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Most of you reading this will have heard of and most probably read numerous articles about how recent algorithm changes by Google have hit search terms for a large percentage of website and directories.

As with all things SEO related the first thing that you must not do is panic! Easy to say when your Internet-based ventures are your main source of income but as with all problems you need to keep a clear head and panicking often results in making the wrong decisions especially if you do them too quick and with little thought.

Because Internet directories mainly consist of a large collection of outbound links to various sites of interest, the directory itself in design often tends to lack content, certainly the largest two Internet directories out there today Yahoo and Dmoz offer very little content if you remove the Web links.

Many hundreds if not thousands of poorly designed Internet web directories have died over the last few years and that’s not necessarily a bad thing because there are or were a shed load of speedily put together directories that either took a massive dump of sites from the likes of Dmoz or just sat there empty with no links and no content, not really any good to anybody so thinning these out is not necessarily a bad thing because what it leaves us with is quality Internet web directories that offer a useful and valuable resource to the user as well as providing an excellent platform to promote your website.

So what should we do to avoid being one of these poorly designed Internet web directories that Google obviously dislikes?

Searching the Internet you will find 101 answers but each solution is dependent very much on how you run your own website or directory. Keep building unique content that is clear and precise, Google now also likes to see sites that pay attention to detail and doing things right, so use good and accurate punctuation and reduce your spelling mistakes to an absolute minimum, don’t under any circumstances copy content from other websites and do try to provide on-site content such as a little bit about the page subject to make the site more interesting and useful to the user.

Before Google hit us with these algorithm changes that have thrown search results into pandemonium most of us were guilty of building our websites to please Google, now we have to build our websites to please our visitors and this should be our first priority.

So are nofollow links of any value?

Some will say that a nofollow link has no value whatsoever and will avoid obtaining them or requesting link exchanges from sites that implement a nofollow. But what we all need to remember is that Google expects our linking structure to be natural and not contain a whole bunch of high page rank links only.

Google is not silly, it is a mighty machine that knows a great deal more than we give it credit for, I’m not saying that it knows what we had for breakfast but it does know and understand our linking patterns and expects natural link building to contain a complete mixture of follow, nofollow, high and low page rank links, the same way that it expects your links to grow naturally at a normal speed and not suddenly increased by thousands per day.

So the answer to this question is yes in the grand scale of things nofollow links are not only important but essential in creating a natural linking structure as well as partly helping to avoid search engine penalties from the likes of Panda and other Google algorithm updates.

So what about Page Rank N/A links are they of any value.

The same answer applies but these do have a SEO value but ideally you need to be receiving links from websites and pages that relate to the subject of your own website or page, having a link to your real estate website inside a site that sells mobile phones really won’t cut any ice with Google so if you really want to make sure that your link building has a positive effect take advantage of The Directory Library and take a little time to search out the category that suits your business needs.

Spotting a good Internet directory is not rocket science, firstly look at the design, is it one of those quickly thrown together directory templates with very little attention to detail or personalization? Do they reject websites that are submitted and do they pay attention to detail using the correct title.

If you want to dig a bit deeper try copying a few descriptions and popping them into Google to find out if they have been stolen from the likes of Dmoz instead of spending time writing concise, informative and unique descriptions.

Thankfully many of the Internet web directories that have used this type of system have been identified by the likes of Google and crushed as far as being listed anywhere in search results that offer a chance of being found.

Once you’ve done your homework and are happy with the site and can see that they pay attention to detail, reject those annoying spam sites and have a regular flow of submissions most certainly on a weekly basis then you have most probably found a very viable Internet web directory to include your site and receive greater publicity and if the directory is a popular one increased hits.

Using Internet web directories to promote your website is still a very valuable promotional tool, even in the eyes of Google, you just need to make sure that you are getting listed in valuable and quality Internet web directories, these are getting easier to spot as the poor quality, list all, spammy Internet web directories have mostly disappeared or are continuing to drop like flies.

Just undertake a few quick tests of the Internet web directory that you’re thinking about submitting to and if they meet the criteria above they should be beneficial to you, your website and your business.

Happy submitting.

What are Affiliate Programs?

Affiliate programs allow you to refer sales to others and earn a commission on those sales. For example, you might promote an e-book from an author you respect. The affiliate links would track sales coming from your affiliate account. You would be paid a percentage of each sale (25-50% isn’t uncommon, and some affiliate programs pay even more).

