So What Are Website Directories?
Directories are a lot like search engines, but there is a significant differences between them. Directories are places where people go to find a website. Just like yahoo has a search engine, yahoo also has a directory. Just because you are listed in yahoo, that doesn’t mean that you’re listed in yahoo’s directory.
While search engines normally accept almost any site or page that is submitted to them without looking at its quality, directories usually only accept sites that offer quality information. Because all sites submitted to directories are reviewed by humans, sites that are of low quality rarely get accepted.
This leads us to a logical conclusion: Before submitting your site to any directories, make sure that your site is completely ready for it! Remember that directories list sites, not pages. In normal circumstances, you should only submit the Main page of your site to directories.
Which directories can really boost your traffic?
The most important directories are Yahoo and DMOZ, also known as Open Directory Project.
You know where you should submit to, but how do you actually submit?
Nearly all directories consist of different categories and subcategories, each consisting of sites related to the name of the category. You'll just need to find the category (or more often, subcategory) that best fits the topic of your website. This can be done by either browsing through the directory or by doing a search on the keyword that best describes your site - often the directory will return a few categories that are relevant to your site and you'll just need to choose the one that seems to be most accurate. Usually, it is best to submit to the most detailed category that applies to your site.
Example – my theme is domain name resource.
My website is domain inform. I would first choose Computers. Then Internet, followed by Domain name, then Resources.
It is wise to spend some time and search for the most accurate category for your site, since submissions done to the wrong categories are usually just thrown out. In addition, the category you submit to will be the category you're going to be stuck with for the rest of your site's life, and getting stuck in the wrong category might cost you some heavy traffic.
The Submission Process
When you’ve found the right category for your site, it is time to move on to the actual submitting process. The first thing to do is to carefully read the directory's rules and instructions on how to submit. They are usually displayed when you are beginning the submission process. Read them over a couple of times and follow them to the letter.
Mostly all directories will ask you to give the title of your site and a description of it when you are submitting. Put some thought in creating these, because they can significantly boost or reduce the amount of traffic you'll get from the directory. When writing your description, don't stuff it with words like best or cheapest, and don't use ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. Write a short (15-25 words) description that accurately describes your site, and try to make it sound like an impartial review.
You should check how the descriptions of the other sites in the same category are written and use them as a model. Make sure that one or two of your best keywords are included in the description, but don't just stuff them there. Your description should sound like it's a natural sentence. If the editor thinks your description is little more than a list of keywords, he'll reject it and write a new one that may not include even a single keyword. Having 1 or 2 of your most important keywords in your description helps your website when a user performs a search instead of browsing though it. If you decide later, that the description you entered the first time isn't good enough, it is possible to contact most directories and try to get your description changed to a better one. Unfortunately, it is usually very difficult and very time-consuming to get directories to change the description of your site at a later date. So it’s recommended that you try and get it right the first time.
The Title
Your title should be short, It is not a place to list all your products and services. Your title should include your most important keyword in it and start with a letter that is near the beginning of the alphabet. Automobile World is better than World of Automobiles, that’s because many directories list sites in alphabetical order and getting listed near the top can boost your traffic from the directory.
Since the title MUST be the official title of the site and it must be used on your pages, this might require you to change the name of your site. In addition to this, the title must sound like it just happens to start with a letter near the beginning of the alphabet, or it will get edited. The same rules that apply to the description apply to the title - no promotional hype, no all capital letters.
I Submitted Now What?
After you have entered all the information, remember to check it for any possible typos or errors in spelling.
Be extra careful with your URL, since a typo in it would naturally result in your site never getting reviewed. You'll usually get an E-mail if your site is accepted, but rarely if it is rejected. Sometimes hard to know whether your site has been reviewed and rejected or if it is still unreviewed. If you don't get an E-mail after a week or 2 and your site has not appeared to the directory, don't panic. You should wait a few weeks before resubmitting your site. Why? Because many directories are flooded with submissions and will get annoyed if you don't give them enough time to process the submission.