Big Oak SEO Blog

Create an Wonderful Super Awesome Resource Directory - SEO Tip 52

If you have been playing the SEO game for long you know that using directories are one way to build links. How effective this is to your SEO campaign is debatable nowadays. But I’m not talking about submitting your site to other directories, I’m recommending you start your own directory. I can practically hear the moans and protests through the Internet now. Let me explain my modest proposal. Here are some ideas for creating your own wonderful super awesome resource directory.

Build the directory on your current site. Do not start a site just for the sake of being a directory. There are thousands of unsuccessful directories and we shouldn’t be adding to the overcrowded market. You can see an example of a resource (vendor) directory we have created for F. Curtis Barry & Company. The directory was created as a subsection of their business site so it resides in their main domain.

Be selective. This directory isn’t supposed to be all-inclusive, it is being created to be a resource for your customers. It should have perceived value so only include vendors that are recommended by you or your company.

Be opinionated. This is YOUR directory, right? Well, say what you want but back up what you say. Give your opinion. Why was this vendor or company selected for placement in this directory? Let your audience know.

Be verbose. Make the directory worthy of being read. After all, you aren’t including many companies. Remember, it is a privilege and only the best get included so you won’t have to write about a large number of companies or products, but you should write enough to be helpful about each one. Each listing should have its own detail page - often the company selected will give you all the text you need. If you don’t like what they have written or the tone of writing ask for edits. More than likely they will accommodate.

Be Greedy. The point of creating this directory is to build links. This can be accomplished in two ways. The first is through reciprocal linking (more on the other link building method later). Your directory is free or at least it should be. You don’t want your directory listings to be paid, it would reduce the validity of the listings. If you are gong to provide a link to outside companies with content and a recommendation, then asking for a link in return seems reasonable. At the least, they should link to their own detail page.

Be Proactive. This isn’t a “build it and they will come”scenario. You will have to solicit companies you want to include in your directory. After you have set up your categories (if needed) and have added a few companies you may start receiving requests at some point, but be vigilant and only let in the top companies that you would recommend. You don’t want to compromise your directory’s integrity with low-quality listings.

Reap the benefits. Here is the second way to build links. Now that you have a selective and high quality directory, other sites will be more inclined to link to it of their own accord. You have created “link bait” and will attract links pointing to you industry resource directory.

To wrap this up, here is the main idea to keep in mind. The directory should be considered useful by all parties. You should request links and use the directory as a link bait opportunity. The directory should represent only the best, recommended companies in your industry and should be focused.

This will require some work but you will also have created a useful tool that will attract attention. The time you use to build this directory will be well spent. You may even show up in the search results for the companies you list.

Good luck on your wonderful super awesome resource directory.

52 SEO Tips
I also want to thank everyone who reads this blog and has been here for my year long commitment to creating a new SEO Tip every week. This is the final tip out of 52 SEO Tips for the year 2007. It started as something I thought I could in a few minutes once a week, but turned into a much bigger effort as I tried to create tips that were more than just writing “Do keyword research.” It has been fun and frustrating and I’m glad to have completed my goal. There will be more SEO tips, but not every week. I’ll also be attempting to write more commentary now that I can focus less on SEO tips. So keep coming back and keep commenting and maybe we can both learn something.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Posted in 52 SEO Tips, Link Building, SEO Research | 7 Comments »

DMOZ Blog - A little late?

I saw that DMOZ launched their blog yesterday (9/26/07). I actually had to snicker to myself. Now they launch a blog? What about 2 or 3 years ago when it would have been helpful. So many people, SEO people, have been put off by the lack of response from DMOZ that I’m not sure they can ever recover. If not for the “support” of Google I’m sure this directory would have been finished long ago.

I found it particularly humorous they have a comments turned on. We’ll see if they actually accept any. I’m sure most of the comments will be of the unhelpful nature. Although I am purely speculating because at this time there were two comments and one of them was mine: “Welcome to the blogsphere. I hope this will be the first steps in mending the relationship between DMOZ and the Internet public.”. (9/25/07).

I did click the FAQ for the blog and it directed me to the DMOZ.org FAQ page, so there wasn’t much to learn from that.

DMOZ does explain the purpose of the blog:

We intend to use this blog to:

• Provide authentic messages about DMOZ and the efforts of our volunteer community.
• Highlight enhancements, both current and future.
• Allow editors to showcase their categories and describe, in their own words, why DMOZ is so important.
• Recruit new editors. If you have access to the Web and are passionate about a category, find out how to apply.

Additionally we want to hear from you.

I’ll hold my judgment based on the number of posts as well as the number of comments, both critical and supportive. It would be nice if DMOZ would start living up to the lofty goals it subscribed to many years ago and became a directory someone actually cares about again.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Posted in Blogging, Out on a Limb | 1 Comment »

DMOZ Directory not in Google’s Cache

Could this be the beginning of the end for the venerable DMOZ directory? (Dmoz homepage Google cache) Google does not have the home page of DMOZ cached and with Google’s recent devaluation of directories, who knows what this means. Of course this could be a momentary blip, but still you have to wonder if Google, like most webmasters, has had it with DMOZ. Frankly, I have.
Screenshot is attached in case this get “fixed”. Click for larger image.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Posted in Google | No Comments »

Linking Strategies: Myths and Truths

There are two camps in the world of directory-to-directory reciprocal linking, and each have a distinct approach to the work.

One camp treats linking as a branding function of the business, as well as a way to provide a genuine resource directory for their site visitors. It’s what I call “traditional” reciprocal linking, because that’s all there was to it in the pre-Google days. There were no “games” to play. Many practitioners of this method of linking have been going grassroots web marketing work since the mid-1990s, and they understand it, at their core. Others have learned from these masters, usually by following their successful examples. Their strategy is not very complex, but their approach and methods are very thorough, and they’ve enjoyed some phenomenal search results for a long time. So why change what has always worked? The answer is, they don’t.

The second camp is comprised of people who are absolutely certain that, with the right “tweaking” of their websites, that they can rocket to the top of the search engines. Branding is not the goal. Search engine placement is the over-riding concern, which causes them to pursue all manner of complex strategies and theories, in hopes of “gaming” the search engines. Having read much of this complex theory over many years, and reviewed it against hundreds of real world examples, little of it holds any water. Beyond that, it adds layers of complexity, cost, and work to a process that needs no more. (more…)

Popularity: 2% [?]

Posted in Link Building, SEO Strategies, SEO Tools, Search Engine Optimization | No Comments »