There are continual discussions on the web about whether directory submissions are useful for SEO. I’ll add my thoughts to the mix: I think directory submission is a good strategy that should be a part of any SEO campaign. If it’s done right, it will get you rewarded with higher ranking and better traffic. Now let me explain why:

First of all, every good link counts. Directories’ links to your site are good because your link is placed under its own category among other links; the links you get from directories are related to your website. Of course, you shouldn’t submit to some FFA (Free-For-All) “linkfarm” directories—having your link there might even harm your site. Only submit to authoritative and reputable directories, like Yahoo! Directory, DMOZ, Business.com, Kahuki.com, BizFive.com, etc.

All these directories, except DMOZ, are not free, but in my personal opinion paid directories give many more benefits than free ones. The have less links in their databases, that’s more value for you; the sites they contain are in most cases good-quality sites, making these directories “good neighborhoods”; and they do care about their reputation, so you are in good hands.

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This is the final chapter on ideas for getting easy links. Let’s get into it right now! Here is what you can do to get more links:

Leave creative signatures with your inner links in the forums where you are active, if they are appropriate for showing up on your site, and also add the links to your personal profile page on the forums. If you make quality contributions to the forums, some of their users might follow these links and even “convert” for you.

Ask and answer questions on sites like Yahoo! Answers or Google Groups, and give some links to your site as a reference or otherwise. Get creative.

Encourage people to syndicate your RSS content; that might result in some additional “link love” for your webpages.

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I talked about link baiting ideas before and now I want to continue exploring this important topic. So, how else can you make links appear without too much hassle? Here are some more ideas to generate more links:

Interview big-time players in your field, real people with blogs. They’d love to link to your interview if it’s done well, and thus you will get quite some strong linkbacks.

Review products and services related to your niche. This method works as effectively as the one above.

If you sell products or services of your own, launch an affiliate program. Most of the links from your affiliates will not have any SEO value themselves—they’ll have unique affiliate IDs in the URLs or will use other identifications—but the added exposure will almost always lead to some regular links.

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In direct mail marketing, a “Johnson Box” is commonly found at the top of the letter. Its purpose is to draw the reader’s attention to the key message first, and then hopefully engage the reader for the rest of the letter. This view is also sometimes referred to as “above the fold,” in reference to printed material such as a newspaper or other folded item.

The Johnson Box/above the fold scenarios have also been adapted for email. Most email clients today offer a “preview pane” in which readers can see the first 20 words, more or less, of the message. These are the first words a reader will see, and will most likely be the words a reader will use to determine whether or not to read the rest of the message. To that end, it is critical that whatever content is used in that portion of an email contains the crux of the message.

Additionally, from an email delivery standpoint, another common practice for email senders is to include in the top portion:

• A message to recipients to add the sender’s address to their address books.
• A link to a web page version of the email.

In one test, response rate was increased by 220% when a sender modified the top of the content as directed above. As responsible senders, it is essential that you use this preview section of your message to your advantage. Doing so it will help to generate more response to your campaigns, as well as subscriber engagement.

Until next time,

Jaren Angerbauer, Director of Deliverability, mobileStorm
Eat Responsibly, Drink Responsibly, Email Responsibly