Directory Submission: Selecting a Mix of General and Niche Directories Is Crucial

Businesses with an online presence are always looking for strategies to drive more organic traffic to their site. Whilst there are innumerable techniques to build quality back links to your site, web directory submission is one of the dependable methods. Many online marketing agencies and link building firms claim to offer quality directory listing services; however, due to the fast evolving search engine landscape, one of the safest strategies is to deploy the right mix of generic directories and niche directories for manual submission.

1. Submitting to Industry-Specific Directories

Whilst the volume of traffic you gain by submitting to sector-specific online directories is relatively less, the quality and relevance of these visitors to your business is high. Furthermore, when you submit to industry-centric directories with high PageRank, your firm has higher chances of gaining valuable leads. The users of such directories will be a lot more interested in your products and services than the users of generic directories. For instance, an interior design firm will gain more valuable leads from directories restricted to building, construction, and home renovations than from other mass directories.

2. Using Regional Directories

This can be a highly successful tactic for firms which provide their products and services in selected localities or regions. The last thing you want as a regional service provider is to receive leads from an area which is beyond your service region. As a result, choosing regional or country-specific directories can effectively serve your purpose. For instance, an online fashion retailer who only ships to customers in the UK will gain little by posting on general directories which are open to readers worldwide.

3. Employing Audience-Specific Directories

This method of listing includes posting to directories which are regularly searched for by people belonging to the demographic and psychographic profile which your business is targeting. Such directories are normally visited by people who share common interests and lead a certain lifestyle. Submitting to directories which are visited by groups that form your target market provides high-quality relevant traffic.

Like any other marketing channel, directory submission strategy should also be mapped keeping crucial business-specific aspects, such as audience demography, psychographic details, service region, and business sectors. One of the safest and most reliable ways to make your directory listing productive for your business is to deploy an appropriate combination of mass directories and niche directories for your submissions.

Bal Rai is an Internet Marketing Consultant at eTrack Media, a leading SEO company in Redditch, UK.