Submit website to directories

Getting your website listed in relevant directories can be a great way to improve its visibility and authority.

By optimizing and submitting your website to high-quality directories, you can tap into a valuable source of backlinks, referral traffic, and new users.

In this comprehensive guide, you'll learn everything you need to successfully get your site listed in directories - from selecting the best ones to optimizing your listings for maximum impact.**

Introduction to Directory Submission

Submitting your website to online directories can be an effective way to improve your search engine rankings and increase visibility. Directory submissions serve as backlinks that signal to search engines that your site is reputable and should rank higher in results pages.

The key benefits of directory submissions include:

Backlinks - Directories provide backlinks that can help improve your site's domain authority and page authority metrics. More quality backlinks signals greater trust and authority.
Referral traffic - Getting listed in directories gives you another source of visitors, as people search and browse these sites.
Brand awareness - Inclusion in quality directories exposes your brand to more potential customers.
Improved local SEO - Getting listed in niche and location-based directories boosts visibility for local searches.

This guide will walk through the process of researching, selecting, and submitting your website to the best directories to maximize your SEO and marketing impact.

Understanding the Role of Directories in SEO

Online directories serve as curated lists of websites, organized by industry, location, or other categories. Think of some of the most popular internet directories like Yelp for local businesses or Crunchbase for startups.

Major search engines like Google use signals from directories to assess the authority and relevance of a website. Listings act as backlinks, indicating another site finds your content credible enough to include. High-quality directories pass more SEO value.

Common directory types include:

Niche directories - List sites in specific industries, like legal, medical, or tech directories.
Local/regional directories - List businesses location-specifically, like city or state directories.
General web directories - List all types of sites. Lower SEO value but still useful.
Curated lists - Manually compiled lists of "best of" sites. Highly valued.

Choosing niche and curated directories tailored to your website provides the biggest SEO boost. But comprehensive submission across all quality directories helps increase visibility and backlinks.

The Advantages of Directory Submission for Link Building

Submitting to carefully selected directories offers several search engine optimization and marketing advantages:

Backlinks - Each directory listing provides another backlink, which signals search engines to trust your site more. More backlinks can improve domain and page authority.

Referral Traffic - Many directories receive organic search traffic or have users browsing their listings. That exposes you to more potential visitors.

Brand Awareness - Getting listed raises awareness of your brand as users encounter you. This expands reach.

Trust and Authority - Inclusion, especially in exclusive curated directories, boosts your site's expert standing.

Improved Local SEO - Listing in niche and location-based directories enhances visibility for local searches by strengthening signals specific to geographic targeting.

In addition to SEO gains, directory listings support marketing efforts through greater brand exposure, referral traffic opportunities, trust indicators, and local search optimization.

Selecting the Best Directory Submission Sites

With so many directories available, researching options and selecting the best sites is critical to maximize SEO and marketing returns for the time invested into submissions.

Tips for choosing quality directories:

Niche relevance - Select directories that tightly align with your website's topic and audience. Niche alignment scores more SEO value.
Popularity - Choose directories with higher domain authority, search traffic, and numbers of inbound links/referrals. More popular = more SEO power.
Exclusivity - Getting into curated directories that manually review and selectively include sites gives a bigger reputational boost.
Location - For local businesses, optimize visibility in city, region, and state directories. National options too.
Limited paid - A mix of free and paid premium listings provides comprehensive coverage. Note that paid directories pass less SEO value.

Evaluate niche-specific, location-based, national, web 2.0, and manually curated directories relevant to your site and location. Prioritize ones aligning closest to your focus and audience.

Maximizing Impact with Free Directory Submission Sites in USA

Completing each directory listing fully and accurately helps maximize click-throughs, referral traffic, and SEO value from listings.

