Are you wondering whether or not you should submit your own websites and blogs to Web directories? You might just be hoping for some link juice (improving your PageRank with new incoming links). Or you might know that Google hates it when sites go out of their way to get links for this purpose, so you might be skeptical about directory submissions.
While Web directories are often only associated with link juice, there are actually several other benefits that can make them worthwhile marketing tools for your website. So if you’ve passed them by before, it might be time for a second look.
Looking Beyond Link Juice: Other Benefits of Web Directory Submissions
Here are some of the benefits of Web directory submissions other than trying to increase your PageRank:
- Targeted Traffic — Web directories don’t only offer links. They can drive direct click-through traffic to those links. If you want to get the most targeted traffic, focus on niche directories or respectable larger ones with decent-sized sections relevant to your site.
- New Site Indexing — Forget about long-term link juice. If your site is new, you need to get indexed first. And one of the best ways to do that is by getting some targeted backlinks. Web directory submissions can give you those with little effort and no waiting around.
- More Control Over Anchor Text and Descriptions — In a more general SEO sense, Web directory submissions can give you a lot of control. Where you can’t control things like anchor text or site descriptions if someone else links to you organically, you can control those things on many Web directories.
- Brand Building — It isn’t all about search engines. Your overall brand is extremely important, no matter what kind of business you run. You want your business name to be associated with certain things as frequently as possible. Get listed in those areas in major directories and you build brand presence.
As you can see, there’s more to Web directory submissions than link juice. They can be a cost-effective (and sometimes free) marketing tool to promote your websites. And effective Web promotion can lead to everything from increased traffic to increased sales.
Why do you like to use Web directories as a marketing tool? How have they helped your business in the past, or how do you hope they will in the future? Leave a comment below to tell us your thoughts.