SEO companies know the benefits that registering clients in major directories can achieve. Link building via directory submission has been one of the mainstays of the Search Engine Optimization business for years, but today there is increased doubt over the future of this once highly effective form of optimization. First, a brief history of web time-

From the dawn of time (the early 90's in web terms), listing in directories was a great method to get visitors to your site. Directories like Yahoo prospered and could charge large fees for companies to list with them. The web grew, directories grew, websites grew and everything was perfect. Then the world changed - The search engine was born!

Search engines took over the web, and Search Engine Optimization was born. It may interest you to know that the first recorded mention of the term Search Engine Optimization was in a message posted on Usnet on July 26th 1997. It is highly ironic that whilst the search engine was destroying the directory, the Search Engine Optimization community would breathe new life into the concept. The missing part of the puzzle was Google.

Google hit the web in 1998 and introduced the idea of Page Rank. Most people think that Page Rank refers to the rank of a page, which is an understandable misconception. According to Google it is actually named after one of its founders - Larry Page. The idea of Page Rank (where a site improves its position in Google by obtaining links from other sites) soon became very popular. Many other engines incorporated the idea into their methods.

SEOs had previously concentrated on usage of ?on page? keyword optimization methods. They needed to adapt fast to the new Page Rank idea and get inbound links for their clients. There were loads of methods for obtaining inbound links, from link-exchanges, to blogging, to link purchasing. One of the easiest and fastest ways was to list their clients in directories. SEOs and directories walked hand in hand into a golden future.

It's a bit manipulative isn't it? The web should be natural said Google. These Search Engine Optimization firms are listing clients in directories for unnatural reasons. Some of these directories have barely any human visitors but have large amounts of companies listed. Even worse, people are paying to get listed in these directories. It's not natural usage. We are being manipulated said Google, and we must stop it! So this is what they did.

September 1st 2005 Google Guy Matt Cutts stated in his blog ?Google does consider buying text links for Page Rank purposes to be outside our quality guidelines? and ?Google has a variety of algorithmic methods of detecting such links?.

Nothing appeared to happen for a while, but then a few of the directories that offered to sell links started having no visible Page Rank on their sites internal pages. This was true even of directories that offered free links, but on the same page had paid featured listings. Bad news for those people who followed Google's webmaster guidelines and got free links, but far worse for those who paid for them and ended up with nothing!

As well as punishing paid links, search engines have also improved their detection of web sites that link to what are regarded as bad neighborhoods (low quality spam filled sites). Many of the directories that are not carefully edited end up with low quality listings and as a result search engines discriminate against them.

Since the birth of search engines the fortunes of Search Engine Optimization firms and directories have been solidly, inextricably linked, but if Google doesn't like directories anymore, these back-links won't be any good. It's all not true. Google loves directories. In Google's webmaster guidelines it says - when your site is ready:

?Submit your site to relevant directories such as the Open Directory Project and Yahoo!, as well as to other industry-specific expert sites.?

Google still likes directories it just doesn't like those that are poor quality listings and those that sell links. After all how can Google discriminate against directories when it has one on its site (Google Directory).

How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Directory. The significant thing with directory submissions is to make the most of your efforts by listing your clients in the right directories. You need to list your clients websites in directories that are free and high quality (human edited).

A good place to begin with directory submission is the Open Directory Project. This is the largest directory to submit your clients? websites to. This is not a quick strategy. Each section is edited by volunteers and acceptance times vary. It has been know for sites in smaller categories to wait for a year or more to be accepted! Another large directory is Yahoo.com which will cost you $299 to list in. If you operate in markets outside the US you can often get listed for free. Yahoo.co.uk is now free for UK firms in the majority of categories. Again there can be a long wait before submissions are put live.

Don't ignore the benefits of local directories. Listing in directories for your state or country can provide very positive benefits, both in terms of Search Engine Optimization and finding local customers such as the Canadian Regional Directory. Also consider regional niche directories that not only find local customers but also customers in particular industries.

There are a couple of great web sites for finding appropriate directories namely Top Directories and Vilesilencer. The Top Directories site provides loads of useful information on directories including their Page Rank and the change in page rank at the last update. There are also details on submission times, gathered from user feedback. Vilesilencer provides huge lists of categorized web directories including a handy download of directories in Excel spreadsheet format.

Maximizing your efforts by selecting the best directories should ensure that the time spent writing directory submissions adds the maximum benefit to your business. This is true not only in terms of human visits, but also with regard to Search Engine Optimization.