Online competition is undeniably fierce, with an estimated 5 billion webpages on the net. And all of them vying for the attention of around 2005, 202,888,307 Americans, or 68.9% of the entire population of the country that's online (June 2005 Nielsen/NetRatings survey).



In December 2005 – these shoppers, spent a total of $25 billion on the net, from between October 29 and December 16, pegged the first seven weeks of the 2005 holiday season.

How can you make your website stand out from a sea of over 5 billion webpages?

How can you get traffic that is easily converted into paying customers? The answers to these two questions are simple - have your website listed in web directories.

A web directory is the online equivalent of a library, for it contains the addresses of websites, indexed and organized according to specific subject matters. And to complete the analogy, the virtual librarians are human editors who evaluate and catalogue websites submitted for listing.

Here are three good reasons why you should use web directories to gain increased search engine rankings.

• Higher Ranking In Search Engine Results Major search engines such as Yahoo! Google and MSN search use the databases of web directories to complement their search results. In addition, to these major search engines, your site is sure to appear in Netscape Search, Google, Lycos, and AOL searches.

• Immediately Accessible to Your Target Markets Web directories index websites according to categories. So all your audience has to do is, access that specific category, and click on the link to end at your landing page.

• Permanent and quality links from the web directories Search engines award websites that have more quality links, higher rankings. Therefore, your site benefits two ways, increased visibility due to its' link to a respected web directory and by association, it becomes a quality site.

Should you go for paid inclusion or free submission? It all depends on your budget and the target audience you want to reach. Many web directories, list websites free provided that these websites have to pass strict guidelines. Moreover, you should be prepared for a long wait, if you are applying to a major directory. There's the ratio of a few human editors, against hundreds of websites, to consider.

In addition, while there are web directories, which charge nominal monthly or one-time inclusion fees, the fees do not guarantee immediate traffic to your site. Nor does the inclusion fee guarantee your site will be listed. However, if your site is rejected, most directories will return your fee.

Here's what you can do to increase your chances for inclusion:

• Have your own domain name.

• Ensure your site's name matches your domain name.

• Before submitting to a web directory, double-check to ensure you have no bad links, images, and Java script errors. If it's sloppily done, your site may be rejected.

• Have your company's details, such as postal address and phone numbers, clearly in view.

• Ensure the links to your company's privacy policy, return policy, and guarantee, aren't broken.

• Lastly, if you are selling online, make sure your e-commerce facilities are secure.

Submission Tips Worth Remembering

Consider what kind of site you have and the services you are selling, use this knowledge as a guide in selecting the category.

Here's an effective way to find out what category your site belongs to. Launch a search at the directory for websites whose services are similar to yours. Surf these sites, Evaluate why these web sites had themselves listed in this particular category.

Carefully read the directory's instructions and comply with these. It will lessen your chances of being rejected and have all the hard work wasted.

Does the application give you an opportunity to provide more information about your site? Use the form. If your site has special benefits or products, be sure to write these down, for the directory editor.

Focus your attention and time to submitting to directories but don't ignore the smaller ones, as long as these directories are relevant to your site. That way, you increase your opportunities to reach your target audience. And, the more listings the greater the links you'll have, adding to the link popularity of your website.

In conclusion, remember two things about directory listing. It's just one of the many strategic e-marketing tools you can utilize. And it's cheap.

Second - remember to constantly surf for relevant directories to submit your site to. One such directory is the directory found below.

You'll gain quality links and increased visibility, which will give your site higher engine rankings. And attract quality visitors, who can easily be converted into paying clients.