Contents
*Click the hyperlinks below to be directed to the pages.
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Introduction
You might find it a little daunting to market your new website, but it can actual y be a lot of fun and very rewarding.
Internet marketing and traffic generation (the process of getting people to visit your website) is simply just a step-by-step process of implementing new techniques and strategies.
Think of it like building a puzzle. You can focus on one smal area at a time, and the cumulative effects wil generate a larger scale result. In this instance, you wil be generating traffic from al over the Internet.
There are many proven and tested ways to bring visitors to your website, and this guide is going to explain how to set them up in a very simple and straightforward manner.
The guide is written in a format that anyone should be able to fol ow. You simply need to read the background information and then fol ow the step-by-step process in order to put the techniques into action.
If you take the action that is needed, you wil find that marketing via the Internet is probably the greatest business opportunity you can have. You will start to see results very quickly, and that should translate into more profits for your business.
The strategies are actual y very simple once you start to implement them and practice using them. Many of the strategies contained within this book wil be used again and again in the coming weeks and months.
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For example, there is no reason to ever stop creating articles. This is something that you can continue to do for a long time and use whenever you need a spike in traffic or want to have more exposure.
The guide also provides techniques for using the wel -known traffic sources, such as press releases and article marketing, while also going in to great detail about the new social networking websites.
You are advised to get started right away and use whichever techniques fit your needs best at this time. Take action and you wil see the benefits in a very short period of time.
Good luck!
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Directory Submissions
This is a step-by-step guide to generating traffic by submitting your website to the very best online directories.
WHY USE DIRECTORIES?
Using directories is a great way to get higher rankings on Google, Yahoo, and other search engines.
Directories al ow you to obtain free, one-way incoming links (we’l go into more detail about these in the “How To Build Incoming Links” chapter of this book) from some of the most wel -respected websites on the Internet. Having these incoming links can drastical y increase your rankings in the major search engines, which obviously gives you a lot more free search engine traffic to your website.
If people are searching for something that you sel or have information about, then they wil find your listing in the search engines and click to be directed to your website. You can literal y gain thousands of hits to your website each day from simple linking methods.
Directories are one of the best ways to increase website traffic and to rank wel in the search engines results pages (without paying for placements).
In order to get higher rankings (without paying for them), you need to submit your website to many of the online directories which can be found al over the Internet.
There are thousands of directories and directory submission services available on the Internet today. Directories are one of the best ways to build a 4
powerful, one-way linking campaign with high PR (Google PageRank, a system of ranking webpages) sites and get recognized in the search engines.
Of course, not al of the directories are of equal value, and some have a better reputation with the search engines than others. This means that you wil gain more (in terms of traffic) by being placed in certain directories than others.
Check the table at the end of this section for a list of the best directories to submit your site to.
Remember that one-way incoming links are the very best you can find, and they will also give you great rankings in the search engines.
Most good directories have people working on them and reviewing each website in order to prevent spam sites from being included in the directory.
They wil only accept high-quality websites, so make sure that you have added quality content before submitting your website.
Also note that they wil refuse a website that has too much advertising displayed on it.
If you are able to secure a link from a directory website, you wil get a higher score within the search engines. The search engines know that human editors check the sites before giving out a link, so they assume they have more relevance to the end user.
You are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the benefits of web directories and make them part of your marketing strategy in order to increase your traffic.
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BENEFITS OF ONE-WAY DIRECTORY LINKS
Here’s what a directory submission strategy wil provide:
• Quality back links,
• Better search engine rankings for your website,
• Targeted website visitors,
• A bigger audience for your products your market (as people link to your website),
• Increased sales,
• A higher chance of prospects finding your website, and
• Your website wil be seen as legitimate and not as spam.
This chapter is going to provide a host of suggestions and recommendations for how to implement a powerful directory submission strategy. You wil find out how to choose and submit to the very best directories in a way that is fast, effective and wil bring you a lot of traffic.
STEP-BY-STEP ACTION PLAN (IN SIMPLE TERMS)
• Use the list at the end of this chapter to select a directory to submit to—one at a time to start with, OR check the search engine index and the PageRank of the directory first, if it is not on the list.
• Find the submission link on the directory website (see the example below).
• Decide which title and description you wil use in the directory.
Remember to vary the site title and description every ten submissions.
This gives you more chance of being ranked for more keywords and removes the problems that search engines may see by having 100
links al anchored in the same text.
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• You can buy submitter software to make the process automated. Some good ones include iBusinessPromoter (which you can find at
http://www.ibusinesspromoter.com/submission/site-submission-
tools.htm) and Directory Submitter which you can find at
http://directorysubmitter.imwishlist.com/).
• Don’t forget that you can buy links in certain directories, but there are a host of free directories available (which we will focus on here).
IN-DEPTH GUIDE TO SUBMITTING YOUR WEBSITE
Screenshot of "Submitting to DMOZ" video
Click here to view the video Submitting to DMOZ: http://instant-traffic-to-my-
site.com/videos/03_dmozsubmit/dmoz%20submit(new%20audio)(unbranded).
Directories don’t usual y require a reciprocal link (meaning you don’t need to link back to them) and as such, they provide the best way to create a non-reciprocal links campaign.
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You can generate traffic from people who browse the directories and other websites who use their content while also transforming your rankings in the search engines, moving your website to the first page of results.
One of the most wel known directories is DMOZ. We are going to run through a case study of how to submit your website to this wel -known and wel -recognized directory.
