Here’s a quick video I created to go over some of the new features.

Click here to watch the video

And here’s a list of the new features for this new version:

1. Two new columns have been added to the software. They are “Category” and “Title”.

2. An auto-save option has been implemented: Every 15 seconds program saves all user data, so incase of a PC freeze or power outage, you will not lose any of your data.

3. We’ve added a new auto-rotate feature. Now, if you have more than 1 title and description entered into your project information screen, Directory Submitter will rotate between each of the titles and descriptions combinations every other directory. Simply check the check box to enable this feature.

4. We’ve added a new “Report Directory Error” context menu so you can let us know if there is a “faulty” directory in the software that does not load. This way we can keep a very updated list for all users.

5. When new directories are added to our database, you will be notified on software startup. This way you can download the latest list of directories to your software.

6. And last, but not least, we’ve added more than 500 new directories, both free and paid AND speciality directories to the software!

Thanks again for the fantastic recommendations for the software and I’ll talk to you all soon!

Brad

Also, I’ve made a short video tutorial to help answer a few questions that I’ve received at my personal email address. Below is the video…

Click here to watch tutorial video

Popular Questions

1. Who is providing this database of Directories? Is there any fee related to use of this database?

The list of website directories within Directory Submitter comes directly from our database. The database is maintained by our staff, as well as user recommendations etc. If a directory is found to be non existent, it is removed from our database. As we add new directories to the database, they are automatically loaded into the software when opened. Everything is handled automatically so that you get the most up to date list of directories.

No, there’s absolutely no fee!

2. Do all Directories allow to post your link through this software directly or you need to sign up first?

All of the directories within Directory Submitter are free directories that do not require an account with each directory. Simply select the directory within the software that you would like to submit to, by double-clicking on the website in the upper frame. This will load the directory in the bottom frame, and will populate all of the required fields for your submission. Then click the submit button within the website itself and your site has been submitted.

3. How do you know that your link exists? Do you have any kind of monitoring feature?

Most of the directories will instantly add your link. There are a few that do not add links in real-time. What will happen is they will contact you immediately after your link has been added. An email will be sent to the email address you input into the new project window of Directory Submitter.

4. It seems that Google now likes to see some text when linking to sites. Could the fact that we are just listing a link be a problem?

That is correct. Google and other major search engines give high priority to websites that contain their main keyword in the “anchor text” of the links. When you submit your website to these directories, almost all will list your link using the “anchor text” you choose. The “anchor text” is called “title” within Directory Submitter, and you can list as many “titles” as you wish.

5. Can you perform a “shift” key function and submit to multiple directories at one time or is the process - One Directory at a time?

It is best to submit to 1 directory at a time, as each directory requires different criteria. By submitting to 1 directory at a time, you’re ensuring that you submit the “right” information to the specific directory.

6. What is the difference between the Standard and Gold versions?

The Standard version of Directory Submitter allows you to submit an unlimited number of websites to 350 website directories. The Gold version allows you to submit an unlimited number of websites to over 1,700 websites directories.

7. Does Directory Submitter only submit to free directories?

At this time, yes, but in the future, we plan to add categories to Directory Submitter. Once this is in place, we will be adding a list of paid directories.

8. Is the software Apple friendly?

At this time, Directory Submitter is not Mac compatible. Sorry.

9. Fantastico idea, one question doesn’t SEO elite not already find directories?

1 of the very minor features of SEO Elite is to submit your website to “reciprocal link directories”. These types of directories are much different than a “website directory”. Website directories are one-way links to your website. Reciprocal link directories require that you link back to the website, which is not nearly as powerful and beneficial of a link to acquire.

10. I just click a button and automatically get one way links from these 1800 sites?

No, you need to select which website directory you would like to submit to. The software will auto fill all of the required fields, greatly reducing the amount of time spent manually typing in this information. You click the submit button and then your website is submitted to that directory. Once this is finished, you may move to the next directory and so on…

11. Do all of these directories have SEO friendly links–they do not use the *nofollow* tag?

We do our best to include directories that do not contain a nofollow tag, but we cannot guarantee this to be the case, as we have no control over whether or not a directory will add a nofollow tag after it’s been added to our software.

