- Lots of text - Links with key phrases - static sites - small page sizes

Humans like:-

- lots of images - dynamic pages - flash images etc

You need to combine these diverging needs into something that works.

Search engines place a premium on fresh content so to be successful, you need to keep a site up to date and constantly add links

Competitors will be working on improving on your ideas and out linking you.

Be patient, but in end there will be rewards, both personal and financially.

Don’t forget to have fun too!

Directories if properly constructed can fit bill. Remember Google resolves web pages and not sites, so if a directory has a page sufficiently dedicated to your theme then it is worth submitting to.

Directories can use ‘jump text’ which prevents data harvesting, but unfortunately removes value of links.

Should I pay or not? There are sufficient free directories out there, so there is no need to pay.

Ones to consider – DMOZ, allthebizz, smallerbizz, Gimpsy, wowdirectory.

Larger directories such as Yahoo maybe worth paying to list in as they can bring traffic in their own right.

Clare Lawrence is CEO of Discount Domains Ltd – A leading UK provider of Domain name registration and Web Hosting services. Please feel free to re-publish this article provided this reference box remains together with a hyperlink to http://www.discountdomainsuk.com Clare can also be contacted on clare@discountdomainsuk.com.