Website Submission

Website Submission is a process by which a link to a website is submitted to a website directory, link directory or search engine in order to increase the exposure of that website to new potential customers, visitors, members or subscribers for example. Web directories, also known as link directories, are online directories that specialize in categorizing links that lead to other websites on the internet.

Web directories are not the same as search engines, because they do not display their lists of web page links based on keywords. Instead, they are designed to list web pages based on their basic categories and sub categories for ease of locating similar sites. The categorization for each link is usually based on the entire web site as a whole rather than a single page or a single set of keywords. Most website submission directories only allow a website to be placed in a finite number of different categories. Website submission directories may allow site owners to submit their website directly for the purpose of inclusion, or they may have editors that are responsible for reviewing each individual submission to ensure that it is fit for inclusion on the website.

In some ways, RSS directories are similar to website submission directories, however rather than containing collections of regular websites, they contain collections of RSS or Really Simple Syndication feeds.

Most website submission directories are relatively general in scope, listing websites across a broad spectrum of different categories, languages and regions. Additionally, however, there are also website submission directories that focus on specific niches. These niche directories focus on a particular language, a single region, or a certain category or topic of interest in order to make finding websites easier for those that visit them. One type of niche directory that is popular for website submission directories is shopping directories, which specifically focus on listing retail ecommerce websites where products can be purchased online.

There are a number of different well known website submission directories that are general in nature. Two of these examples are the Yahoo! Directory and the Open Directory Project or ODP. The Open Directory Project is a significant website submission directory because of its extensive level of categorization as well as the large number of listings that it offers. Additionally, the Open Directory Project offers free availability for use both by search engines or other website submission directories.

There is an ongoing debate regarding the quality of website submission directories and databases, because search engines use the content from the Open Directory Project without making any attempt at real integration, and some of these search engines experiment with the use of clustering. There have been a number of attempts at making the process of website submission directory development easier to do, including automated submission of relevant links, and creating PHP portals and other related programs. Social software techniques have recently begun to spawn new efforts at categorizing website submission directories, such as by adding tagging to product pages on Amazon.com for example.

Features of Website Submission Directories -

There are a number of different features that most website submission directories have in common. The features that a website submission directory offers will usually depend on the price that is paid by a user for the inclusion of his or her website link.

- * Free Submission - Some website submission directory websites do not charge for the inclusion of a website link to the directory, though they still require that all links be reviewed before they are officially added to the directory.

- * Reciprocal Linking - Some website submission directories require that you create a link back to the directory somewhere on the website that you submitted in order for your website to be listed in one of their categories.

- * Paid Submission - Some website submission directories require that a one time or a recurring fee be charged for reviewing and listing the submitted link in the website directory.

- * No Follow - There is an attribute that can be associated with the link called rel="nofollow" that will give no weight to the link by search engines.

- * Featured Listing - Featured listings mean that the submitted link is given a premium position within a specific category, multiple categories or a specific section of the directory depending on the link and the organization of the website submission directory.

- * Bid for Position - With bid for position website directory submissions, websites are ordered within categories or in featured positions based on bids placed by the individuals trying to have their links placed. This creates competition for spots in a website submission directory, but the profit earned by the directory allows it to keep running.

- * Affiliate Linking - With affiliate linking, the website submission directory earns a commission any time a customer is referred from the websites listed in the directory.

- * Single Category Listing - With some website submission directories, only a single category may be used. Website owners are urged to think long and hard to choose the right category for their website since they will only be listed within a single website in the directory.

- * Multiple Category Listing - There are also website submission directories that allow for a single website link to be added into numerous categories, although the limit is usually finite. So while users can submit their link to numerous relevant categories, there is usually a limit to how many categories they can submit their website link to.

- * Automatic Site Submission - In website submission directories with automatic site submission, a user submits his or her website link and chooses a category, and the website link is displayed immediately without requiring review by a site administrator.

- * Manual Site Submission - In website submission directories with manual site submission, users can submit their website links and choose appropriate categories accordingly, but the actual website link will not be displayed on the website directory until a human moderator or editor has had a chance to approve not only the website itself but also the category chosen.

