Using directory submissions is one of the best methods of obtaining one way incoming backlinks to your website, improving your website’s ranking, and promoting newly constructed websites.
Directory submissions are probably the most economical way of doing this.
When it comes to link building strategies and increasing targeted traffic to your website; using directory submissions is hard to beat.
Web directories can be described as being something like a huge online reference library. And, the directory listings are how you get increased targeted traffic and increased business to your website.
Because directory submissions are more effective with proper placement; proper title and descriptions must be selected to relevant categories in order for your website to achieve the most visibility.
Most web directory owners are extremely dedicated to creating a quality directory and are not primarily interested in just making money.
Although paid web directories offer premium services with faster approval times, you can quickly get nickel ed and dimed to death if you overuse them.
Free directory submissions are just as good as the premium services that are offered by most of the web directories. The difference is that you just have to wait longer for your website URL to be approved by the directory site owner and you may have to place a code for reciprocal links on your website in order to be accepted.
When using directory submissions, here are a few tips to help you out.
- Don’t disguise your listing and submit the same URL more than once. Persistent automatic submissions can cause you to be banned.
- Avoid using the same title, the same exact description, and the same keywords in all of your directory submissions. It looks unnatural to the search engines when they see one way links from many different sites using the exact same link text, or title of your submission.
- Listings should be made only in those directories that are search engine friendly and which are indexed by the search engines.
- Do not submit websites that are comprised of primarily affiliate links.
- Before using directory submissions, it’s important that you find keywords that work best for your business. Never ignore the importance of doing proper keyword research.You should already have developed keyword rich titles and descriptions for each of your listings, before using directory submissions.
- Using multiple titles and descriptions will also help maximize your search engine optimization efforts when using directory submissions.
- Avoid duplications. Prior to using directory submissions and before you submit your website, be sure to check that your site is not already listed in the directory.
- As long as your website has been properly listed in the directories, the search engines will crawl and index your website. Further site submissions to the search engines will not be required.
- To be successful, directory submissions must deliver good Google Page Rank or high quality traffic.
- Listings from niche directories can provide you with great niche related links and because niche directories do such a fine job of sub categorizing within the main topic area, they are more useful to everyday users.
Most niche directories are older, have a larger human user base, and will carry more weight with the major search engines. This results in more targeted traffic and higher quality one way backlinks to your website.
Using directory submissions in any market niche will get you a ton of backlinks, improve your website ranking, and definitely get your website noticed online by the search engines and your human user base.
Affiliate marketers have learned long ago how using the power of testimonials can influence the behavior and buying decisions of consumers.
A carefully chosen testimonial will often convince prospects to try your affiliate product, service or membership and is often the part of your sales letter that will close the deal.
Many affiliate marketing sites are also using the power of testimonials from satisfied customers on their home pages for their visitors to view.
Successful affiliate marketers have learned that using the power of testimonials can also increase their credibility with potential customers.
To really stand out from the pack, you can invite personalities to speak for you and create an audio or video testimonial that you can place on your site. Or, you can just use the transcript from the audio or video testimonial on your sales or squeeze pages.
The more famous the personality that you invite to do your testimonial; the more impact the testimonial will have on your potential clients. Unfortunately this can become quite expensive, especially if you pick a really well known celebrity.
Fortunately, using the power of testimonials is not limited to affiliate marketers with deep pockets.
You can still effectively compete by using your own satisfied customers or members.
Often an honest, well written, fully satisfied customer’s testimonial is worth as much as those of famous celebrities. As long as the testimonial is well written and based on an actual true experience; it can be just as convincing and effective as that of any well known celebrity.
When using the power of testimonials to promote your affiliate products; never create or use a fake testimonial in your promotional content. This is the quickest way to lose credibility with your prospects and could mark you forever as a FAKE.
The so called “designer testimonials” that are tailor written for specific requirements, will eventually catch up with you if you use them, so don’t do it!
Using the power of testimonials that are real, is much more preferable to taking shortcuts with “designer testimonials” that could cause you to lose your credibility as an affiliate marketer.
Testimonials are regularly used in affiliate marketing to promote an affiliate’s site, attract new customers, pick up new recruits and to compete directly with other known brands.
Another person’s word is an incredibly powerful incentive to purchase.
Most consumers prefer purchasing a product or service that has been recommended to them by someone; preferably a friend or relative. When offered identical affiliate products at the same price; the majority of buyers will purchase from the marketers that provide glowing testimonials about their affiliate product or service.
This should tell you something about using the power of testimonials when promoting your affiliate products or services.
Believe it or not, you could be using spam emails to your advantage in your marketing efforts if you just sit back and consider how many ways you could be effectively using them.
One of the first things email marketers learn to do is, how not to become recognized as a spammer. The consequences of spamming are not pretty.
You could get your site banned and literally lose your business if you don’t follow the opt in procedures with your potential clients.
But what do you do with spam emails when you start receiving tons of them in your email spam folder? Most of us simply delete them or report them as spam and continue on our merry way.
But why not just open a few and see if you can learn anything from them that can help you with your marketing efforts?
You can be using spam emails to your advantage by intentionally creating a spam funnel that is related to your market niche.
This can be easily done by first setting up a “throw away” email account with Gmail, Yahoo, or some other free provider. Don’t use your real name.
Once you have your account set up, you can run a Google search for products, services, or any other information that you feel could be useful in your niche market.
All you need to do then, is sign up for information you are interested in receiving using your “throw away” email account.
Once you start receiving “free” information, you will find that targeted spam emails will start showing up in your junk email folder on a regular basis.
Every time you sign up for a “free” whatever, your throw away email account will be placed on some other marketers list where you will start receiving regular offers.
These offers are how you can begin using spam emails to your advantage.
With a substantial amount of email spam, you can quickly determine which affiliate products are being offered by multiple marketers.
This information will quickly help you determine which affiliate products are the most popular in your market niche and which are worth marketing.
You can also copy and use the most effective follow up emails for your own email affiliate marketing campaigns.
Being on the other end of a spam email marketing campaign can give you ideas that will help you with your own marketing. Use the ones that grab your interest, modify them to your affiliate product or service, and clone them as your own.
You can even market your own affiliate products to valid spam email addresses you get in your spam email folder.
This can often lead to partnerships or joint ventures that often occur during holiday giveaways.
With a little bit of imagination you can be using spam emails to your advantage in your marketing.
