The information super highway, also known as the internet, our virtual world, has undergone so much transformation that it is no longer recognizable from its original form. Today, there are millions of sites online and each one vying for a position at the top of searches. New terms have been created to describe the many activities on the internet and so much more has been created in terms of machines and processes.



Today, the way we conduct business is no longer the same. As a matter of fact, a lot of companies opt to operate their businesses online because of the advantages it offers.

Unfortunately, running a business online is not as easy as we might think. There are millions of pages on the Internet today and getting Internet users to notice one is tedious work. Getting search engines to notice you is even more difficult.

This is where search engine optimization (SEO) is important. SEO, in sum, is the process aimed at making a site place high in search engines. It has two parts – on site optimization, which involves web design, keywords and tags; and off site, which includes link building and directory submissions. Internet marketers submit to directories in order to increase page rank of a certain website.

In general page rank is the numeric equivalent of a site's importance. Search engines such as Google rate sites and give them ranking from 0 to 10, with PR 10 considered as the most important. There are, of course a number of factors considered by search engines in order for sites to rank high and one of them is the number of links to a site. Through manual directory submission, Internet marketers can build high PR incoming links to a site which in turn help that site increase its own page rank. Aside from this, by submitting to directories, you can gain traffic for your site. A lot of visitors search these directories daily and with more visitors going to your site, the more chances you have of making a sale.

There are two types of directory submission sites – free and paid. It is best to start with free directories to save on costs. Directory submission involves the submitting of a site's URL with descriptions and tags, which help search engines, identify what your site is about. In most cases, a human editor reviews your submission and tries to identify whether your site meets the guidelines set by the directory. Each directory has its own guidelines that need to be fulfilled and unless your submission meets these, your site will be rejected.

Just like regular sites, directory submission sites have their own page rank. It is best to go for those in the midrange – PR 5 to 7 – since those with higher PR are stricter and will sometimes require payment in order to be listed.