Most webmasters know that high rankings on Google and other modern search engines can only be achieved if a website has both optimized web page content and good inbound links.

While it is relatively easy to optimize the content of a website, it is more difficult to get good inbound links. A relatively easy way to get inbound links is to submit websites to Internet directories.

But do these Internet directory links still have value when it comes to search engine rankings? Can you increase the position of your website in Google’s search results by submitting your site to Internet directories?

directories

A case study

An internet marketer tested three pages that were orphaned within the normal navigation structure of the website. These three pages were created to provide valuable content to search engines.

The three pages were submitted to some high quality paid directories (Yahoo, BestOfTheWeb, Joe Ant) and free directories.

About 45 days after the paid directory links went live, the web pages had increased visibility on search engines. Visits and conversions also increased and the tracking of the marketer indicated that at least 50 percent of the results could be attributed to the directory links.

The final results that were attributed to the directory link building included:

* a lift of traffic to levels that other highly visible site pages receive within 90 days
* an increase in monthly conversions for the business line of 45 percent year-over-year

TIP OF THE DAY

Content is and always will be king. Google and other search engine algorithms are trying hard every day to mimic human search behavior. A human knows when a site is good - and most of the time that is because of the great content on that site... if it is a worthless site full of a bunch of ads they won’t be coming back if they can help it. Sure - you can trick them into coming back - but it won’t be of their own accord. Google is just like that - it is not easily tricked - it wants and rewards great content.