So, you’ve done a little research in the efforts to understand how better to position your website in search engine search results. What you’ve quickly disc0vered is that one of the most important factors in getting your website positioned well is by getting your website’s URL in as many places as possible. The most effective way to do this is through link-building and business listing directory submission.
There are literally thousands of business listing directories on the internet, each with its own group of business categories. If you take away anything from this article, it should be the fact that choosing the right category to submit your website’s listing in is paramount as google (in particular) not only looks for “backlinks” to your website but also tries to understand how relevant that link location is to the products and services your website is advertising.
Some directories may charge a fee to have your website URL listed with them, but many many others are free. The downside of ‘free’ directories is two-fold; firstly, it can take quite a long time to get listed (sometimes more than a year). Secondly, if the business listings directory has a low editorial checking quality, or automates the process, the directory can quickly fill up with irrelevant spam content and your website’s business listing can get lost in a sea of website garbage.
We recommend going with both the free and paid directory submissions…
Below is a list of questions you should ask yourself when considering whether or not to pay to have your website listed in a paid-for business listings directory:
1. How relevant is the directory to my business (extremely important)
2. Does the directory rank well for the search terms that are relevant to your website’s products and services (some quick googling should tell you the answer to that question)
3. How many website’s are listed in the business listings directory?
4. Does the business listings directory look professional?
5. What is the business listings directory’s Google “pagerank” (use the page rank tool here to check)
6. Does the directory allow you to link to your website? (If not, it’s not worth your time)
7. Does the directory insist on you providing a link back to them (this is common, they’re looking for the same “backlink” relationship 
)
And last, but not least, “how much does it cost?”. Understand your budget and use the above list to prioritize which directory your business’ website should be found in (paid / free or both).
Now, you’ve listed in a couple of directories, how do you measure their performance? Google has a tool called “Google Analytics” that can track not only traffic to your website, but also can determine that traffic’s origin. If you’re not sure how to install and use google analytics, contact your website designer to ensure that it’s incorporated into your website’s design.
How do you find directories to list in… well, considering the RawkMedia Web Design Group offer such a service, we like to keep our directory list tight to the chest… we can offer the following Search Engine Search suggestions though
“business listing directories”
“website marketing” + “add listing”
“<insert competitor>” + “add listing”
“free business listing”
Good luck with your website marketing campaign and please feel free to contact a Saskatoon Website Design Consultant for information regarding your best approach to getting your website’s design infront of potential customers!
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