Tips for optimizing directory submissions:

Consistent NAP - NAP refers to your business Name, Address, and Phone number. This should exactly match your Google Business Profile listing and website's contact details. Consistent NAP signals legitimacy to search engines, strengthening local SEO.
Optimized descriptions - Tailor descriptions to succinctly summarize your business, products/services, and value proposition. Include vital keywords naturally.
Image/logo - Upload an eye-catching brand logo or image to make your listing visually stand out.
Categories - Select all relevant categories/tags to have your listing appear in keyword searches.
Website link - Make sure your listing includes a link back to your site to drive referral traffic. Use your root domain without specific page URLs.

Completing directory profiles fully optimizes visibility, click-throughs, and the SEO benefits of backlinks and referral traffic.

The Submission Process: A How-To Guide

Manually submitting your website to each directory can be extremely time consuming. However, an automated submission service expedites this process.

Manual submission steps:

Gather all your business info needed for listings - name, description, address, phone, email, social profiles, etc.
Research and compile your list of selected directories. Organize by niche, location, general web directories.
Visit each directory and submit your listing individually, following their specific steps.
Carefully complete all listing details fully for each one.

An automated submission service typically crawls your website for needed listing info. Then it auto-populates and submits this to hundreds of directories according to your selected list. This simplifies listing submissions.

Directory submissions serve as an impactful tactic for improving local and overall SEO through increased backlinks, referral traffic sources, brand visibility, and trust signals. Following an organized research and submission process maximizes the returns.

Curating Your Website Directory List

Listing your website on relevant directories can be an effective way to build quality backlinks and increase visibility. However, with so many directories out there, it's important to be strategic about which ones you submit to.

Top General Directories for Broad Exposure

When first starting out, focus on submitting to high authority, general directories like:

Yahoo Directory - One of the largest and most reputable web directories. Getting listed here still provides value.
DMOZ - A popular human-edited directory. Considered a strong ranking signal by Google.
Best of the Web - A smaller but decent quality general directory. Free submissions.

Tips when submitting:

Thoroughly fill out directory profiles with keyword-optimized titles, descriptions and categorization.
Link back to strong pages on your site like the home, about or contact pages.
Only submit to reputable directories relevant to your niche. Spammy ones should be avoided.

Local Directories as a Local Search Ranking Factor

If optimizing for local search, ensure you submit to key directories like:

Google My Business - Critical for ranking in local pack and maps. Optimizing your GMB listing should be top priority.
Yelp - High local search traffic. Can help rankings.
YellowPages - Longstanding local directory still used by many.

Additional options:

Facebook Local Pages
Apple Maps
Bing Places
Factual

Having complete and consistent NAP listings acts as a local search ranking factor.

Niche Directories for Targeted Audiences

Find directories niche specific to your industry. Some examples:

Legal directories for law firms
App review directories for software companies
City visitor directories for local businesses

Benefits include:

Targeted traffic from those searching your niche
Builds authority as an industry expert
Higher relevancy for backlinks

Leveraging Web 2.0 Directories for Modern SEO

Modern web 2.0 directories include:

Social media profiles - Twitter, Facebook Page, LinkedIn
Product listing sites - G2, Capterra, GoodFirms
Review platforms - Yelp, BBB

These help demonstrate expertise, trustworthiness and popularity signals Google looks for.

Exploring International Directories for Global Reach

When expanding reach abroad, explore listing in popular non-US directories like:

UVK - Large UK directory
JoeAnt - Top Asia directory
123listings - Canadian directory

Research the top directories in each of your target countries. Localized backlinks can help international SEO.

Optimizing Directory Listings for SEO

Strategically optimizing your directory listings is crucial for maximizing SEO value and driving more traffic to your website. Here are some best practices to follow:

Strategic Category Selection for Enhanced Visibility

Research which categories on each directory are most relevant to your business and products
Select both broad categories (to reach a wider audience) and niche categories (to target potential customers)
Avoid stuffing irrelevant categories just to get more listings
Monitor click-through rates by category to identify which ones drive the most relevant traffic

Crafting Descriptions with Directory Submission SEO in Mind

Include your target keywords naturally in the first 1-2 sentences
Craft a compelling opening hook to capture attention
Summarize key services, products and differentiators
Close with a clear CTA driving traffic to your site
Follow an inverted pyramid structure with critical info up front

