links to your site and then they index your site. The more links you have out there, the more your site is going to be indexed. This means that you’ll show up higher in the search engine results when someone searches for what it is you are offering your customers and potential customers.
As for how the directory works, it is a place in which the websites are compiled into categories. They are also divided up into subcategories to make searching easier. Because these categories are divided up into subcategories, the search engine spiders recognize them. Needless to say, these directories are visited by search engine spiders more than many other sites. This is because of the quality of the back links. The back links are of a high quality at these sites, which is why you need to utilize a website directory.
Choosing the right website directory
Choosing the right website directory doesn’t have to be difficult. There are some things that you have to look for in order to make that determination. Those things are:
To pay or not to pay - There are pay directories and there are free directories. Determine which is best for you. Free directories still provide you with that back link. It is true there will be a lot more sites posted there, but they are effective.
Check the page rank - Check the page rank of the website directory. That way, you know that it is a popular site. You can also check into sites to see how they are growing. If a site is growing, then that is a sign that it is a popular directory that is emerging. You definitely want to get in on that.
Look at both general and specific directories - You want to do this because both can be effective. You can post on a specific directory and post on a general directory. This will broaden the exposure that your site gets.
You don’t have to be restricted to just one website directory. You can use all sorts of website directories. This is important in getting those high quality back links that will make your site successful. There is not a rule anywhere that says you’re only allowed to post your website to a single website directory. If there were, then it would be impossible for a lot of sites to be successful on the Internet.
Submission options
You also have submission options. These options are manual, using submission software, and using a directory submission service. The directory submission service may use software or do it manually. However, there are article directories out there that will not accept submissions from software. They want to ensure that real people are doing the posting. Many of these directories have real people approving the submissions, so it is hard if they have to approve thousands of submissions submitted by these software programs. It happens, but it is a good idea to do it manually. If you don’t have time to do it yourself, look into the directory submission service.
How to maximize the benefits
It isn’t enough to simply post your website link up on a website directory. There are ways in which you can maximize the benefits. It will be worth your while to follow these tips so that you can make sure that you profit from your efforts:
If you’re submitting to more than one website directory, you need to vary your description. Don’t use the same description for every directory.
Make sure the text that accompanies your website link is really good stuff. That means you want it to draw people in. You want them to click on your link. Believe it or not, people browse website directories, especially if they’re looking for a website that focuses on certain material.
Make as many submissions as possible to website directories. Make sure they are directories that you can track back easily. Make sure they are easy to manage as well. You don’t want to go for directories that are hard to follow.
Make sure that you choose directories that will also allow you to submit the links to your inner pages. This allows for better indexing and will also allow more people to find you.
After this, you might as well give your website a pair of running shoes. This is because it is going to take off like wildfire. It is going to run like the wind. It is important that you be prepared, because the moment you start submitting your site is the moment that it enters the race of website popularity.
Related posts
Tags: algorithms, Business, custom, Directories, experato, free website, link, new business, search, search engine, search engine results, search engine spiders, search engines, subcategories, submissions, website, website directories, website directory, Websites
Posted in Directories | 3 Comments »
Thursday, October 16th, 2008
Jay Gaulard writes for a wide selection of websites on various topics. He is a veteran of the internet and has come to be respected in his many areas of expertise. This article was written on behalf of ArticleHub.US, a popular article directory website.
Why You Should Use Article Directories to Promote Your Website
If you are online and are not already using article directories to promote your website, you are missing out on a free and highly effective marketing option. Article directories are great ways to draw traffic to your site without paying for advertising. However, to get real traffic to your site using an article directory, you must know how to use them correctly.
What Article Directories Are
Before you can use an article directory, you have to know what one is. Article directories are websites where thousands upon thousands of articles on just about any subject are posted. They are generally categorized to make it easier for readers to find information they want. They are also linked together, so a reader reading about “Hawaii travel” will naturally go from article to article on that topic. People can use the articles they find in the directories on their own websites, either for free or for a small fee. Authors pay nothing to submit to article directories.
How Article Directories Benefit Online Businesses
You are probably thinking, “Sure, that’s great. But how does an article directory help me promote my business? Doesn’t giving away free content defeat my purpose as an online business?”
These are great questions. When you submit an article to an article directory, it will contain a bio with a link to your website. Since you are the author of the article, you are allowed to include this information.
This means that anyone who is searching online and comes across the article directory will see a link to your site. Not only that, but the people who use the content on their own websites are required to keep it exactly as it appears in the directory. This means that your link could show up on hundreds of websites.
Article directories are generally large websites. This means that the web spiders are attracted to them. Having your link on these articles is a crucial part of an online linking campaign.
How to Make Your Submissions Effective
If you are going to submit to article directories, you need to do two things. First, you need to learn about proper keyword usage. You need the right percentage of keywords in your article, and they need to appear naturally within the content. This will draw the search engine spiders to the article, thus exposing people to your link at the bottom.
You also need to make your content unique and helpful. If your article is the same as thousands that are already online, other website owners will not want to use it. Also, if the information is not helpful, people will not read the entire article. Your goal is to have them read the entire article so that they will click at the link on the bottom.
Having helpful information in the article also helps the reader view you as an “expert” in the field. This is important, because you want them to have a reason to click on the link. If they are reading useless information, they will have no desire to visit your site. Also, proving that you are knowledgeable about a particular topic will show that whatever product or service you are marketing is worth buying.
What to Do if You Can’t Write
At this point you are probably wondering what you can do because you can’t write. You are an entrepreneur and business owner, not a writer. The good news is that you have options.
You can hire a freelance writer to “ghostwrite” the article for you. Ghostwriting means writing the article in your name. Instead of placing his or her name on the article, the freelancer uses your name and your business link. You will need to pay for this service, but the amount you will pay for a quality article is far less than the amount you would pay for an advertising campaign, and a well-written article placed in the right article directories will draw more traffic to your site than just about any other form of advertising.
Where can you find ghostwriters? There are a variety of online classifieds where you can post your job requirements or search for available writers. You can ask for quotes to help you learn what the going rate for a writer is. Keep in mind that you will pay more if you have detailed information that needs to be researched or if you are working on a tight deadline. You can also hire a content creation company to help you if you require numerous articles that would be too much for one individual writer.
If you do use a ghostwriter, be sure that you proofread the article before submitting it. You may find that the writer did not approach a particular topic as you would have wanted. You can ask the writer to rewrite the material, but posting something that is inaccurate or does not sound well written will detract from your goal of drawing traffic to your site.
Risks of Using an Article Directory
There is only one main risk to using an article directory, and that is that someone will download your content and use it on their site without including the link. You can do some work on your own to check for this, but it is hard to police. However, the occasional unscrupulous website owner who uses your content incorrectly is a risk worth taking for the many users who will give you a link on their site.
Post Much and Often
Once you get the hang of using an article directory, post many articles, and post them often. The more fresh, relevant content that links to your page, the more traffic you will receive. Be sure to continually research your keywords, because the keywords that people search for constantly change.
Also, submit your articles to a variety of sites. The most popular article directories may not draw certain demographic of people. The more places that have your article and your link, the better your traffic results will be. Since these sites are free to use, you might as well submit to as many as you can.
One such article directory is ArticleHub.US. On this site anyone can submit content and links. Be sure to check out their current articles and learn more about how to submit your content to their site. It’s free and easy and will draw the traffic you need to your main site.
Related posts
Tags: article directory, Business, Directories, effective marketing, keywords, online business, online businesses, promote website, promote your website, search engine, submissions, web spiders, website, Websites
Posted in Articles, SEO | 1 Comment »