I will say this though… I would not be concerned about that, as it only takes a few seconds to submit to a directory, and you may very well get traffic directly from the directory with the nofollow tag. So, although the directory link wouldn’t help with your search engine rankings, you may still receive traffic from the directory itself.

12. Is directory list for English sites only?

That is correct. In the future we may add other languages if there is enough demand for this.

13. How do we know which of these directories are deemed high enough quality to not hurt our rankings?

I know of no directory listing that could actually hurt your rankings if you place your website in a category that is at least somewhat related to the theme of your website. If adding your website to directories could hurt your ranking, you could easily harm a competitor’s website, and Google and others are much smarter than that.

14. I’ve been told that building TOO MANY back links TOO quickly can get a site penalized, as the Search Engines view it as an unnatural occurrence. Is this true?

The speed of link building is not the problem. It is more the consistency that you get links. If you get 1,000 links on day 1, you should try to get 1,000 links every day thereafter. Obviously that’s not realistic, so I would start with a number that you think you could consistently get each day. Just try to stay consistent. You can taper off after awhile, but don’t get 1,000 links on day 1 and then 0 everyday thereafter.

15. Is there a column that will tell me which ones I have submitted to and date I submitted?

Yes, there is a column labeled “last submitted” which includes the date that your website was submitted to the specific directory.

16. Looks good, can’t wait to try it out! What’s the catch? Why would you give away good, useful software?

As I’ve mentioned in the blog posts, the goal of this website is to create a powerful community of users all helping one another. If the Standard version of the software is free, nobody has an excuse that they cannot afford it. I want the software to help everyone!

17. How is your different or better from the rest of the submission programs?

Most of the other submission programs I have come across…

** - And most of all… Don’t have the AWESOME member community that we’ll have here!

18. If you buy the GOLD version, will you get free upgrades to new directories as you and others suggest them forever? If not, is there a way for us to add new directories to our version after it expires manually?

Absolutely! Any product that you ever purchase from us, whether that be Directory Submitter, SEO Elite, Keyword Elite, etc. come with free upgrades for life!

19. Brad, does the software work with Vista?

It sure does.

What will be different about the IMWishlist products?

We’ll be creating REAL value for you, in terms of regularly updated software that will actually help you increase the amount of money you make online. Because let’s be honest here… It’s you, the community, that I want to help. That is my #1 goal with this site.

I’ve seen it way too many times in the past. The user purchases a program touted as the best of the best in whatever it does. After the user purchases, they get no support, no updates, no interaction with the makers of the product… and to be honest, this way of doing business is not what you or anyone else deserves.

With the Directory Submitter software and all of the up and coming products that we’re nearly finished with for IMWishList, not only are the 1st versions of the products amazingly powerful… but you’ll notice there is a place located directly to the right of any of the product pages, where you can tell me exactly which features (in this case, which directories) you would like added… and guess what? They WILL actually be added

You’ll also be able to provide feedback via the website here, by simply clicking on the comments link located to the right of any of my blog posts. As the total user base grows, so does the number of people that will help give us all ideas and features to make the programs even better. We’ll all be working together to give YOU what you really deserve; A fantastic piece of software that will make you more money online!

I’m very proud of this website and it will only grow as time goes by. I’m really looking forward to growing closer to all of the IMWishlist.com users and watch everyone succeed online in a big way TOGETHER…. The way it should be!

All the best,

Brad Callen
Bryxen Software, Inc.

Luckily, there is a cheaper alternative. You can use web directories to not only enhance your search engine visibility (through increased link popularity), but by targeting niche categories and using sponsored listings where necessary, you can get a big jump in your traffic as well.

So, let’s get started…

What is a Web Directory?

A web directory is a collection of links broken down into relevant categories. Think Yahoo! and their directory, the Open Directory Project or even the Google Directory (which, incidentally, is pulled from the ODP). At its most basic level, a web directory is a collection of bookmarks made available to the public. In other cases, like Yahoo, it is a professional resource for people actively looking for information.