Go to http://www.dmoz.org/.
You will see the website above. Look at al the categories and sub-categories listed above. They are al organized by editors and reviewed regularly. Dmoz is a free service and open for you to link from.
From here you need to choose your category, or you can click the “suggest URL” link to read about how to submit your site.
I wil run through the steps you need to take here, here and you can research it more later if you desire:
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1. Find and click on the most relevant top-level category you see.
2. You will then be presented with a sub-set of categories. Again, click on the most relevant one for your website. You wil need to do this a couple of times in order to get to the most specific category for your website. You wil see something like the screenshot below.
3. You should have “dug” down to the most base-level category, as you can see in the “diabetes” example above. You can see the highlighted areas
above
have
over
four
levels.
4. Once you have the correct category for your website, you need to click on the “suggest URL” link, as shown in the screenshot above. You wil then see the image below.
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5. As you can see above, you need to enter your website URL here.
6. See the image below. Here you need to enter both the title you would like the directory to display and your site description. Both of these sections need to be given some thought.
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Remember to use the main keywords in the title so that people can find the site easily. You should also use the main keywords and the secondary keywords in the description. This needs to be an accurate description in order to be included in the directory.
7. Use the main keywords in your description while creating an accurate three
to
four
sentence
description.
8. The next step is to submit the request and wait to be contacted. You wil need to submit an email address also, so the submission reviewer can contact you. This can take anywhere from a few days to three weeks in some cases; it real y depends on the popularity of the directory.
NOTE: The process outlined above is quite similar for al directory submissions, so you should be able to use the rest of the list at the end of the chapter.
If you get stuck, simply look in the help section of the directory for detail. Most of them wil give clear instructions on how to make a submission.
Remember to change the title and description every 10 to 15 submissions.
This helps your website to get ranked for a number of different search terms and stops your site from looking like a spam site (as al links use the same text).
FINDING YOUR OWN DIRECTORIES
As I mentioned earlier, there are literal y thousands of directories online, and some are specific to certain niche markets. As such, the list at the end of the chapter can be expanded upon as new, relevant directories are found.
When looking for other directories, you should keep the fol owing points at the forefront of your mind:
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1: Check Directory Index and PageRank.
When you start to look for potential directories to get listed in, always pay attention and select them wisely. Don’t just submit your link to any directory you come across.
You must take the time to be diligent about the directories you choose. Resist the temptation to just submit your site to the first ones that you see. This can cause more harm than good.
Ask yourself the fol owing questions before deciding whether or not to submit your website:
1. Is the directory indexed and listed in the major search engines?
2. Does the directory have a Google PageRank (PR)?
3. Does the directory have an alexa rank, and if so, how good is it?
4. Has the directory website been grey barred in Google, and therefore banned? (Check your Google toolbar to find out.)
You can save yourself a lot of time and problems by taking the time to do some quick checks first.
The list above is a very good way to get started. If the directory does not have a Google PageRank, you may stil want to submit your link to it because Google is always changing their criteria, and the directory could be added in a week or so.
In some cases, you may want to submit to new directories, as it is possible that they may see a sudden rise in rankings in a few weeks. Don’t dismiss a directory just because it’s new.
2: Find the directories with longevity.
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Always add your site to the wel -established directories first, as this wil ensure that your listing and links wil stil exist a few months down the line. The older directories that have established traffic are much more likely to exist in a few years time.
Don’t discount the new directories, but realize that they can disappear very quickly.
If you are going to use new directories, conduct the fol owing checks first:
• Check the design—is it wel made?
• Check how may categories there are in the directory.
• Check how many listing there are in the directory.
• Check how quickly they will review your listing.
New directories tend to have a lot of editors on standby, so your link should be approved very quickly. This means faster linking and quicker traffic, which is a good thing.
3: Check the directory review periods.
Always check the directories’ review periods, as you don’t want to have to wait months for the link to be approved. You are looking for a quick turnaround and fast linking if possible.
Check the length of review time and start by submitting your website to the quickest first in order to see some results from your work.
4: Check the empty categories.
Have a quick browse around the directory and check for any empty categories. This should alert you to the popularity of the directory and tel you 13
if it is worth your time. If the directory fails to attract a diverse range of websites from various categories then it may not be a good place to submit.
It is unlikely to hurt your rankings, but you may want to spend time on another directory first. Look for the sites that have regular users and are gaining search engine notice. These wil provide you more quality links and traffic.
LOOK FOR HIGH-QUALITY (ONE-WAY LINKING) DIRECTORIES
The table below is a very brief list of some of the top-ranked directories on the Internet today. Because Google is always changing their page rank criteria, some of the PR scorings may be a little outdated, but it stil remains very accurate.
I recommend that you submit your website to these directories or pay someone to do the job for you. There are many more directories available and you can search for them by typing “directories,” “submit site to directory,” etc.
into any of the big search engines. You simply need to fol ow the steps outlined on the websites themselves in order to gain an incoming link from them.
Directory Name
Page Rank in Google
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5
8
7
5
6
http://www.favouritelink.com/index.php
5
6
http://www.directory.ldmstudio.com
4
6
http://www.al thewebmasters.com/
4
14
6
4
6
4
6
4
6
4
6
4
6
http://www.directorystation.com/
4
5
4
5
4
5
4
5
5
4
5
4
http://www.al thewebsites.org/
5
4
5
5
4
4