33 Killer Ways to Increase Your Directory Traffic for Free
Written by slashpix on May 6th, 2007
Right promotion is an essential element in building successful directory since no one will submit sites to your directory if nobody knows it. I personally suggest you to attempt all ways that are listed here and get maximum web exposure.
Here is a HUGE list of 33 free ways to increase traffic of your directory:
- Create Buzz. For example, let’s say you are ten years old and you already have a directory. You would become very popular and everyone would want to submit links to your directory. In other words find something interesting about yourself so everyone would like to see your directory.
- Can you create directory templates? If yes then release templates for free and do not forget to include your link in it, that should increase your PR.
- Always validate your directory. If your directory is validated than it will be better indexed by major search engines.
- Create a favicon. It will help your directory to be recognized when it’s bookmarked.
- Always use forum signatures on forums where you participate.
- Become friends with directory owners, so you could help each other out.
- Write articles about directory business and submit them into major articles directories.
- Create unique directory, then your directory will drive traffic with no promotion at all.
- Answer questions on forums or Yahoo answers. Don’t forget to include your directory in answers but do not make it look like old fashioned spam.
- Exchange links with related directories.
- Comment in this blog and leave your directory’s url as a helpful resource.
- Collect email addresses. You can use email addresses to announce major updates of your directory.
- Attempt not to put Adsense or other advertisements since most of you profit should come from selling submissions to your directory.
- Be patient - Directories do not become popular in the first month or so.
- Do not require registration for users who want to submit a link.
- Create a blog and write about something helpful to directory owners.
- Do not promote just your directory in whole. Try to promote different categories and possibly subcategories.
- Use Friendly Urls.
- Use Redirect. Choose whatever to redirect to www. domain.com or domain.com. That’s an important issue since www.domain.com and domain.com are ranked differently.
- Allow Deep Links.
- Announce your directory on major forums.
- Offer featured links for free for a short period of time.
- Work on your directory for at least an hour per day.
- Create unique directory structure. Do not use category dumps or search engines will classify your directory as duplicated content.
- Stumble, Stumble, Stumble. Stumble for others and others will stumble for you.
- Put your Url at the back of your car. Just imagine how many people see your car per day.
- Love what you are doing and everything else will come.
- Keep your directory as a helpful resource not as a money making machine.
- Increase your online reputation. As your reputation will increase the number of submissions will increase as well.
- Create brand, funny and easy to remember directory name.
- Think Long-term. It’s really important to think long-term while promoting and building your directory.
Wow! That is an absolutely amazing post! Keep up the good work, I learned some stuff from this.
Some nice ideas. I especially agree about no registrations.
Also actually approve or reject listings. Word gets round when you just ignore the free submissions.
Thanks for sharing this good article buddy!
All the tips and easy to understand and straight forward.
Some very good comments well done
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Collect email addresses. You can use email addresses to announce major updates of your directory.
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And piss off everyone you send “junk” email too.
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Put your Url at the back of your car. Just imagine how many people see your car per day.
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Don’t have a car maybe slap bumper sticks on the buses!
Very helpful. Thanks alot!
I’ve been trying to decide whether or not I should make a blog or a directory… now after reading this, it makes me think I should include a blog and a directory.
Thank you for the article. Very helpful!
Very nice tips to increase directory traffic!
Yeah! Fantastic Post i luved it
Very good post
Thanks
great, those are some really very useful tips, yes yahoo answers is a good place, also i like most of your other tips and i actually do that pretty much regularly,
“Attempt not to put Adsense or other advertisements since most of you profit should come from selling submissions to your directory.”
Your are absolutely right! I noticed, that the clickrate on adsense ads on directories is almost zero.
Nice article. Only thing is my link directory is free not a paid submission so I have to put Adsense in there.
Hi,
I agree with you! Great tips.
Nice composition… good work
http://ripsoft.org
Great information, wil try them out.
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This is pure concentrated directory knowledge. Great post!
Thanks. I think each directory owner must print this and hand it on the wall over his PC.
[…] 33 Killer ways to increase traffic to your directory - Writing articles about your directory is definitely something that I have never heard of I will have to give this a try. […]
A helpful topic for all
very usefull resources.
Nice article,thanks for share
Some good tips, thanx
Article is really very very nice..its really worth to read the same..
The only thing I don’t agree with is mass emailing people… Most people consider it spam and will block your email address. Great article otherwise
I like the yahoo answers idea.
Thanks for the great tips. Keep them coming for all us directory owners.
Great tips for the first-time directory builder.
This is very good list for the starter. Some of the directory got hundreds of thousands back link so quickly. How do they get so many link in very short period of time.
I had not thought of adding a blog. That makes me think I should not have made the directory on the front page. I probably should have put it under a directory folder.
That is what I have been doing. But I am working little harder for it because my directory is little new. I work about 3 hours per day for my directory and getting better each day.
So thanks for the great suggestions.
Adrian
Thanks for the great tips.
Very nice and really too much helpfull and all and learn alot more thing like stumble, car add ad try to love your work ,anyway very helpful tips.
Great article. I am going to bookmark this. Its unfortune I dont own a car though. And I would like to make a recommendation. Looks are important for directories. So those who are serious about running a directory should consider getting a unique design for their directory(ies). And it would be great if you could write an article which covers pricing. I see many new directory owners have problems choosing a right and reasonable price
I just started my new directory and I have read alot of how to’s for directory owners. I do have to say this is at the top of my list and it should be for others. Thanks for all the info.
good tip i will try it
i am new webmaster of directory
thanks
first thing i did was to validate it….and sure enough its was coded wrong
- took me 2 mins to recode.
hey thanks for the tips and a special thanks for the first one!!!
nice tips, really helpfull.
thanks for sharing
I like all of them but specially this one,
Comment in this blog and leave your directory’s url as a helpful resource.
That is why i’m leaving the comment for you
Nice article gonna try the most of then.
Thanks
Wow. I’ll try everything except put my url on the back of my car. Not recommended for aggressive driver like me
Nice Article!! A lot of good info.
great listing….. I like your description and explain above…. many alternatif ways to increase traffic…thank you
Very nice tips and advice.
Another great tip for building link backs is to offer charity sites a donation for a hard link.
They are more likely to accept than other mainstream sites.
Excellent Post - Makes lots of Sense. Its a hard thing to do but I believe one hour per day on a website DOES work to improve rankings and traffic.
A great source for information!
very nice post, i have a new directory and i will do all the things you said
Very nice tips, useful links too, thanks. But as for not requiring registration to post a link I don’t think it would be possible with my script, this disables spam too. I’ll include this article in my blog, and will link back to you. It would be a great info for my visitors, thanks again.
Wow nice post!!!
I like the part about being a ten year old!!! That probaly would work lol!!
Yes this is really helpful for directory owners. I have also a better concept to stand out unique that i will review all submissions at my directory within 48hours!
Very nicely done. This should help many people to get their act together.