Why Affiliate Programs Are a Great Way to Make Money Online

Here are three reasons affiliate programs can be great ways to make money on the Web:

1. You don’t have to invest time or money into creating your own products.
2. You can have immediate access to a full library of products to sell.
3. You don’t have to deal with most customers directly, as you technically aren’t selling them anything (the product creator is — you just refer the sales).

How to Make Money With Affiliate Products

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Here are a few steps to making money with affiliate products:

1. Set up a niche site or blog. You’ll earn more when you have a targeted niche and products that specific audience is really interested in.
2. Sign up for affiliate programs. You can look for individual affiliate programs for products or sign up with affiliate networks for access to many products in one place.
3. Grow your readership. The more traffic you have, the more you can make through affiliate sales. Just focus on well-targeted relevant traffic — people with real interest in the products you promote.
4. Test ad placement. Depending on your niche and type of site you might do better with text affiliate links, banner ads, video ads, affiliate product sales pages, or some other type of affiliate marketing strategy. Testing is the best way to figure out what works for your market.
5. Consider email marketing. You can promote some affiliate programs through email newsletters in addition to on-site affiliate ads.
6. Promote on third party sites. Look beyond your own sites. For example, you might include an affiliate promotion in a social media campaign. Just be careful. Some sites don’t allow affiliate links and in some outlets posting those links can lead to you being labeled a spammer (for example Twitter users often hate sponsored / affiliate tweets).

The Importance of Trust in Affiliate Marketing

It’s important to note that spamming your affiliate links all over the Web is not the best way to make money online with these programs. In my experience, the best thing you can do to increase sales is to increase trust. Don’t promote any affiliate product you wouldn’t be willing to buy yourself.

When your site visitors know they can always trust your recommendations, they’ll be more likely to spend money on things you tell them about. And don’t forget to disclose affiliate relationships when you do include the links. Readers appreciate transparency because it shows them you have nothing to hide.

What are your favorite affiliate networks? If you have additional thoughts, tips, or stories about how affiliate programs can help you make money online, please leave a comment below.

You want links, right? Of course; links are half the formula for SEO. Links are votes for your site. But what can be done to get the most out of a directory listing.

Submissions are pretty straight forward. They ask the questions, you fill in the blanks, right? Well, yes… and no. Follow the following tips to get the most from your next submissions.

Choose the Right Directories

It used to be that directories were the only way to find sites on the web. Since search engines have improved, directories aren’t what they used to be. There are many directories out there that are spam. Even legitimate directories that aren’t well maintained quickly lose their value. (On this note, it may not be wise to pay one of those directory submission companies to add your site to everyone on their list. Quality is more important than quantity. Webcrawlers will penalize for low-quality links and even links that are built too quickly.)

Don’t shy away from paid directories. Remember, you often get what you pay for. Anyone can list any site on a free general directory. A real directory edited by real people will provide a higher quality link

A relevant link is going to hold the most SEO value for your site. When searching for niche directories, stay within your industry. And please stay away from adult and gaming sites and directories. Those links will not help you. Similarly, when listing in general directories, choose the right category.

Titles and Categories

A title might seem inconsequential. Don’t overlook this important field. Quality web directories such as DirJournal, dmoz, and botw will only accept official company names as titles. This is to avoid spam. Categories are keywords are crucial. Consider how your audience will search for you. Choose the right category and use as many categories as the directory will allow you to list in (as long as you do offer the related product/service).

Descriptions

Each blank on the submission should be viewed as a sales opportunity. Consider your audience and what benefit you can provide to them as well as keywords. Keywords. Keywords. (Just in case you don’t get it yet… they’re important.) The description should be accurate and unique. It should be similar to your website content but not an exact replica. Mix it up! But please don’t write a spammy description. Don’t just list keywords in the description.

Convert

So it’s great if these links work and you get more visitors to your site, but you need more than that. You need to get them to convert. Why not start the process by including a call to action right on the directory? That way when a prospect sees you and your competitors on the directory you’ll stand out. Include your Unique Selling Position (USP), what makes you different.

I am sure that you have also been told that the Yahoo directory is the oldest on the Internet launched on March 2, 1995 with The Open Directory a few years behind being launched on June 5, 1998. Sorry again to burst bubbles but they ain’t!

OK now many of you think that you are ahead of me and that I’m going to say that the Best of the Web directory as they proudly boast is the oldest search directory on the net. Well, once again I’m going to burst bubbles because they ain’t!

There is a far more authoritative and certainly greater respected directory that also has a high page rank than the likes of DMOZ, Yahoo and BOTW not only that; this directory has a history that blows all other web directories clear out of the water.

