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Choosing the Best Web Directory

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Aviva DirectoryHow do you choose the right web directory for your web site? All web directories look the same, what is the difference?

There are a number of factors for choosing the right web directory for your website. Today we will look at these factors to find the best web directory for your company.

In my opinion, there is one real need for a business to use a web directory: they need qualified traffic. The key word here is qualified, because so many directories send you worthless traffic that wastes your time and money.

The right web directory is great, because they have done all the hard work ahead of time, so you do not have to spend your time repeating the process from scratch.

Take for example, a retail organization that sets up a new blog. While the company might be established offline, more than likely this is a new method of driving traffic to their retail outlet.

Therefore, the company now has two options to drive new traffic to their site:

  1. Start writing and be prepared for the long haul to get the qualified traffic from Google search and other venues.
  2. Leverage other websites to garner traffic faster.

Aviva Directory girlFor most businesses, the blog is a method of driving in traffic to their business, not a business in and of itself. This means a company who wants to use a blog should leverage a web directory to drive in qualified traffic faster.

Using a web directory like Dmoz.Org, Manta, or Aviva Web Directory, they can speed up their approach to driving in traffic. Aviva Directory has been around since 2005. A new retail blog can work with a company like Aviva that, and leverage their 8 years of experience looking for your ideal prospects.

More importantly, you also build up your search credentials to Google, Bing, and Yahoo. While search algorithms are not as highly focused on links as they were a few years ago, backlinks from other sites are still an important part of the search algorithm for the major engines.

The key here is quality sites. Do not focus on every web directory, focus in on the relevant, few web directories that are quality sites. These sites have the most traffic, and offer you the highest reward for your site.

So, what is the best web directory for your needs? The reality is that you need to determine what your needs are in a web directory first. This might be a cyclical, political answer, but it is also true. Going back to Aviva, even they have two parts to their directory. They have one directory for websites and one for blogs. They are two similar types of sites, but completely different purposes. Understanding which one works best for your needs is crucial in determining your success with web directories.

Aviva Web Directory launched in 2005. Our mission since we started was to be more than just another web directory, but a place where you could find the best hand-picked websites around the internet.

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Andy Nathan

Are you stressed out with using social media and blogging? Need some help from a professional, who actually has spent time in the trenches helping entrepreneurs with their online marketing strategy? Then connect with me on my blog or on Google+.
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Comments

  1. this is the first time i see this aviva directory and it’s very useful. i would like to recommend this but i not find the share on facebook button

    Reply

    • Hi Dolev,

      Neither the free nor the premium Social Warfare plugin will work on my blog, possibly due to some database problem we haven’t been able to find. I’ve been tired up in other projects and unable to do what i need to do to resolve that.

      I should have immediately installed some other social sharing plugin, but I didn’t. Sorry about that. You can share on Facebook by simply copying and pasting the URL from the browser bar.
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..How to Use Content Marketing to Promote Your Online CourseMy Profile

      Reply

  3. Thank you for the valuable information. However, dmoz[dot]org never added my website to their directory. Any idea what might the reason for it?

    Reply

  4. I agree the relative directory is best for your web site as all search engines love relative work and there must be consistency and frequency in the work.

    Reply

  5. Many of you have been hearing things about web directories being obsolete, or that a listing in a web directory will be counted against you by Google. Not true. What is true is that web directories will be held to the same standards as any other website on the Internet, which means that they will have to provide quality content. The days when someone can put up a $30 directory script and be in business as a web directory may be over, but directories that offer good quality will continue to do well, and those that are able to adapt to changing demands by Internet users will do very well. You will find a list of web directories at http://bit.ly/16jbRKZ – these are directories that I have personally visited, and have taken the time to describe. You will still have to do your own homework, of course.

    Reply

  7. Web directories are the logical first choice in an SEO campaign, after content. There are thousands of web directories on the Internet, but most of them aren’t worth the time that it takes to submit to them. However, there are some good ones, and you won’t go wrong with Aviva Directory.

    Reply

  8. There are so many low quality spammy type directories that probably don’t generate any real traffic to the sites that appear on them. Finding the right directory that is relevant to your industry is the key.
    Racquel Cousins would love you to read ..Successful OutcomesMy Profile

    Reply

  10. I’ve tried several web directories since last year though all of them are the free ones. I’m not really keen on the big advantage of having a paid one setup. I maybe wrong and may have to try one that will not leave a big dent on my pocket if my site will still not pickup in a month or two.

    Reply

    • Murdo,

      I understand where you are coming from. Remember the old saying that you get what you pay for. This holds true with web directories.

      Andy

      Reply

  13. I was totally unaware of Aviva, but not it sounds that I should go for it. I have been already looking out for ways to verify that in which web directories I should have to submit my stuff. You have done an amazing work here thanks for the quick tip.
    Hamza Sheikh would love you to read ..iOS 7 Beta 3 Download Rumored To Come On July 8My Profile

    Reply

  14. Some of webmasters say that do URL submission to bookmarking and web directory sites is useless and wasting your time. Honestly, I totally disagree with such opinion. Well stated by Google, QUALITY is must come first. So what Andy says here are totally right. If it done rightly, you will get quality backlink and traffic at the same time. DO NOT focus on backlink’s quantity instead of quality. If not, your website will hit by Google’s Panda and Penguin update. At that moment, you will realize that your efforts would be a waste.

    Reply

    • Gavin,

      Thank you very much! Everything really does come down to quality versus quantity on the internet. Set up 10,000 directory backlinks in 5 minutes and you will not be successful. Conversely, have a few high quality links will.

      Andy

      Reply

  17. Thanks buddy i was unaware of Manta Aviva web directories. I have submitted one of my sites to Technorati. I think it’s also good. Dmoz is quite slow in approving your site but they are the best. I also agree with you backlink is another main factor for getting ranked in search engines.Thanks again for making me aware of Aviva and Manta! 🙂
    Nithin Upendran would love you to read ..Top 5 Free Tools For Checking Your Site’s BacklinksMy Profile

    Reply

    • Technorati has me approved as an author, but I am not sure if they ever approved my blog. Another reason to have more than one option. Glad this helped you!

      Reply

  19. Web directories are in decay, thats for sure, not the whole thing is to rank good in search engines and build a linking base from other websites.

    Reply

  20. People who just submit websites on any directories end up see that their website does not seen anywhere on Google one should submit on good web directories.

    Reply

  21. I totally agree with you. Because for more backlinking peoples are submitted their site link more and more directory’s, Its not a relevant way, my suggestion is someone should put his link in a quality and theme relevant directory site. Hence he can beneficial for that link.

    Reply

    • Thanks J. Edwards! Your wording of “relevant” is key here, because without relevancy Google and the audience on the directory will not care.

      Reply

  23. I fully agree. The days of using hundreds of website directories can hurt your rankings in a big way, especially if you are a new company/website. Too many people get drawn in to the web directory submission sales pitch and learn soon enough they aren’t ranking anymore on Google.
    Sandy G. would love you to read ..Who Can Benefit From Old Navy Careers?My Profile

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