Incorporating Multimedia for Engaging Listings

Upload a professional headshot or logo to build trust
Add photos of your business location, storefront, products
Embed a video overview of your company or offerings
Visual content makes listings stand out and drives more clicks

Regularly Updating Listings to Maintain Accuracy

Set reminders to review and update directory listings 2x a year
Update any business info like address, phone, opening hours
Refresh descriptions and multimedia to reflect new offerings
Monitoring rankings and click-through rates indicates when a refresh may be needed

Following structured SEO best practices in your directory listings improves visibility, drives relevant traffic to your site and keeps your business info accurate across the web.

How to Submit Your Website to Directories Free of Charge

Submitting your website to online directories can help increase exposure and traffic. While manual submissions are free, the process is tedious and time-consuming. Automated tools expedite submissions but often charge monthly fees. Here is an overview of both approaches, plus tips for tracking and maintaining your directory listings.

The Manual Submission Process Explained

Manually submitting your site to directories is completely free. To get started:

Search for relevant niche and local directories. Focus on high-quality sites in your industry.
Create user accounts and profiles on each directory. Thoroughly fill out all fields.
Submit your website URL along with an accurate description.
Allow 1-2 weeks for review before your listing goes live.

The downside of manual submissions is the effort involved. With over 200+ directories, hand submitting to each site is unrealistic. Still, manual submissions can help build initial links to support an SEO strategy when just starting out.

Automated Tools for Efficient Directory Submissions

Paid tools like Moz Local and Yext automate submissions by integrating with hundreds of directories. After entering your business details once, their software submits and syncs your listing across all supported platforms.

The main benefits of automated directory submission services include:

Mass submissions - Submit to 100+ directories quickly
Listing accuracy - Ensure NAP consistency across directories
Monitoring - Track listing status and performance
Updates - Sync changes to listings instantly

However, fees often start around $500/month. Run the numbers to see if the costs justify the time savings and additional exposure generated.

Tracking Your Directory Submission Progress

To monitor submissions, first compile a spreadsheet to track:

Directory URL
Submission date
Status (pending, approved, denied)
Notes (errors, issues)

Check each directory profile weekly and update the sheet accordingly. This helps spot problems early for quick remediation.

You can also use audit tools like Moz Local and BrightLocal to automatically check directory listings and generate reports to simplify tracking.

Maintaining Up-to-Date Directory Information

As your business evolves, directory information can become outdated. Update listings whenever you:

Launch a new website
Move locations
Add products, services or staff
Change hours, phone numbers or other details

By manually checking and refreshing directory submissions every quarter, you can ensure accuracy across all platforms driving traffic to your site. Maintaining clean, updated listings improves local SEO as well as the user experience.

Consistently submitting to and monitoring directory platforms takes diligence but can significantly expand your website's reach. Determine whether manual or paid tools best fit your budget and business goals.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls in Directory Submission

Submitting to online directories can be an effective way to build quality backlinks and increase exposure for your website. However, there are some common mistakes made during the directory submission process that can lead to rejections or poor results. Being aware of these pitfalls can help ensure your submissions are successful.

Steering Clear of Non-Relevant Directory Submissions

When selecting which directories to submit to, it's important to focus on industry-specific and niche-related sites rather than submitting to every directory you find. Submitting your website to irrelevant directories not only wastes time but can actually hurt your search engine rankings. Search engines can view this as a spam tactic.

Stick to directories that align with your website's niche and would realistically list similar businesses. For example, a website selling baby products should focus on parenting and baby care directories rather than submitting to a general business directory. Relevancy is key.

The Risks of Duplicate Directory Submissions

Be cautious of submitting your website to the same directory more than once. Some directories explicitly prohibit duplicate submissions in their guidelines. Doing so can get all of your listings rejected or even banned as an attempt to manipulate search rankings.

