Directory Submissions and Buying Links

As mentioned in my last post, a big part of SEO for all websites is link building. If you’re doing that work yourself, you’ll probably stumble upon some link directories.

This morning, I saw a good post on Directory Submission Red Flags by Matt McGee over at Small Business SEM. Give this a good read, and keep his tips in mind when looking for a directory.

A small addition I’ll make to that post concerns paying for listings. Really think hard before putting money in to a directory for a link. The bigger directories, like Yahoo!, are not charging you for the listing, but for the time to review your link, as Matt mentions in his post. Yahoo! charges $299 for that review, plus an additional $299 /yr to maintain the listing. Before spending that money, consider where else you could be spending that money, and if a potential listing on Yahoo! is worth that money, and Yahoo! is probably the best quality directory that’s actively being maintained right now.

My general rule is to avoid paying for directory links, unless you are in a very competitive, very profitable market, and even then, I would think twice. Concentrate on the top free directories – like dmoz.org and lii.org – and identify the best directories for your area and your niche. Only pay for the best directories – like Yahoo and Best of the Web – and only if you have exhausted all other avenues for link building.

For most small businesses, you are likely working with a pretty small market, without an insane amount of competition, so can compete for your key terms fairly well without worrying about expensive directory listings.