Submitting Your Blog to Directories: A Primer

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It’s neither necessary nor wise to submit your blog to each and every Blog Directory available on internet, and in fact, I advise against doing so.  To gain some insight as to why carefully selecting which directories to submit your blog and to is the best way to proceed  please read my two posts titled: Blog Directories for Backlinks and Traffic, Promoting your Blog in Bloggers Forums and  Selecting a Bloggers Forum.

What is a Directory?

A web directory or link directory is a directory on the World Wide Web that specializes in linking to other web sites and categorizing those links.  Blog directories are those directories to which blogs can be submitted under relevant categories and sub categories.

General directories are those directories have a wide variety of categories and sub categories under which blogs  can be listed. Niche directories are  specific directories that target a relatively small audience.

Why list in a Directories?

  1. To get your website indexed quickly;
  2. To obtain one way links;
  3. To improve PageRank;
  4. To target specific key words and key phrases;
  5. To secure traffic.

General Directories or Niche Directories: Which is best?

Hundreds perhaps even thousands of directories are created and disappear every day because the business strategies of the site owners were not well thought out.  And, as there are so many poor quality  directories  and link farms  search engines  tend to ignore them so they do not appear on the  first pages of search results.

  • A link from a Niche Directory would hold more value than one from a General Directory as the link is relevant and comes from a quality source, thus adding to the value assigned to your site by search engines.
  • It’s also easier to connect with a target audience if  your blog is listed in a Niche Directory.

Paid Directory Listing or Free Directory Listing?

Some directories require payments to be made in order for blogs to be listed,  others will list blogs free of charge, and some reciprocal directories require links from the blogs that are listed in them and will only give will they give a link back to a blog when they find a link pointing back to them from a blog.

How long for review and approval?

Free directories that do not guarantee link approvals may take  anywhere from a week to three months after submission to allow for editor’s reviews before your blog receives directory links. The blog review time for approval and listing in most directories that offer both reciprocal and free listings is shorter than it is for free directories and may take days or weeks. When you submit a blog to paid directories that guarantee link approvals the time taken for approval maybe the same day or just a few days.

Selection tips

A Directory can provide opportunities to promote your blogand send it some traffic,  but by and large Directories are more for backlinks and PageRank. Remember, more often than not, a few high quality links/listings is better than a lot of low quality ones. Providing you select Directories carefully and submit to the appropriate category and subcategory listing(s) and tag(s), it’s a positive vote  that your site is actually what you purport it is,  and that it was reviewed by a human.

Free ebook: A – Z Directrory Submissions PDF format

Recommended Reading

20 Essential Blog Directories to Submit Your Blog

10 Blog Directories You Should Be Listed in

Giant List of Blog Directories

30 thoughts on “Submitting Your Blog to Directories: A Primer”

  2. Thanks timethief I left you a response on BC. But I’ll let you know if I ever get on all of them! ;)

    Broadcast response: Thanks for this timethief. Actually it’s a very good point and a question that any webmaster will have come across. It confirmed what I was always thinking anyway. Some people are so directory happy. It pays to be cautious. Good advice thanks.

    • Many new bloggers use auto-submission services for directory submissions. Many of them submit to 70 or more directories without actually checking out whether or not the directory is worthwhile submitting to. IMO the best approach to take is to check them out and be selective about which ones your register your blog with.

  3. Good information! I had been looking for a writer’s blog directory, but decided not to end up at one of those since they are mostly for writers who are looking to write and sell books, and I’m not sure that is my direction right now. I enjoy journalism more at the present time.

    I like where I landed (at BlogCatalog) – I found a niche there too! Wish I’d had this article as I waded through the various directories, though!

  4. I am listed with MyBloglog, FuelmyBlog, Technorati and BC. BC is the only one that creates any kind of traffic for me.

    What would be great is if you did a post on how to promote your blog on Technorati or MyBlogLog. I guess I just don’t understand how those services work. FuelMyBlog just seems like a not quite as effective version of BC.

    • I have no insight into how to promote your blog on myblolog. As for Technorati they do have a feature that no one seems to be using:
      Reader Reviews
      Welcome to the Technorati blog page for “one cool site: blogging tips”! This page features information about the blogs that are in Technorati’s community. Are you a reader or a fan of this blog? Have something to say about this blog? Write a review or a comment about it! You can write a review that will appear right here and, if you choose, in your twitter stream as well. http://technorati.com/blogs/onecoolsite.wordpress.com

  7. thanks for this, just putting something new together & was looking to refresh on viewpoints, this article hit it on the nail.

    thanks Paul

  11. Very good post. I was searching the internet for the relevant information but was unable to do so. Its really helpful. Thanks!!

  13. i am new to blogging and i always thinking that submission to blog directories will help in ranking better. thanks for you advice and information.

    • I visited your blog and I’m puzzled. Why would anyone who is new to blogging choose to have a blogging tips blog? If you have no personal experience then what can you offer to your readers?

  14. Do you know whether a blog hosted at wordpress.org can become listed in the wordpress.com directory of blogs?

    For example, when I look at the Customer Experience Management directory on wordpress.com I don’t see my blog listed (it’s on wordpress.org).

    Is this something that happens automatically within WordPress, or do I need to submit it?

    Thanks!!!

    • The wordpress.COM global tag pages are ONLY for blogs hosted by wordpress.COM. Blogs which are self hosted on wordpress.ORG software are NOT included in the wordpress.COM global tag pages.

      This blog is aimed at beginners from all blogging platforms and as a significant amount of traffic flows to it comes from the wordpress.COM global tag pages, I choose to leave it as a free hosted blog on the wordpress.COM blogging platform, rather than moving it to a separate domain and self hosting it on wordpress.ORG software.

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