The first thing I must make clear is that some directories change over time and we may not amend this page before they have. If you come across a directory that is not as it should be, please contact us so that we can amend it.
Some points to keep in mind;
- Usually, human edited directories are preferred because their content is most often more consistent and the search engines like that. Spam is reduced and in some cases avoided completely more in human edited directories than anywhere else.
- When you are considering a directory be mindful that dynamic page directories may some times have too many parameters in their urls. It’s easy to check by looking at the url itself. If you see a ‘?’ in the url, you should look closely at it’s link pages.
- You should be chasing traffic, NOT page-rank. PR will come.
- Remember PR is an indicator for trust, NOT traffic.
- There are some paid directories below the free human edited directories I recommend you consider because they DO contribute more traffic. I have used all these paid directories and they are all working well today (at time of writing) as they did when I first submitted my sites to them. They tend to influence the search engines due to their human editing policies and quality links and sites they have in place. In some instances you may be rejected and asked to include something you’ve forgotten or needs amending. That’s quite OK. Just do it and resubmit. Remember the paid directories (at the bottom of the page) are prominent and carry some weight with the search engines.
- Try not to use the same description on every directory. It can (of course) be seen as duplicate content on the directory. Often you can tell a good directory service because they most often alter your description. This is where many of the software submitters fall down. If a directory simply accepts everyones description, be wary. You can check descriptions in Copyscape.com for duplication.
Here are the paid Directories you should consider (don’t take them lightly)! There are of course, many more paid directories however in my opinion, you should first submit to these before you venture elsewhere. This may change from time to time and with this in mind we check these directories each month.
Open Directory Project (DMOZ) – This is a free directory. It’s in the paid list because it’s as or more important than most of the paid directories and I don’t think you should pass it up. Yes – it can be frustrating waiting for your site to be eventually listed but definitely worth the wait. Essential to get the category right when submitting. Read their requirements twice before submitting. Be conservative & accurate in your site description. Faster submissions occur when you DO NOT use waffle or exaggeration in your descriptions and title. The editors are thorough.
Yahoo.com – Highly influential with the other directories – expensive though valuable.
Business.com – one of the strongest directories for business related sites. Powerful and impressive. Also expensive.
Starting Point – very strict but that’s why they have so much grunt.
BOTW – ‘Best of the Web’ is a highly regarded directory and is kind to webmasters (to some extent anyway). Not to be passed up if you’re on a serious linking mission. Special section for blog sites too. One of the better directories & good value for money.
Some others to check –
v7n – One of my favourites because they are fast, organized and pass traffic too. A pretty strong directory and less expensive than those above. It truly is good value for money.
Aviva – They can also be particular, however this does help you get your site up to the right standards. Try to get it right the first time. Great value for money when you’re in this directory. Check the traffic and PR, it will impress you as much as the ones above.
Note: Always check the standing of any directory you want to submit to – even these. Things change! If you want to play it safe, just use DMOZ and Yahoo to start with. They are even suggested on the Google webmasters page.
If the directory passes page rank, be wary. That doesn’t mean if it has good PR avoid it, on the contrary.
It’s a shame there are so few great directories but these and a few more I will be listing soon (after testing) will definitely improve your traffic and the standing of your site much more than the free directories – although the free directories do help. If you can’t afford the paid directories all at once, make a plan and do them over time.
I have refrained from adding some well known and long established directories here because they have recently undergone PR changes – one of them dropped to zero. If their situations change I will place them back in the above paid list.