Types of directories & Types of directory submissions

Types of directories


There are two main types of directories, general directories and niche directories. General directories will include any web site within their large list of categories, which may range from arts and literature to shopping sites. Niche directories only accept sites that are within it’s niche or theme. For example, a jewelry directory will list only web sites with jewelry related content and therefore, will not list a lingerie site.

Types of directory submissions

There are two types of submissions to directories, paid submissions and free submissions.

A paid submission is when there is an exchange of money for the review of a web site submission. Paying for a submission doesn’t necessarily mean that a site will be accepted into the directory. Some directories will refund the submission fee if the site is not listed in the directory. Other directories will keep the submission fee even though the site does not pass their review to be included in their directory. Submission fees can also be a recurring fee or a one time fee. Most paid submission directories will usually guarantee the review of the web site within, typically, 48-72 hours.

A free directory submission, as the name suggests, costs no money to submit your site. Some directories with free submission will require a link back to the directory. Most directories with free submissions will not have a guarantee that the submission will be reviewed within a given time period. For this reason, many free directory submissions may take months, even years before the submission gets reviewed.

Not all directories are created equal!

There are many directories that are spammy, created for the purpose of illiciting one way links for link exchanges. Such directories will often accept any directory submission as long as a reciprocal link can be provided and they typically don’t check the quality of the site being submitted. Such directories are often not worth submitting to.

However, there are also many reputable directories. A reputable directory will review the submission and the web site proposed for inclusion into their directory. They won’t include just any site into their directory, but sites that have unique content. There are many reputable directories, the top two being:

1.Dmoz.org - Also known as the Open Directory Project or ODP. Dmoz only accepts free submissions. Links from Dmoz.org are static html links. Submissions are reviewed by volunteers so it may take anywhere between 1 week and 2 years to get listed, if you get listed. There is no notification of whether the site submitted will be listed, or when it will be listed.

2.Yahoo! Directory - Yahoo’s directory will accept both free submissions and paid submissions. The fee for paid submissions are annually recurring. Links from Yahoo’s directory uses redirected links, but it’s thought that search engines such as Google can still determine that your site is listed in Yahoo! Directory and this may work in your favor in terms of ranking in search engines.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Directory Links
Advantages of Directory Links
Can be free
Web site submissions can be reviewed within, typically, 48-72 hours if the submission is paid
Directories often have high PageRank that can be passed onto your site
People still use directories to get to web sites, so it’s also a good source of traffic

Disadvantages of Directory Links
Can cost money
Can take up to 2 years or more to get a free directory submission reviewed
There is little control over what anchor text will be used
Time consuming to find and submit your web site