To get listed in such a directory, you can either get listed for free (which might take a while), or in many cases, pay a one-time fee to have your website reviewed and entered in the directory. One major exception is Yahoo, which charges a recurring fee for its commercial listings, and we’ll look at that later.

The Benefits of Being Listed in a Web Directory

In theory, there are two main benefits of being listed in a web directory:

1. Increased link-popularity due to a one-way link from a highly-respected resource.
2. Increased traffic due to being listed in a directory that is searched by many people every day.

In reality though, these benefits are directly related to how popular the directory is itself, and how much money you have paid for your listing. Of course, if the link is for free, there is nothing to worry about.

There are thousands of FREE website directories on the internet!

But if you are paying for submission, you need to know some very important facts.

Link Popularity

As far as link-popularity is concerned, you need to factor in several variables:

1. The Page Rank of the directory

2. The Page Rank of the category page on which you are listed

3. Where you are listed on the page

4. The number of competing websites on that page

Where directories win out is the fact that are free or only require a one-time fee. In contrast, authority sites (or most websites with a Page Rank greater than 5 or 6) tend to use text links as a source fo revenue, and thus charge monthly fees. A directory listing then becomes a much better option (but only for link popularity).

More Traffic

Directory listings are also used as traffic building opportunities. How this works is that many directories are searchable for their visitors, so that users can look for information. In theory this is great – you can get lifetime traffic for just a nominal payment, but you should not expect a sudden deluge of traffic from just one directory listing. Here’s why:

Most directories, apart from the top twenty or so, are usually used for link-building and not pure searching. This means that while people may use GoGuides or Yahoo for regular searches, you should expect that the smaller directories are mainly for link-popularity, and plan your investment as such.

Many directories offer listings based on an alphabetical ordering, or a first-come, first-serve ordering. In both cases, your website has quite a big chance of being lost out in the noise.

Directory-search algorithms differ greatly. Some directories, like JoeAnt, base their search on keyword relevancy (which makes it more of an exercise of stuffing your directory listing with keywords rather than making a good website), while others take a more “editorial” approach by factoring in editor ratings. And still, many directories display sponsored listings first, reinforcing the adage that even on the Internet, it’s your advertising budget that talks, and not necessarily the quality of your website.

After you factor in the above points, you realize that there are only a handful of web directories where it is a definite benefit to “pay” to be listed. And even then, you cannot just rely on just being listed – sponsor listings get much more exposure. But before we discuss these dozen or so web directories, I’d like to tell you how you can make sure your website is accepted.

How to get Listed – An Overview

Getting listed in a web directory is a function of two main factors:

1. Time

It takes alot of time if you were to manually seek out these directories and then manually submit your website details to each one of them.

2. Quality

In some cases (very rarely nowadays), directory inclusions can be rejected due to the poor quality of a website. Maybe the editor considered that your website was not ‘useful’ enough (meaning it had little or no useful / original / any content), or sometimes, there may be moral issues (although editors are urged to abide by directory guidelines and not personal beliefs). If rejected, you will almost always receive feedback (you might have to ask for it) on how to improve your website.

In earlier days, quality was a big issue. Today, it is still a major concern for top directories like Yahoo, but this is more to separate the truly atrocious from the rest rather than to separate the best from the rest.

A directory listing is, in most cases, useful only for the link popularity. In such scenarios, if you can find better deals on authority sites in your niche, then you should go for them. However, a directory listing is cheaper (one-time versus monthly payment), and with the big directories like Yahoo, Dmoz and GoGuides, it can also bring you reasonable traffic.

As always, remember that directory listings form a small part of your overall online marketing strategy. If you don’t have the budget for a Yahoo listing, don’t sweat it – focus on submitting your website to the free directories out there, and come back to it when you can afford it. Directory listings are important, but only when you are looking to squeeze every possible drop of search engine placement out of your links and your website.