Directories are very important for any website owner. When submitting to a directory, the URLs are typically human reviewed for quality assurance. By getting accepted it means your site meets the directories guidelines and is a quality site. Some directories are more difficult to get into like Yahoo! or DMOZ. Yahoo! charges $299 for a directory inclusion, while submissions to DMOZ are subject to an editors approval.

If developing a directory for your own site there are some important things to keep in mind. It must be search engine friendly so it may be indexed properly. Choose categories carefully so they are aimed at your market or the markets to which you wish to appeal. Also dont let categories go to deep. The more pages away from your homepage you get, the lower becomes the ranking of the directory pages. Make sure the directory is functional so other websites can easily add their URLs. An email notification is a good idea. An acceptance email will not only reassure the website owner but also help you to develop more relationships with other website owners.

Some directories focus on a particular niche, while others have categories for just about everything. An example of a targeted directory would be one that only accepts sites about search engine marketing or search engine optimization. Choosing a niche directory that relates to the keywords of the site will help bring more visibility to that particular directory as well as the links.

Many websites seek out directories they can submit to. On a daily basis a website owner will seek out several directories and add their site. This increases their number of inbound links, and well as increasing their visibility on the internet.

Tips for Submitting to Directories:

- Include the most important keywords in the title.
- Submit your homepage. Directories will typically not accept extensions. It is good if your URL has your keywords in it.
- Write a good description free of grammatical errors. It will save time to write two descriptions, one long and one short, for different directories.

Tips for Directory Development:

- Keep listing results small, to about 20 a page. More than that can be overwhelming and confusing to users seeking out information.
- Maintain and update your directory frequently. Search engines like to see a site updated regularly, and maintaining the directory will assure that all the links are still functional and that all the URLs still exist.
- Incorporate the look of your website into the directory. This will help users to associate the directory with your site.

Always keep in mind that you want to represent the best of your site in any listing. So whether you are submitting to the best directories or creating your own directory make sure you are providing the most accurate information and the best possible representation of your site.