The WWW Virtual Library is not only older but is the creation of Sir Tim Berners-Lee, for those of you that don’t know; Sir Tim Berners-Lee born 1955 is a British computer scientist that graduated from the Queens College Oxford. He wrote the first Web server and the first client, a hypertext browser-editor, and defined the URL, HTTP and HTML specifications on which the Web depends. In short he is the creator of the web as we know it! Without him we would not be reading this or even viewing this website.

The WWW Virtual Library vlib.org may not call itself a directory but it most certainly is, this one was created way back in 1991 and run entirely by a confederation of volunteers that are experts within their field. Each section of the library has its own submission criteria but be aware that this is a very strict criteria and makes the submission requirements of the likes of DMOZ look about as hard as gaining a Hotmail e-mail address!

How does the Directory Rank?

If the site is ranking well in search, the link you get is more likely to be of quality. Online, a reputation is all you have and a positive reputation is attained largely in part, by having good links from quality sites. Similarly, you’ll want to see how often Google is crawling and caching the directory. If they’re not getting crawled often and haven’t been cached for six months, the link will do you little good. A site that has many .gov or .edu inbound links is going to give you a high quality link.

Does the Directory Sell Direct Links?

Redirected links are less likely to say “quality” to the webcrawlers. Direct links are more likely to be perceived as being high quality. The sites should not be cluttered with broken links either.

Who else is on the Directory?

Does the directory allow adult and gambling themed websites? If yes, you probably want to walk away right now. Does the site list anyone who registers or anyone who pays? Or do they have some sort of quality standards? A site that is human-edited and properly categorizes other sites is more likely to help your site gain recognition. Look for directories with unique content on each page. There should be no empty pages. Ask if the site looks to be serving the interest of advertisers or if is it there to serve the end user.

A relevant, niche directory may provide a decent amount of traffic. Even if the numbers are smaller a niche directories audience may be more likely to convert. It is similar with local directories. They may send quality targeted traffic for a smaller price tag.

Get the Most “Bang for Your Buck”

If a directory sends you traffic, it is a good link to have. Mix your anchor text. Try variations in your listing titles (outside of your brand name) Outside of directories, focus on creating useful content and a strong brand. If you’re content is truly of valuable, reputable sites won’t be able to resist linking to you. But as more people are creating content, the quality needs to be very high if you’re to get good links. If your site is new and you’re entering a competitive market outside links are absolute necessities.

Please share your favorite directories in the comments below.

A business directory is different from a general website submission directory in that the sites placed into such a directory are specifically categorized in order to aid searches in locating a business the seeker may wish to work with. This form of online advertising can prove to be quite lucrative due to the targeted nature of these placements.

Further, when a customer is interested in seeking out a particular type of business or service product they will often become discouraged by general website directories. Long searches through Google and similar search engines will produce a large number of businesses but they may not be in the area, or may not even currently operate. A business directory that is properly maintained will normally only house links to active business websites and working links.

One of the best reasons to work with a business directory is the fact that many of them provide a far wider range of useful information about a given business than a general submission site or link directory. Business directories will typically provide a business summary that includes hours of operation, contact information, and possibly even price lists or customer reviews.

These types of directories are designed primarily to aid customers in not only finding a general type of business, but help them to find the exact right business for their needs at a glance.

A business directory will allow searchers to locate a business by name, location, industry, or even trust rating. The site listings may be basic or provide excellent coverage of a given business. Many include Google Maps and even directions to a brick-and-mortar version of the business, when applicable, if the seeker might prefer to visit in person.

The typical business directory will provide information and site arrangements similar to a price comparison website. One of the best parts of this arrangement is that these sites may also allow direct linking to the business’ website. This will provide the same SEO and linking benefit that using a general submission website provides while increasing targeted traffic and unique page views.

Business owners will find that it is important to have as many backlinks, links that lead to their site, as possible. However, the quality and nature of the sites linking to their business website are far more important than the numbers game most of the time. If the business site is devoted to a specific niche industry like napkins then having a link from a general business directory will be useful. If the site has a link from a business directory or high ranking site in the industry that focuses on party or restaurant supplies the end result is greater credibility.

A site designed around videogame news and reporting may not be as useful for linking purposes when it comes to SEO, although it is always possible someone may simply want a napkin and follow the link anyway.

There is a general rule of thumb when creating online business site backlinks through site and directory submissions. When backlinks are created highly relevant sites that have existed for a few years are the gold standard. The next step down from that is the targeted business directory that has backlinks to the business website.

This is a short step down, and if the business directory is also highly relevant in nature and popular it may be more of a side-step. General business directories with minimal information provided are a step below either of those.

