Yesterday I wrote about how I love free traffic.  I mean, traffic from search engines can be so targeted and be the result of your hard website promotion.  Many different methods exist on how you can promote your site, but for myself, I have had very good success using web directories.

If you went back a couple of years, my marketing efforts were primarily free directory submissions.  Back then, I had the time to sit at the computer (sometimes till early in the morning) and just submit my sites.  Now this hard work paid off over and over again, but now my lifestyle is much different: it is busier.

A busier life means less time to devote to promoting my sites.  So instead of doing it myself, I have taken advantage of a directory submission service that does all the grunt work for me.  I still have to come up with the titles and descriptions for my listings, but they take care of submitting my site to the free directories.

If I could do it all over again, I don’t think that I would have done the manual submissions.  With all the time that paying someone to do it for you frees up, I could have spent my time making many more websites and have had more money flowing into my pocket.

I find it funny that so many people say that you can get nothing for free.  I beg to differ.  I have received many free things such as free samples, free air (yes that air you breathe), and lately free traffic.  How did I get free traffic to my websites?  Let me tell you how.

I have always set a bit of my time each day aside to promote my websites.  I would add them to a links directory or two, and wait patiently till the links were approved.  Quite often, I would have to wait six months or more to see results, but eventually they would come.  While looking for a review website that would tell me which general directory was better than the other, I came across the mother-load of free website promotion.

The site I came across has everything a new and experienced directory marketer needs: 8000 web directory listings.  Conveniently sorted in paid and free directories, you have a guide that lays out where you should be spending your marketing time.

Do I use it?

You bet.  Sure I use directory submission services a bit more than I used to, but if I am low on cash, I tend to use their list.  Where else are you going to find a place that gives you 8000 links (spam free)?

Let me summarize my life as a webmaster:

Wake up - Write - Promote - Sleep

Is this your webmastering style as well?

One of the tools I use to promote my websites is web directories.  Basically a web directory is similar to a search engine with the difference being that listings in a web directory are approved by a human being.  That being said, usually they have better quality and less spammy listings (notice the use of usually in the sentence).

There are both free and paid web directories that you can submit your site to.  I am not going to necessarily say which is better, though usually if you pay you can expect your listings to be approved faster than a free directory.  That being said, check out this small selection of web directories that I wish to highlight today.

The 4169 Free Link Directory has been around since early 2007.  They cater to those marketers with a budget and those without a budget (free listings).  The site is reasonably popular and my link was indexed quickly from the site.  For those of you with a budget, you can purchase a featured link for just five dollars and get your listing above the rest.  This is one of the directories I always submit my site to.

Tower Promote Link Directory is the oldest sites of the bunch.  Catering to those who want free listings and those who want to let their site stand out with paid listings, this site has everything that you need.  Since this site is older, search engines tend to rank links from this site as more important, therefore this site gives some special value to those who submit their sites here.  As a side note, if you submit a reciprocal link, your listing will be approved quicker.

Another old web directory I would like to mention is the Mitefind Paid Link Directory.  Now why would you want to submit your site to a paid web directory?  Simply put, your listing will be approved quickly as well in most cases these types of sites also have an advertising budget, so you know that you could get better exposure for your site.  Pricing is very reasonable (less than two dollars at this writing) and links are usually approved within a day. 

That’s it for today.  As I find more directories worth submitting to, I will mention them here.  Have a good day!

I recently came across a listing in a forum I visit for free backlinks from a brand new directory.  Obviously, my curiosity was peaked, and I had to check it out.  I followed the link in the forum post and found myself at:

A Free Directory

My first impression was great, as the site’s template was pleasing to the eyes.  I did some exploring and submitted some of my sites (for free – don’t mind that at all).  I was surprised to see that my sites were approved quickly – in less than a day.  I couldn’t resist submitting more of my sites.

A big thank you to the creator of this sites as I am already showing backlinks and some traffic from my listings.  If you have a website, you should consider submitting your site here as well.

Just a comment:  When you say that you are the best, you better well be telling the truth.

So, after making the claim at being the best damn links page, you better be good, right?  My expectations were set high as I went to look at this site.

Looking at the site… man I like the template.  Well thought out and clean.  Submitting a site was a breeze, albeit a strain on the pocket book (under two dollars at the time of this writing).  My link was approved fast too.  So, I guess it is the best damn links page .   You should consider submitting your site here, it has resulted in some traffic for me.  Check them out!