Search engine uses spiders – (an automated software program) to locate and collect data from web pages for inclusion in a search engine's database and to follow links to find new pages on World Wide Web. While directories depends on human editors, who in most cases examine every single new listing before they are added to their directory. Most major search engines these days use links from human edited directory to measure quality of site they index. That is why you should place emphasis on type of website or directory you list to and how to do that effectively.

Below here are steps to be followed, before you will list in most human edited Internet directories that place emphasis on building an effective directory. DMOZ, Yahoo and other new human edited directories consider following before they consider your site for inclusion.

(1) Design or look of your website: Is your website properly designed? Most website owners do not take into consideration on how their website is designed. The look or design of your website is most important factor for success in web marketing – its effectiveness also applies to site visitors. Website designers offer to help you create an effective website that will boost your website marketing and also enhance your site visitors experience thereby increasing sales or repeated visits. Spending money in building an effective website for Internet marketing should be first step for Internet marketing success.

1. Create a page or series of pages on which you will post links you are reciprocating. It is important to make sure these pages are a valuable resource to anyone who actually visits them. Try to avoid use of word “link” or phrase “link exchange” in your body text, title or file names. Use “resource” instead. Allow visitors to these pages to suggest additions without using link exchange language like “submit site”.

2. Keep your outgoing links relevant, but don’t be too specific. For example, http://www.realestatelicense.com - this is a real estate license school, so we would list resources for real estate, real estate training, post secondaries, trade schools, education, careers, mortgages, architecture, interior design, contractors, etc. It is important to keep your entire web site’s keyword density to a decent level and this includes not just keywords you are targeting, but keywords that relate to theme of your site. keeping your site’s keyword density to a good level is reason why you should only list related web sites. Dedicating a page on http://www.realestatelicense.com to baking will bring down that site’s keyword density.

3. Keep an eye on your link to text ratio. Write paragraphs for each link page explaining what types of sites visitors will find on this page, how you hope this will help your visitors and that they can suggest additions if they know of any. You can also add comments to each link you have on site. Too many links and not enough text will tell search engines that this page is a link page and is only there for search engine optimization purposes. Search engines like real resource pages, that are there for use of your site’s visitors.

4. Don’t worry too much about PR - search trends are beginning to show that PR is less and less important. As I’ve said in previous articles, just like saying “no publicity is bad publicity”, no inbound link is a bad one, more links you have, more your site will be seen, plain and simple. Relevancy is new PR. Keep your outbounds relevant and useful, regardless of PR, and you’ll do fine.