Directory Critic

Times have changed and with it, SEO has also evolved in the last decade. It’s already the 4th quarter of 2016 and 2017 is just knocking at our doors. But are we ready for SEO 2017? Have we thought of strategies to include in our plan for the next year?

Well, worry not if you haven’t still drafted an SEO strategy for 2017. This article will help you do just that.

SEO, of course, consists of various link building tactics that benefit a website in some way or the other. You have on-page SEO factors like html issues, content issues, meta titles and descriptions, image tags, heading tags, keyword density and so on. You have off-page factors like social media, blogging, guest blogging, PRs etc.

However, there is one such tactic that has stood the test of the time and that is directory submissions.

We will not go in-depth as to make you understand what directory submissions actually are, what are directories and so on, but we will highlight some of the benefits of directory submissions as well as we will talk about the different types of directories that should be a part of your SEO strategy in 2017.

The Benefits of Directory Submissions

The benefits of directory submissions are umpteen and if you’re a new business just starting out in the online arena, submissions are the best way to get started. Of course, some webmasters or SEO experts would tend to disagree but from our experience and the outcome, we can clearly say that directory submissions are here to stay for a long long time to come.

• If your website is new, directory submissions are a good way to get your website indexed by search engines
• Submissions help search engines in classifying the theme of your website so that your site falls under a relevant category
• You benefit from one-way links which are SEO-friendly when compared to reciprocal links or link farms or spammy links
• You have full control over the anchor text to be used in the submissions which help your website rank higher in search engines

Now that we have seen the benefits, let’s talk about some of the types of directories where you can safely submit your website/s.

1. Niche Directories

Niche directories are a type of directories focusing on a particular niche. These niches can be – travel, SEO, shopping, business, finance and so on. For eg – a niche directory related to sports will only accept websites related to sports.

The outcome – Google naturally gives credibility to the directory as well as to the links obtained from it.

The result – You benefit from targeted traffic and better search engine ranking positions.

2. Local Directories

A local directory is a neighbourhood place where people go to when they are looking for solution to a problem. And it makes sense for every business to have a listing in as many local directories as possible.

Some important local directories are Google, Bing, Yahoo!, Facebook. Ez local etc.

Getting listed in local directories has umpteen benefits for your business and some of them are listed below –

•         Your business benefits from more walkins, leads and sales
•         Having citations from multiple local directories can boost your search rankings to a large extent
•         Your business benefits from more exposure, visibility and brand recognition
•         You can also promote deals, coupons and other offers in these local directories

3. Paid Directories

As the name sounds, paid directories are a type of directories where you pay a listing fee to get your website listed. These are high-standard, non spammy directories which have a lot of credibility in the eyes of search engines.

The benefits of getting your website listed in paid directories are many and some of them are as below –

• You get a permanent, one-way dofollow SEO-friendly backlink
• You have the option to target multiple keyword phrases
• You have the option to build links to inner pages of your website
• Better chances of rankings as search engines love these high-quality directories

These are the 3 different types of directories that should form a core part of your SEO strategy for 2017 and even beyond as we believe, directory submissions are here to stay and when executed in a proper way, your website can definitely move a few places in organic search results.

Moreover, if you’re bidding for a client or trying to impress one, make sure to include directories as part of your SEO proposal. We’re sure you will not regret this decision of yours.