My General Interests :)

Now that you’ve got your website up and running you’re probably wondering if you should submit it to a free website directory.  You should, in fact, submit it to as many as possible; here’s why, plus a few tips.

A few years back, the search engines worked differently.  In the past, people used the search engines very little.  The directories were the real sources for anyone who wanted to find a pertinent website.

A top SEO Friendly Free Directory I recommend is AgAccess. This has a high page rank and the featurued listings will give you a good PR return.

Google changed the way search engines work, with its algorithmic way of ranking web pages.  Now other places such as Yahoo! and Bing follow the same techniques.  And the search engines assign you a higher page rank if you have more sites linking to your web page. 

If that’s the case, you’re probably asking, why should you even both with a free website directory?  The answer is that there are so many websites floating around that the search engines cannot find them without the help of directories. 

The people behind the search engines want their results to be accurate and fruitful for internet users. So when someone types a word or phrase into a search engine search bar, the results are carefully indexed, often by links to the website.

A free website directory generally provides a one-way link to your website, which boosts the chances that a spider will crawl over it.  And there are ways to maximize the opportunities for a bot or spider to find your landing page. 

First, a free website directory provides your first way to secure that all-important link.  And there are loads of them available.  The more directories that carry links to your website, the more likely it is that a web crawler will find and rank your page. 

You also must pay attention to keywords.  Many directories assist you with the process of choosing words and phrases that are descriptive of your website or services.  Try to imagine what phrases a person will type into his search bar; a good free website directory helps you with that.  This process is called targeting; you are using targeted keywords or phrases.  You’ll also hear the term long-tail keyword.  For example, a simple keyword is “antioxidant.”  A long-tail keyword is “antioxidant skin benefits.”  If the free website directory that you have chosen doesn’t provide assistance in choosing keywords, then you can use a place such as WordTracker. 

Keep in mind that directories allow you to choose one page from your website during the submission process.  Most people choose the home page.  So be certain that your keywords or phrases are utilized on that home page.  However, the web crawlers are smart-they ignore pages that are overstuffed with keywords.  They should be used in 1-3% of the text on the page you’re submitting.   

You will also provide what’s called a snippet on the page you’re submitting.  This is actually called a meta description.  It’s just a couple sentences, no more than about 150-200 characters, that include your keywords.  It’s a good idea to change your snippet a little as you submit to various directories, because the crawlers become suspicious when they find the same wording used over and over. 

Avoid using hyperbolic phrases such as “the largest” or “the best.”  Crawlers view them as leads in sales ads, which they are trying to avoid.  That’s why articles are such a great idea on websites, because you can offer advice or a top ten list-spiders and bots just love them! 

If you are looking for freeware software, Freeware Geeks.com is great freeware software only directory. There are are many different types of directories on the web and it’s a good thing webmasters admin efforts keep them in great shape.

As you view the submission page on a free website directory, it will generally ask you to choose a category for your website.  It’s important to choose one that relates as closely as possible to your content. 

Be certain, also, to read the FAQ page on the directories that you choose and good luck with your directory submissions.