Human Edited Website Submission Directories -

Human edited website submission directories are designed to be maintained by editors that review and add links provided that they uphold the policies that are particular to the directory. Human edited website submission directories are often targeted by SEO experts because creating links from reputable sources like these directories can significantly improve search engine rankings for those websites. Some directories prevent search engines from rating links however, by using nofollow attributes, redirects and other techniques. There are a number of human edited website submission directories that are edited and maintained completely by volunteers, including the World Wide Web Virtual Library and the Open Directory Project for examples. The volunteers that edit the categories in these directories are often experts in the particular categories that they work within. These particular directories are sometimes the recipients of criticism because of the long delays associated with the approval of submissions. These website submission directories also occasionally receive criticism for rigid organizational structures and the occasional dispute among the volunteer editors behind the directory.

Some of these volunteer-based website submission directories have responded to these criticisms by adopting wiki technology. This allows for much broader participation by the community in the process of editing the directory; however it may introduce less objective and lower quality entries in the process. Another direction that has been taken by some website directories is the "Paid for inclusion" model, which allows directories to offer timely approval and inclusion for submissions; however there are generally fewer listings as a result of this particular business model. Paid website submission directories tend to offer additional options for listings or ways to further enhance the listings, such as by offering additional categories, additional links to the inner pages of the website and featured listings for example. While there are usually additional fees associated with these bonus features, they offer significantly improved visibility and are often worthwhile for website owners who are looking to invest in new exposure for their website links.

Today submitting websites to website submission directories has been considered as a common search engine optimization technique for building back links for the website being submitted. One of the most distinctive features of website submission is that it can not be fully automated in the way that search engine submissions can be. Manually submitting websites to directories is time consuming and tedious, so many web masters often outsource this process to save time for a small investment. Website submission directories that rely on manual submission, review and approval can be tedious and time consuming but still necessary for the highest quality results.

"Bid for Position" Website Submission Directories -

Bidding web directories or bid for position website submission directories are directories that involve paying for inclusion. What this means is that the list of websites in the directory are categorized and ordered based on the bid amount that was offered for them. These "bid for position" website directories are special in that they list website links higher up depending on how much money the website owner pays. By offering higher listings, the website directory is allowing the website owner to become more visible, increasing the chances that their listing will be found and visited by viewers of the directory. There are free and paid versions of PHP scripts that handle the management of "bid for position" directories, including Link Bid Script which is free and phpLinkBid which is paid. There is also a modified Link Bid Script that was designed for phpLD, also known as the phpLinkDirectory.

Website submission directories are designed to list websites within a specific hierarchy or within an interconnection of different listed categories. There are a wide variety of different website submission directories available online, some of which are general in nature and topic and others that are specific to a niche or industry, region or language, or target interest group.

Some popular general topic website submission directories include AboutUs.org, Ansearch, BUBL, Best of the Web Directory, Go Guides, Joe Ant, Open Directory Project, Starting Point Directory, World Wide Web Virtual Library and Yahoo! Directory. AboutUs.org is a wiki-based website submission directory. Ansearch is a general focus website directory focusing on the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia. BUBL is a free database for any website that isn't commercial in nature. The Best of the Web Directory only focuses on listing content rich websites and lists them both by their relevant topic and their region. Go Guides is a completely human edited, searchable website submission directory that categorizes its sites based on location and topic. Joe Ant is a community of editors from Go.com. The Open Directory Project is also known as DMoz and is the largest website submission directory on the web. The Starting Point Directory is human edited and organizes based on category. The VLIB or World Wide Web Virtual Library is the oldest website submission directory on the web, and the Yahoo! Directory is the first service that Yahoo! ever offered.

Although there are virtually thousands of other options online, some of the specialized or niche website submission directories online include VFunk, Business.com and Biographicon. The Biographicon website submission directory is a directory of biographical entries. Business.com is a business directory that is fee based in nature, and operates with a PPC search engine for income revenue. VFunk is an online directory that focuses on urban lifestyle and global dance music related listings. For every topic, industry, business or niche, there are going to be a variety of options for website submission directories to choose from. There are a variety of shopping directories, business directories and niche topic or shared interest directories that you can choose from when submitting your website, or looking for similar websites online.