ast (before October 2007), web directories held a great amount of sway with both search engines and page ranking systems such as Link Popularity, PageRank, Link Juice and Link Reputation. However, many web directories were swept from importance by the Google’s update in late 2007. Due to the time, effort and expense of submitting your site to web directories, it is now imperative to carefully select your directory submissions.

Unfortunately, web directories no longer provide internet users with the instant information and quality results seen from search engine results. The traffic generated from internet web directories can seem a slow trickle ? hardly worth the effort and expense. So why even bother?

The short answer is that these directories help the search engines know what your site is all about. Submitting your site to directories helps to improve your relevancy to your chosen keywords ? effectively teaching the search engines who you are and why they would point traffic towards your site. This means web directory submission is a vital part of your SEO campaign.

Directories carry a huge weight with page ranking systems ? and are therefore a necessary evil when it comes to your SEO campaign. If you think your talent in SEO negates the need to use these directories, think again. No amount of talent can exceed the benefits of submissions to major directories. However, you MUST understand which directories are worth the submission efforts.

Here are a few tips with directory submission. First of all, do not attempt to add every keyword phrase into your directory Title. Simply keep your Title as your domain name or company name. Do not spam here; the directories will not appreciate your efforts. Keep ?hype? out of your description. Keep it professional and to the point. Do not add ?#1?, ‘top?, ?best? or anything that screams at a visitor. Simply describe what you do and how you’re different from the competition. ?Hype? listings are often deleted from directories.

Below is a list of the most powerful web directories for increasing rankings. These are listed in order of importance along with pricing. Submission to all of the sites below will run $777 or $937 with the one time fee with Best of the Web. This can be a bit of a large chunk to swallow, however the results will justify the expense and are in fact necessary to effectively compete in the SEO world.

Yahoo Directory: $299 annual fee

DMOZ: The Open Directory project: Free

Best of the Web: $79.95 annual fee or $239.95 one-time fee

Starting Point: $99 annual fee

Business.com: $299 annual fee

Please be careful of the following types of directories. Be careful of using any directories that have been sold along with directories where the links have been ?nofollowed? or have been rerouted through redirect servers. This will strip the benefit of passing the PageRank. MFA directories are also in existence out there ? avoid these at all costs. Google also delists a few kinds of web directories ? avoid these. They include garbage directories ? not really directories, but semi-organized categories that attempt to pass as directories. Google will also delist duplicate directories such as spin offs of DMOZ. These are not worth any time or money ? just be informed.

Remember that you will usually get what you pay for. Build these expenses into your budget and you will see the results as you move up the rankings. Search algorithms built into search engines are only as powerful as the information fed into them. That’s why it is so important to provide them the information they need to rank your site. One of the best ways to accomplish this is through web directory submission.

Below is an expanded list of directory sites to investigate for possible submission. The first list is of web directories that have increased in PageRank recently, a good sign that their effect will be positive for your own site. The second list of directories that have decreased in PageRank ? please beware of these. Directories that will benefit your site change often, so be sure to research your choices.

PageRank Increase

Performance Corporate

A1 Directory Search

Established Websites Directory

Aviva Directory

Axelis

Azoos

Clasione

Fast Path

Find Good Sites

Gloose

iBrain

Infignos

Infoclicks

Itzalist

Kawt

Sezza

PageRank Decrease

Absolute Directory

A Direct 2 Z

Around the Web

Better Business Directory

Clickey

LdmStudio

Directory Here

Directory One

Favourite Link

Find Rex

SEO Friendly Directory

HTML Easy

Info-Listings

Information Outpost

Info Web World

Joe Ant

King of the Web

Know Be

Link Pimp

Link Now

Managed Names

Native Directory

Net Insert

Network Room

Nintra

Octopedia

One Way Link

One Stop Directory

Resource Help

Search the World

Secret Hole

Seek On

Seoma

Splendes

Sporge

Sure Directory

This is Our Year