Website Design Kilkenny Blog

Abstract: A detailed look at this area of search engine optimization focussing on global paid web directories targeted towards small businesses, organizations and sole traders.

Intended Audience: Small Business Owners/webmasters and anyone new to the world of web design and search engine optimization (SEO) particularly those working with small businesses, organizations and sole traders.

Note: Part IV of this series of articles was published on July 26th, 2009 and can be viewed at http://www.istech.ie/blog/?p=133

The fifth article in this series focused on relevant links and we will continue the link theme in this article and take a look at global paid web directories and their significance in improving your website’s position on search engine results pages. We will also consider the role, if any; these directories play in bringing visitors to your website.

We’ll start off by considering global directories which require a fee in order to list your website and company details. Please note that this article will not discuss web directories that do not offer a link back to your website.

We know that budgets for getting listed on fee paying web directories may be virtually non existent at many small businesses, sole traders and start-up companies so we’ll only list the important directories rather than listing a plethora of options. Three factors should influence our selection of paid web directories namely:

• Cost
• Impact on search engine rankings
• Ability to generate website traffic (i.e. visitors to my website)

At a global level most commentators agree that the Yahoo Directory is probably the best web directory to be listed in though at US$299 per year it’s hardly a cheap option for small businesses. What will a listing on the Yahoo directory do for my website? While the amount of website traffic such a listing might generate depends on your geographical location and business niche it will send to a message to the likes of Google that your business is a real and substantive operation thus improving your rankings in the search engines.

If you are planning to launch a website or have a recently launched website and/or you are operating in a highly competitive market area then it may well be worth considering allocating some of your marketing budget to the provision of Yahoo Directory. Please note that the author or Istech Technology Services are not affiliated in any way with any of the web directories listed in this article.

While there are other web directories which some form of global reach such as business.com we generally recommend that small business focus next on local paid web directories which can often achieve a better balance between improving your website’s ranking and bringing potential customers to your website.

The next article in this series will expand on the topic of local paid web directories, free global directories, social media, classified ads etc.

Eoin

Abstract: A detailed look at this area of search engine optimization focussing on trusted links targeted towards small businesses, organizations and sole traders.

Intended Audience: Small Business Owners/webmasters and anyone new to the world of web design and search engine optimization (SEO) particularly those working with small businesses, organizations and sole traders.

Note: Part III of this series of articles was published on July 22nd, 2009 and can be viewed at http://www.istech.ie/blog/?p=125

The third article in this series focused on reciprocal linking and we will continue the link theme in this article and take a look at trusted links

What is a trusted link? The term seems to have originated in relation to websites that Google and other search engines consider to be trustworthy such as governmental and educational (particularly universities) websites. The following points need to be considered in relation to trusted links:

• These types of links, while valuable, are difficult to acquire
• Website URLs ending in .gov are only used in the USA
• Website URLs ending in .edu are restricted to accredited postsecondary institutions and are primarily used in USA
• Under no circumstances should you attempt to acquire these types of links, or any other type of link, by surreptitious means.

Given how valuable a trusted link might be to the ranking of your website on Google etc. it is worth investing a little time establishing the feasibility of acquiring this type of link. Many governments around the world provide local support services for small businesses, sole trader etc. and usually a resource website is part of this service. Some of these agencies may be prepared to provide a link to your website; particularly if your business is in start-up phase. It doesn’t hurt to ask!

Another avenue for acquiring trusted links is to establish if you’re local or nearest university or postsecondary institution is seeking any type of sponsorship. Part of any sponsorship could include the provision of a link to your website. While many small businesses may not have the finance to engage in sponsorship activities it should be noted that sponsorship can take many forms such as the provision of services, etc. and may not mean having to part with much needed funds.

It is very important to ascertain if any of your competitors have acquired trusted links as it could be the case that the same trusted links are available to your website. This can de done by going to Yahoo Search and entering the following text:

linkdomain:example.com site:.gov

The above command will display a list of all websites with the domain extension of .gov that link to a website called www.example.com. This command can be used to uncover any trusted links acquired by your competitors. At this point you can contact the “trusted” organizations and establish how you can get a link to your website.

The next article in this series will expand on the topic of relevant backlinks, free and paid web directories, social media, local directory services etc.

Eoin