SEO, or search engine optimization, is made of a variety of tasks including article marketing, keyword placement and link building. As an internet business owner you are no doubt already aware of the importance of SEO to maintaining and increasing your business. However and yes there is always more, there may be another option that you have yet to try that may be of great use to you both for increasing business growth but also freeing up some of your valuable time. That is Directory Submission or Directory Submission Services.

You will I am sure already be aware that a directory is just a list of categories and subcategories where a multitude of websites can list themselves. So when a potential customer comes to the directory they can type in the information for what it is that they are looking for and like magic they have a complete list of websites related to the query they searched. Depending on the words the customer uses the list may be exhaustive and still require the customer to search much further for what they require. However if the wording of their search and the wording of the directory submission information is in sync then the list will be a simple display of relevant websites which the customer can then choose from. The aim then for your business is to have yourself listed in the directory appearing as high as you can in the page but also with the relevant information so that your customers when searching for your product or services find you easily.

Not only will you gain flow to your site of potential customers but listing in directories helps to build the inbound links to your website. Search engines love one way links and rate them higher than a reciprocal link so using directory submissions will perhaps not only increase your business but also increase the search engine ranking of your website therefore flowing on to further increase your business popularity. So now we need to know how we can take advantage of listings on directories and the best way to go about this for optimal customer traffic and improving our search engine ranking.

There are two types of directories basically, specific/niche directories and general directories. Specific directories are directories that relate directly to the product or service that you are selling. They pretty much guarantee traffic specific to your business and help greatly with your inbound links as other people find your information or products worthwhile. You yourself can find specific directories with your own simple internet searches. Then we have general directories which are also good options as they usually have been active for much longer than many of the niche directories. Normally the search engines give higher rewards for inbound links from older directories with more long established websites listed. So the aim is to make sure that you are listing on some of these general directories that have been in circulation for a reasonable length of time then you get impact from them as well, so you are covered in both the general and specific directory options.

Then you need to decide if you wish to use free or paid directories. Of course there are a wide variety of free directories however just because it is free does not make it the best option. Some of the paid directories will also give your site a faster response and will probably keep their listing on the paid directories for a much longer period. However, in saying that, just because you pay for them does not mean that they should be your only concern and they are not necessarily the easy way out as you still want to have maximum exposure. The free directories are also very useful in your marketing of your business and should not be ignored, you perhaps take a little longer to be posted on the directory but it is free so what is a little time to gain that extra business focus directly to your product or service. Therefore the recommendation is to submit to both free and paid directories for maximum exposure.

As stated above, especially with the free directories, give the process time. The result will not normally be an overnight event. Search engines themselves take time to give up their rewards and they reward natural link building with high search engine rankings. Adding your URL to 50 or even 100 directories in a day does not actually improve your business or your ranking. You need to pace the placement of your submissions so that the process has time to build naturally. You in fact can even be penalized by the search engines if it is obvious that you have tried to divert from the natural link building process. Submitting to different directories, paid, unpaid, specific or general a few times a month will enable your link building appears more natural therefore improving slowly but surely your business traffic and the ranking you receive.

The submission process is not always a simple task involving a lot of time. One of the best ways to avoid this loss in valuable time is also to use a directory submission service as they already know a lot of the things you need to find out before you can complete your submissions yourself. The various directories have many guidelines and differing requirements along with the fact that someone is sitting somewhere reviewing your submission and deciding whether you will be approved or not. In some cases if your submission is perhaps not correctly completed or you have made an error somewhere, you can not only be rejected from using your submission but also may be rejected permanently from lodging directory submissions with that site in future. So you decide you have the time the energy and the patience to complete the task yourself and do the required research then go for it. However if you feel the task or the requirements of the task are just too much from your busy daily work schedule then consider the services of a Directory Submission Service. Either way, take action and watch the results and potentially the money roll in!