The Insider’s Guide for Website Directory Submissions
In the ever-competitive world of online shopping, attracting customers to your eCommerce website or any of the online businesses can feel like a constant battle. While online marketing campaigns have their place, a solid SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategy is crucial for long-term success. One often overlooked yet valuable SEO tactic is directory submission.
Submitting your website’s product or blog links to the online directory backs your website’s reputation. But, there is a concern about the authenticated directories that are relevant to your niche and business category.
What are Online Directories?
Online directories work as the net that contains a wide range of business names, websites, product offerings, client ratings, and other details. These directories show the path to the customer who is searching the products or services online. So, when customers find the directories, there is a chance they can land on the directories web page where hundreds to thousands of similar businesses are available.
In other words, online directories counted as virtual phone books. Unlike their paper counterparts, online directories are dynamic and searchable. They function as curated lists of websites categorized by industry, location, or product offerings. It helps customers to find what they are looking for within a few clicks and saves them time to get similar results from web surfing.
For example, you have a sports footwear and fashion eCommerce store and like to reach your target audience (preferably 18–35 age people). You submitted your website link to the relevant and high-domain authority directory and got a referral and organic traffic from there.
So. is this beneficial? Yes, of course.
That’s why submitting a website link to a reputed online directory not only works as the locomotive but also helps your brand reach the maximum customers.
How Can Directory Submission Benefit Your Website?
Consider yourself as an eCommerce store owner. If you want to take advantage of online directory submission, must consider the below facts so you can understand it in a better way.
Increased Visibility:
Directories act as a discoverability tool, showcasing your website to a wider audience who might not have found you otherwise. This expands your customer reach and drives more qualified traffic to your online store.
Imagine a customer searching for “Sport shoes” online. By submitting your website to a directory focused on selling sports shoes, you increase the chances of that customer finding your unique design collection and becoming a paying patron.
Improved Search Engine Ranking:
While directory submissions themselves may not directly boost your search engine ranking, the backlinks (links from the directory to your website) they can generate can increase your SERP rank. Search engines consider backlinks a sign of trust and authority, potentially influencing your website’s position in search results.
Think of backlinks as votes of confidence from other websites. The more high-quality backlinks you have, the more trustworthy and relevant your website appears to search engines, potentially leading to a higher ranking in search results for your target keywords.
Targeted Traffic:
Many directories allow for specific category selection. By submitting your website to directories relevant to your products, you attract visitors genuinely interested in what you offer, increasing the likelihood of conversions (sales).
This means you’re attracting potential customers who are already halfway down the buying journey — they know what they want and are actively searching for it. By showcasing your products in a relevant directory, you position yourself as a solution to their needs.
Tips for Effective Directory Submission
Finding The Right Directories:
Not all online directories are created equal. Here’s what to consider when choosing directories for your website:
A. Relevance: Only submit your website to directories that cater to your industry or product niche. Don’t waste your time submitting a website selling artisanal chocolates to a directory focused on construction equipment. It creates a bad reputation for your website domain authority.
B. Quality: Look for directories with a good reputation and established user base. Avoid low-quality directories that might even harm your SEO efforts. A good indicator of directory quality is the overall design and user experience. A well-maintained and up-to-date directory with a focus on user experience is more likely to be trusted by search engines and users alike.
C. Submission Guidelines: Each directory has its own submission process and requirements. Carefully read and follow their guidelines to ensure a successful submission. Some directories may have specific requirements for website content, age, or domain authority. Following the submission guidelines ensures your website gets listed correctly and maximizes the potential benefits.
Optimize Your Listing:
Fill out your directory profile with accurate and compelling information, including a clear website description, relevant keywords, and high-quality product images. Treat your directory listing like a mini-advertisement for your online store. Make sure it’s informative, visually appealing, and entices users to click through to your website.
Be Patient:
It takes time to see results from directory submissions. Consistency is key — continue submitting your website to relevant directories over time. Building a strong SEO presence is a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see a surge in traffic overnight.
Keep submitting your website to high-quality directories and focus on creating valuable content that attracts organic traffic as well.
Track Your Results:
Monitor your website traffic and analyze which directories are driving the most valuable visitors. Pay attention to which directories are sending you targeted traffic that converts into sales. This will help you focus your future directory submission efforts on the platforms that deliver the best return on investment.
Conclusion
Directory submission is a cost-effective and straightforward SEO technique that can significantly benefit your website. By attracting targeted visitors, improving search engine visibility, and potentially boosting your ranking, directory submissions can be a powerful tool in your audience reaching, customer acquisition, and sales growth strategy.
