Driving qualified traffic using Directories

Written by Lee Traupel


Some education is essential to enlighten you about this form of interactive marketing. Directories aren't Search Engines; they are web sites or information portals which use analysts on staff to review submissions from companies who want to be listed in their Directory. Yahoo would berepparttar penultimate example of this type of a portal. But there are literally thousands of other sites that group and list web sites based on their analysis criteria. Here are some tips garnered from years of providing these services to our clients.

1)How do you find Directories? I don't have an easy solution for you, as we've spent years developing and refining (ongoing) our own list of Directories. But, look around onrepparttar 125201 Internet using Search Engines to find popular sites that list resources in your vertical market segment.

2)Directory listings are a great value, as they provide a long-term listing, unlike Search Engine rankings which are much more volatile. Once you achieve a listing you are typically locked into a Directory's database for a very long time.

3)Let's start withrepparttar 125202 twenty-ton gorilla in this market, Yahoo! Spend time carefully reviewing their various categories, then take repparttar 125203 plunge and use their "Business Express" service which costs just under $200. (USD) to submit your site. Don't, I repeat don't submit unless you have carefully analyzed where you belong in their huge category selections; if you make a mistake you only have one chance to get a new or revised listing, as they aren't very forgiving of those who don't do their homework before submitting.

4)Be patient when submitting to Directories, as most are getting tens or hundreds of thousands of submissions per day – it will take 30-90 days to actually get listed. Keep an accurate record of sites you have posted to and then check back 60-90 days later and resubmit if necessary, but don't spam them, as this will not garner any results.

SEARCH ENGINE & AUCTION BLUES

Written by Marc Holt


Yahoo.com and a number of other search engines and directories recently started charging businesses for submitting their websites to get listed. Is this a good idea? Let’s see.

Imagine walking into your local car dealership to look at a new car. The salesman hurries over and tells you that you must pay $199 before he shows yourepparttar car. And even if you decide to buy, he might decide not to sell it to you anyway if he doesn’t likerepparttar 125200 way you look.

Yet this is basically what some directories and search engines are doing now. Yahoo tell us that there are no guarantees that you will get your website listed in their directory even if you do payrepparttar 125201 $199 fee. That money is just to ask them to consider reviewing your website. If they are overwhelmed with submissions they may not get around to looking at it for weeks or even months. How many other businesses could get away with such a lousy attitude?

If you have a question for someone at any of these sites, try asking it. First, you have to search high and low to find an e-mail link or response form. In some cases, you’ll never find it because it just isn’t there. Then, even if you do write, you probably won’t receive a reply.

And what happens if, after paying your $199 fee, Yahoo decides your website just doesn’t come up to their standards? You lose your money with no way of appealing their decision. They just take your money and ignore you.

Add to this their mostly non-existent customer service and we see a recipe for disaster – Theirs.

SKEWED RESULTS

Then there isrepparttar 125202 ‘hidden’ problem that most users probably never even think about. All we are going to see on Yahoo from now on are companies that have paid to be listed. And of these, some have paid a premium for their listing to be placed atrepparttar 125203 top. Obviously,repparttar 125204 search results are going to be seriously skewed.

But what is worse, companies that registered with these directories beforerepparttar 125205 fee service started now find themselves deleted from those same directories and forced to pay. This is cheating and extortion on a grand scale.

In addition, there are lots of small companies out there that can’t afford to pay out $200 to all these directories inrepparttar 125206 hope of getting some visitors. If even 10 directories charge, that’s a lot of money to fork out – with no guarantee thatrepparttar 125207 money will achieve anything.

The only good thing one can say aboutrepparttar 125208 new Yahoo policy is that they will point out any serious problems with a site when they review it. The client can then getrepparttar 125209 problems fixed and, as long as they get back to Yahoo within 30 days, they can haverepparttar 125210 site reviewed again. But ifrepparttar 125211 site still doesn’t come up torepparttar 125212 standards set by Yahoo,repparttar 125213 client losesrepparttar 125214 fee and Yahoo laughs allrepparttar 125215 way torepparttar 125216 bank. Is this any way to run a business?

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