Want to learn something that most professional SEO’s know? A little fact that – when it comes to link building – is often dismissed for being terrible? Well, here it is.
Directory Submissions Work!
Now, before I continue, there are two caveats associated with this statement.
Caveat 1. You Should Never, Ever, Submit To A Directory
The time taken for you to find a directory to submit to, fill out the details, click on the link to confirm your email address in the vain hope of a link isn’t worth it. So you should never submit to them. However, if you have a spare $15-$20 knocking around (and – in reality – you have) the most effective form of link building for that amount of money is directory submissions. Outsource it to a company then focus on more important stuff – such as guest blogging, social media and link acquisition.
Caveat 2. Directory Submissions Shouldn’t Be The Be-All and End-All
Far too many people use directory submissions as their only or most important links. They are not. Think of them as your bread and butter links, an accompaniment to your main course links from news websites, high pagerank blogs, and industry partners. To rely solely on directory links is a mistake, but likewise relying on any sort of link for your link building process is a mistake.
Google are after what we call in the industry a “Diverse Link Portfolio”. Basically this means that you want links to come from a range of sources and sites, linking in such a way where your site looks natural. Whilst 500 links coming to your site from low quality directories doesn’t look natural, neither does links solely from guest posts on one high quality site. You need a mix of both.
What You Get For A Directory Submission
For a directory submission you (eventually) get a dofollow, keyword rich backlink to your blog. They are also – in my eyes – ethical. Are you spamming dofollow blogs for a link? Are you hiding links on other peoples blogs? No. Instead you’re submitting your site to a site that allows submissions.
As such, they are also one of the easiest links to get, which makes them perfect for outsourcing. Directory submissions work. Trust me.