Do Directories Still Provide Valuable Links?

Writing by Nick Stamoulis Tweet

Online directories have long been a good source of links for webmasters. But with the advent of other link building strategies like social media marketing, online publicity, social networking, article marketing, bookmarking and viral marketing, how does directory submission stack up?

Directory submissions aren’t what they used to be, but they’re still good. You have to shop around for the right directories, but once you find a handful of directories worth submitting to, it’s well worth the effort to go through. After all, directories usually provide anywhere from PR 2 links on up to PR 8. If you submit to DMOZ then you can get a PR 8 link, which is nothing to sneeze at. But the best way to go about directory submissions for most websites is to seek out niche directories that serve your specific niche.

For instance, if you are an artisan or crafter then you should try to list your site in niche arts and crafts directories. If you sell shoes then perhaps fashion and trends directories are better suited for your website.

That’s not to say that general directories like DMOZ, Yahoo! Directory and BOTW are not good for the link building aspect of search engine optimization. They are. But you should submit to those sites as an addition to your niche directory sites. Niche directories are the best place to start today and you really shouldn’t even think about general directories, except for DMOZ, BOTW and Yahoo! Directory, without first submitting to at least 20 niche directories.