Submitting Your Site to Yahoo and DMOZ Directories

[Tags: interactivepr, pr]. Useful article by the Search Engine Journal about elements to consider when submitting your site for listing. Some interesting notes:

"I find it useful to submit a slightly different description of my client’s sites for each directory submission. That way, I can gauge which descriptions are more effective in terms of encouraging people to click and also which directories are providing my clients with the most traffic. Many directories feed their database results to other engines and directories, so if I have a description unique to each directory and I see that description pop up on other search sites, I know it is the result of that original directory submission and immediately recognize the value of that original submission."

And:

"Rules of Submission

"1) Do it once: Despite the hype, there is NEVER a need to resubmit to a search engine or directory unless your site is dropped entirely (which is a very rare occurrence).

"2) Do it properly: Be very thorough when submitting, especially to directories. Take the time to research and locate the most appropriate category for your site.

"3) Be brief: Don’t waffle on about your site in the description field. Get to the point and describe your site in a short sentence or two.

"4) Be accurate: Don’t try to trick potential visitors by using vague or misleading descriptions about your products or services.

"5) Be relevant: There is a fine line to tread between relevance and keyword optimization when creating your site descriptions for submissions. Try not to cross it by using descriptions over-stuffed with keywords.

"6) Be humble: “Best Web Site in the World!!!!” is not going to convince anyone and may earn you the wrath of search engine editors.

"7) Be patient: Search engines and directories can take up to 6 months to index and list your site. Re-submitting won’t help things and could result in your site being shoved to the bottom of the review pile."