Directory Differences

When it comes to cost, directories fall into 3 basic categories. There are free directories, directories that charge a one time fee and directories that charge an annual fee. What are the differences between them?

Free directories are just that, you can get listed in them for free. The one question I always get is this. Is it worth it to submit to the free directories? I would say yes with some qualifications.

Make sure that the free directory you are submitting to actually reviews the site submissions. You do not want your site listed next to a bunch of spam sites or worse yet, a site that may not be family friendly.

Watch for free directories that are filled with adsense. Some directory owners will set up free directories just to get the traffic to their site so they can make money off pay per click and banner ads. Don’t fall for this game. If your site is of quality, you don’t want it listed next to adsense ads you have no control over.

Get listed early in the free directories life cycle. Before the directory owner loses interest in a directory that has no revenue stream and gets hundreds of submissions a day. Once you are past the initial opening phase of the directory, it could take months for an approval into the directory.

Knowing this about free directories the best approach to take with submitting to them is. Submit to as many as you possibly can that fit the guidelines. If you can, hire a third party to do this for you as submitting to hundreds of free directories to find that one diamond in the rough can be overwhelming. Not to mention very time consuming.

One time fee directories are another type of directory. These directories charge a one time fee for a site review and admission to the directory. This is a far better choice than free directories. To get an idea, having a link in one well promoted and maintained paid directory would be equal to having a link in one hundred free directories.

There are several reasons to go with paid directories over free directories. First ask yourself why you want to be in the directory in the first place. The answer that I always get is you want marketing exposure that can drive traffic to your site and help improve your search engine results.

To accomplish any of these the directory has to market and advertise. How will a directory do that if it is free? How can it help you achieve your marketing goals when it does not have the financial ability to do so? Expecting a free directory to deliver the results you want for your business is flawed logic.
Quality paid directories also review each submission. Thus ensuring it meets the directories guidelines for acceptance. They are able to edit descriptions and text prior to listing prior to listing.

Paid directories have the financial ability to build links and traffic to the directory. By doing that they pass page rank and traffic to the sites listed within the directory. Thus they are helping to build and make your business successful.

The last type of directory we will cover is the Directory that does annual reviews, for which there is a fee. When it comes to finding a directory that is committed to helping you achieve your goals with internet marketing, this is a huge sign you’re dealing with a premium quality directory.

Think about it. You want a directory that will help improve your search results and send you traffic in an ongoing basis. When a directory charges $20 as a one time fee to be included in it, logic dictates that the $20 will only last so long. It will only buy so much in the way of marketing for the directory and when it runs out what then? Then the quality of the directory will begin to decline.

When a directory requires annual reviews it benefits the listings within the directory in additional ways.

First it helps keep out sites of low quality. Sites can change and change quickly. One may meet quality standards and be accepted into the directory, but what happens if after acceptance the site changes its content and no longer fits within the directory? Annual site reviews help to curb this problem.

The premium directory also has a flow of revenue for ongoing promotion. It continues to build traffic and strength which is passed on to improve the traffic and search engine strength of your website.

Annual directory reviews are a way to measure a directory’s ongoing commitment to achieving the goals of their listings. It is a sign of a high quality premium directory that is committed to you and your long term goals.

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