What do we see and read about online directories when we read SEO relevant blogs or elsewhere over the web. We face the same question over and over again, “Is directory submission worthier in post panda world?”Or the question comes this way, “Should we submit directories for link building?”Now check the answers for these types of questions throughout the forums, popular blogs. We shall see lot of people are talking and advising about directory submission in the context of SEO in negative manner. I completely disagree with them and would like to try to explain why.
But before that we have to understand that if anyone wants to succeed with his/her online marketing career or wants to succeed in any online outreaching program for any business, must have to develop a strong strategy for what to choose and what not to. Because there are lots of ways and parameters to make a business successful through marketing, doesn’t really matters, online or offline. Problem is that most of the people think that SEO is the only thing that an online marketing professional can do or should do, reality is different.
About the questions we talked about directory submission:
a) The first one, is it worth? : Yes it is worthier still after the algorithm update by Google, because most of the SEO experts do care about the established directories. First things they check about any site while auditing optimization is DMOZ submission, Yahoo submission. Why do they do so because expert online marketers know established directories are as much powerful as the social media sites are. So this is considered as a wonderful marketing strategy to them.
Most interesting thing is Google itself shares and refers data from the established business directory. Most of the top search engines has their own local business directory. So we should not lose by not choosing the online directories as a part of online strategic marketing plan.
b) Submitting directories for link building, should we? :
Just understand the philosophy from the question; link building is the only purpose of submitting to directories. As few days earlier all of us used to go after Google algorithms. We built thousands of links from relevant, irrelevant sites. Paid to so called link building firms, websites just to put the URL in their site caring less about anchor text and content let alone relevancy all other SEO things. We wanted to rank higher on search results. And of-course it worked for a long time being, as many as your back links are the higher your site goes, which was unethical as the search engine users were heavily reaching to the spammy websites. But now every single person in the industry, even the young ones too knows that things are not going as it was before.
Now most of the directories that are doing business and haven’t got hit by Google are offering a lot of opportunities for online marketing. Not only adding local address or location map with the businesses but also offering featured listing. Through which the businesses get a whole page to describe their business or site, its purpose, achievement, current offer and more on. So businesses can optimize their page following standard on page SEO procedures. The most important marketing feature they get form the directories are reviews from the organic visitors.
This definitely brings more visitors to the owner’s site and with a lot of trust. This is the only thing what we want to achieve through online marketing efforts isn’t it.
Two things happen:
i) Social signal for your site as others are reviewing your business or site, which is a tremendous thing in modern SEO concept.
ii) Refered trusted visitors flow which increasing conversion rate.
So this is about your strategic decision whether you should include directory submission in your marketing plan.
Author Bio: Q. Ahasan Ahmed worked with British American Tobacco for a decade, now works for Beezness Webs as head of strategic Marketing. now a day his daily hours dedicated for online marketing, content writing.