How to use directories to improve traffic to your website

I think a lot of people have the mindset that building traffic and links to your site is always best done with the latest and greatest method or new software.

They neglect many of the “old school” methods of link building in favor of the “flavor of the week” method of link building.

One of the more sloppy methods I see is using directory posts.

Why?

Well this is an old school method and it takes some time and work to get it right. Also, there isn’t a lot of money in the directory business, so it tends not to be the center of attention when people talk about creating one-way links to a website.

That’s really unfortunate because using directories can be a great way to improve search engine rankings.

First of all, with almost all directories, you get a one-way link to your website. Some directories will want you to pay, and for really popular directories, the fee is well worth it, but there are literally thousands of directories that you can submit your site to for free. So if you want a way to link to your site for free, give this a try.

I try not to get too obsessed with Google’s Pagerank, but for many people, having a higher Pagerank doesn’t just mean better search engine rankings, it’s simply a matter of pride. Getting links from directories can be an easy way to boost your Pagerank a notch or two.

Getting into the higher quality directories can also help you get a better Trustrank score with Google. This is one of the algorithms that Google uses to rank your site, and it is especially important if you want to rank well on competitive terms. While most directories won’t help you get a better Trustrank score, the best ones certainly seem to (Google never says which sites are on its “trustworthy” sites list). I recommend that you get a Yahoo Directory listing and try a DMOZ listing until you get one.

And while you are not going to get rich directly from directory traffic, you can get a nice little stream of traffic flowing to your site from directories if you are consistent and keep your site in more and more directories over time. .

So if you want better search engine rankings and more traffic to your website, be sure to add directory submissions to your war chest of link building methods.