Apparently submitting your site to web directories is one of the quickest ways to get links, but getting listed is sometimes much more difficult than it may seem.

The problem is that web directories are swamped by a large number of low quality submissions: poorly designed web sites, web sites without any original content or created only to display advertisements and so on.

For this reason directory editors review hundreds of sites per day and accept only those complying to a very strict set of guidelines. There are days, and I talk by personal experience, when more than 90% of submissions are rejected, in many case without even the need to visit the site simply because of a poorly written submission.

If you want to increase your chances to see your site listed, it's essential to understand what informations you are required to provide about your site and how to properly submit them.

At least title, description and url are required by all directories.

Directories have more or less restrictive rules about what you can or cannot have as your site title. Some allow only your official domain name or company name, others are more liberal.

In any case a good title should never exceed 4-5 words. Using a long list of keywords as title (keyword stuffing), excessive repetitions and inappropriate punctuation must be absolutely avoided.

Many sites are rejected due to an inappropriate description. A description is not an advertisement and should never contain superlatives or excessive marketing hype.

Directory listings are usually searchable by words contained both in title and description so the keywords commonly used to find your site should be included in your site description. However always write 2-3 complete sentences that sound natural, do not make your description a long list of keywords.

You would say that people should at least be able to correctly submit their own web site url. If you work as directory editor for a while you will change your mind! It happens quite frequently that a site is rejected simply because of a mistyped url.

Never type your site url directly into the submission form. Test it in your browser, save it in a text file and copy and paste from there.

Each directory can have some other specific rules, so be sure to carefully read the submission guidelines and comply to any special requirement.

It's said that you never get a second chance to make a good first impression: directory editors read the informations you submit before visiting your web site and even before deciding if your web site is worth a visit. Learn to properly write your submissions and you will greatly increase the chances to have your web site accepted.