Click on one of those website buttons and you'll end up with a page full of code that looks a lot like html.

Even though it 'looks like Greek' (or should I say 'geek') you decide not to give up, and continue on to research RSS by search engine results.

This however, only frustrates you further, as your head swims over all strange terminology and outdated articles leading as far back as 1998.

XML, RDF, RSS, Atom, Syndication Feed, Aggregator, Parsing, Validators, News feed, web feed, site feed, and more!

Directory marketing can help boost your companies performance a great deal. Not only will you get qualified leads for your business, your web site will also increase it's traffic ranking a tremendous amount.

Here are a couple basic advantages to online directories,

- Substantial staying power - Repetitive marketing - Your listing grows with entire site - No updating unless necessary - Not necessary to link back to directory

Please Note: This article is meant to discuss and implement marketing strategies for local business directories online, not link exchange, a.k.a swapping links with other websites.

For many people, one/two directories always come to mind,

- http://dir.yahoo.com - http://www.dmoz.com - http://directory.google.com

With web marketing, you want to have ever lasting staying power, online directories can provide you with this and more.

Many people who DO NOT use internet everyday stick with basics when they come online. Many people are usually looking for a specific service or product that they want to check up on within their local community. This is why it is so crucial that you get noticed locally online.

Every major city has atleast one or two good business directories for you to submit your business to. Many of these directories don't even require that you have a website.

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Tips on how to find local directories online:

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Try being very specific when you search. There are two methods that work really good.

A) "Hamilton" Business Directory < Search for "Your City" plus "business directory". This should typically bring you to local business directories that usually are competing against one another. Don't be afraid to keep digging through this important search term.

B) Be VERY specific: If in case that you can't find anything, try searching for something general within your local area. For instance, if you "cut hair", try searching for "Hair Salons In (your area)".

Ex. "Hair Salons in hamilton, ontario".

Doing a specific search like this should typically bring up local directories that are really trying to get most exposure as possible. The reason why you should find a directory this way is because if you don't find anything by doing specific searches for specific products or services locally, you might as well reap rewards of having your own local business directory and get all advertising exposure that comes with it.

Directories online are there for one thing and one thing only. To give owner of directory massive exposure while helping his/her local, regionally, national community. That's it.

There are few people out there that just create a local directory just for something to do. These people typically have too much time on their hands and they probably take great pride in their directory online.

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How To Prepare For Directory Submissions

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There are certain key bullets of information that 90% of directories ask for, here they are in no particular order.

Name Company Position Type Of Business Phone Number Fax Number

Email: - (may need to be validated)

Web Site Title Of Your Site: - (keep it within 70 char) Description: - (keep it within 200 char)

Search Terms: If you are asked for search terms, don't disregard them. This is just there so that directory you are submitting to can add these search terms to their "search engine" in order to find your business.

So if a directory asks you for search terms, add in as many as you can that you would want people to find your business by.

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