Before submitting, check whether you already have an existing listing either under your website's domain name, company name, or personal name. Streamline your process by keeping track of directories you have already successfully submitted to. Resubmitting should only be done occasionally to update an outdated listing.

Keyword Optimization vs. Keyword Stuffing

While it's recommended to optimize your directory listings with relevant keywords, over-optimizing with excessive keyword usage will often lead to rejections. Listings perceived as "keyword stuffed" are viewed as low-quality or spam.

Aim for natural integration of 2-4 highly relevant keywords in each listing's title, description, and categorization. Avoid awkwardly repeating the same keywords numerous times just to rank for a term. Focus more on providing an informative, engaging listing.

Completing All Profile Details for Optimal Listings

Directory submissions often involve completing a full company profile beyond just adding a website link. Information such as business categories, contact details, images, descriptions, and more may be required or recommended.

Leaving certain profile sections blank can get your submission rejected in some directories. Even if accepted, incomplete profiles diminish click-through rates from directory users. Invest time in filling out all suggested fields for the highest quality listing possible.

Following directory submission best practices helps build reputable backlinks safely and efficiently. Avoid spammy tactics, ensure relevancy, provide complete details, and streamline submissions using automation tools. This enables reaching more targeted audiences without jeopardizing search engine visibility.

Leveraging High DA Directories for SEO and Trust Signals

Listing a website or digital product on high Domain Authority (DA) directories can provide small but valuable SEO benefits. Additionally, presence on reputable directories signals trustworthiness to search engines.

Identifying Free High DA Directory Submission Sites List

To find quality directories that accept free submissions, check metrics like DA, spam score, and organic traffic. Useful free resources include:

Moz's List of High DA Sites
BrightLocal's List of Business Directories
SEMrush's List of High Authority Sites

Focus on niche and localized directories relevant to your business. General and spammy directories should be avoided.

Using Directory Submissions as a Small Ranking Factor

Directory links and citations serve as a minor positive ranking factor. However, the impact depends on the authority and relevance of each directory. Listings on dozens of low-quality directories offer little SEO value.

Instead, focus on securing presence on 5-10 of the highest DA directories closely aligned with your niche. This provides maximum benefit for time invested.

Building Trust with Better Business Bureau and Chamber Of Commerce Listings

Listings on directories associated with trust carry more weight as endorsements. Key options include:

Better Business Bureau
Local Chamber of Commerce
Industry/Trade Associations

These signal legitimacy and authority to search engines, supplementing other trust factors.

Consistent NAP and Its Importance in Local Directories

NAP refers to Name, Address and Phone number. Having completely consistent NAP information across directories boosts local SEO rankings.

Double-check accuracy and formatting of:

Business name
Full address
Primary phone number

Even slight inconsistencies can negatively impact local search visibility.

Beyond Directories: Optimizing Your Google Business Profile

An optimized Google Business Profile is a hugely influential local search ranking factor. Best practices include:

Complete and accurate business information
Engaging posts and photos
Positive customer reviews
Linking to social media profiles

This strengthens the profile as a trust signal and drives higher local pack rankings.

Conclusion: Maximizing the Value of Directory Submissions

Submitting your website to relevant directories can provide valuable backlinks and exposure. Here are some tips to get the most out of your directory submissions:

Carefully research and select directories that are relevant to your niche and audience. Focus on industry-specific and location-based directories rather than submitting to every directory you find. Relevance is key.
Prioritize directories that allow dofollow backlinks, have high domain authority, and drive referral traffic. Monitor your analytics to see which directories send clicks.
Include your target keyword phrases in your directory listings whenever possible to boost rankings.
Keep your directory listings up-to-date. If your site content changes, revisit directories to update listings.
Use directory submission services judiciously. Manual submissions to relevant directories tend to provide more value than automated low-quality submissions.
Be patient. Directory links can take time to accumulate value. Consistently submit great content over time to build authority.

By selectively submitting your website to high-quality relevant directories and monitoring directory traffic, you can amplify your organic visibility and search engine rankings.