General submission sites and smaller relevant websites are next on the ladder of importance. Forum signatures and links may fall into this category as well if they are business related in general, or related to the type of business interest specifically.

The bottom rungs of the link ladder are comprised of unrelated sites or unrelated personal blogs. They still count for some search engines but Google doesn’t care quite as much about these links.

• Has Google awarded the front page and page rank and is this 4 or above?
• How old is the directory? The older the better as it shows that the directory has survived and grown over the years.
• Does the directory look professional?
• Have new listings been added at least on a weekly basis?
• Does the directory have a vast collection of well filled categories?
• Do they ask for link exchanges? Avoid these directories.

It is worth taking a few minutes to look deeper into the directory to find out what type of sites are being listed, many poor uncared for directories simply contain a string of inappropriate sites that appear to be listed in no particular order. You do not want to have your site associated with a directory that has a string of porn, Viagra, sex-related websites. If this is the case, simply back away and look for a more professional, cared for and well structured directory.

There are few hard and fast rules, one thing worth looking for is the rules of the directory, do they let anybody in? Do they stipulate sites that they will not list? In other words is the directory particular about the type of sites that it lists, again; you do not want to have your site associated with bad links and bad neighbourhoods. Not only will you be wasting your money but you may well be harming your own website.

Web directories are still an excellent resource for driving traffic to your website as well as creating back links for SEO purposes and being a valuable tool for your link building strategies. Many people still use directories to find individual resources. I use them on a regular basis because I can visit a specific category that I know will contain relevant sites rather than sift through what is often inappropriate search engine results and end up scratching my head and shouting at my monitor.

It is still recommended to use web directories to promote your site, the only difference now is that you need to be more particular, if you stick with the most high ranking web directories that have a good few years behind them and have a good Google Page Rank and good Alexa ranking you should be good to go.

Sadly though, it has become more and more difficult to get your site included, mainly because Dmoz is run by volunteers that are only required to make “one” edit in every three months to remain an editor!

There is no obligation for any editor to work on any specific category or clear any backlog, because of this many of the popular categories have hundreds and in some cases thousands of sites waiting for an editor to review them, include them or delete them and these submissions may have sat there for up to 5 years.

This article offers you a few inside tips about getting your site listed in Dmoz.

Even after your site has sat in the review queue of Dmoz for months or years a reviewing editor will often simply ignore your listing if it is submitted to the wrong category, if you are lucky however the editor will forward it to the correct category; this means that your site is still sitting and still waiting. So let’s first of all tackle how to ensure that you submit your site to the correct category.

Dmoz offers very poor advice about submitting your site to the correct category, what it does say is “Identify the single best category for your site. The Open Directory has an enormous array of subjects to choose from. You should submit a site to the single most relevant category. Sites submitted to inappropriate or unrelated categories may be rejected or removed.” Not really a great deal of help.

The best way is to search on the front page of www.dmoz.org for your product or service, example, a site selling children’s party supplies will give you a result of many sites listed in dmoz.org/Shopping/Children/Parties. Check through the sites already listed and find the most common category and submit your site to that.

OK you have now submitted your site to the best location in The Open Directory Project but this does not help get your site looked at any faster, it just prevents it from being moved from A to B and delaying things.

The secret is to submit your site TWICE, only this time to the area that you live and run your business from as well as to the category that covers your subject. Despite what you may have been told Dmoz will actually allow many sites to be listed in up to 3 categories!

So for example your site that sells children’s party supplies is located in Texas, you have submitted to dmoz.org/Shopping/Children/Parties but you can also submit to dmoz.org/Regional/North_America/United_States/Texas/Business_and_Economy/Shopping

The benefit in doing this is that many editors will edit their own locality and want to keep the category tidy and not let submissions hang around for years, example Texas has five permanent editors so the chances of one of them picking up your site and including it is far greater than an editor eventually seeing and taken the trouble to list your site inside dmoz.org/Shopping/Children/Parties. Most if not all locations have editors that have chosen to edit in the area that they live as well as specific subjects.

A word of warning though, the editor will be looking at your site to see if you have a physical address under your contact page or any other page on your site, if they do not find an address that ties in with the area that you have submitted (Texas for example) they will just delete your submission. Even if you don’t want to permanently have your address displayed on your site, I would suggest that you add it until you find Dmoz have listed your site and then remove it if you wish. It is extremely unlikely that an editor will look back at your site for this information once it has been listed.

Being included in the Open Directory Project is a very hit and miss affair but if you double up your chances in this way you stand a greater chance of getting your site included.