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Website Directories & Directory Registrations

Website directories like Open Directory Project and Yahoo are directory websites that offer visitors information about other websites.

Directory registration simply means registering with website directories to have your website added to their directory listings so that visitors and search engines can find your website.

Business websites, for instance, are organized by business directory categories and sub-categories. Many online businesses understand the importance of having good directory registrations with the major website directories. Good directory registrations can significantly impact your rankings and organic listings on the top search engines.

While many website directories allow for free directory registrations some also offer paid registrations to ensure that your website is registered and indexed sooner.

Selecting Website Directories

There are literally thousands of website directories that accept directory registrations, but not all directories are created equal.

The purpose of some website directories is to create reciprocal linking. Reciprocal links are where two websites link to one another; for instance when you register and the website directory links to your website, it may be necessary for you to also place a link from your website to that directory.

Although reciprocal links can provide a modest benefit it is not nearly as high as the amount of credit provided for a good quality link that does not require reciprocation. 

Human Edited Website Directories

Directories that provide the biggest credit to your website are human edited website directories.  Following your directory registration, these directories have a review process that requires a human to visit your website and determine if you website is worthy of being listed within that website directory.

Because directories want to provide better quality listing results, major search engines like Google tend to give more credit to directory registrations at human edited website directories; in the search engine’s view, a human would be less likely to add a low quality website to the directory listings.

The Most Popular Website Directories

Directory registrations with some of the more well known directories, such as DMOZ.org (Open Directory Project), Yahoo Directory, JoeAnt.com and Jayde.com, can provide your website with a fair amount of direct qualified traffic.

These main website directories also carry a fairly high PageRank (PR 6 and above) and can provide a tremendous boost in your website’s link popularity and help to increase your overall search engine rankings and listings.

Increasing Organic Rankings & Link Popularity

Just like your website, search engine optimization can be applied to your pages at the time of your directory registrations to help improve your organic rankings.

1st on the List SEO Consultants ensure that your primary keyword phrases are used when creating unique titles and descriptions that will be used during the directory registration process.

It is not possible for the search engines to provide back links and link popularity to your website if the search engine spiders have not found those links to your website. As your SEO consultant, we track the directory registrations to ensure that they have been accepted.

If a period of time has passed since your directory registrations were completed, your SEO consultant may resubmit your website to the directory for reconsideration.  Once your website is accepted, your SEO consultant then takes the necessary steps to ensure that the search engines locate these new links and provide any possible credit back to your site.

Although it may take anywhere from 30 – 45 days for Google to show an increase in PageRank for new links from your directory registrations, they may provide the credit to your website (and any increase in rankings for targeted keyword phrases) within 2-3 days after the directory registration link has been located.

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Ask About 1st on the List Directory Registrations Services

For more information about website directories services or for help with directory registrations, please call 1st on the List Toll Free at 1-888-262-6687 or complete the Request Information form.