More on Directory Submitter - Free Directory Submission

So far I have used the free version of the Directory Submitter software to submit my blogs as well as my main website, FreeStuffed to a large variety of free directories. If you don't know what the Directory Submitter is, you can read more about it in a previous article here.

Anyway, the free version of Directory Submitter comes with around 350 directories where you can submit your website or blog. There are some of the directories that charge, but there are also lots of them that are free and the software allows you to sort the directories in several different ways. I generally sort them so the free ones come up first, then work my way down the line. Every once in a while I come across a paid directory that is listed as free, but they aren't common and can easily be skipped over. I also find that I run into some directories that are no longer active, or that just don't work, but there are many more that do and since the software fills in the forms for me it saves me enough time to make it well worth my time.

Another thing I like about the Directory Submitter is that if I don't like a directory, I can just delete it from my list. I can also report a directory as not functioning. They don't get removed from my software when I report them, but hopefully they check them out and maybe add a working site the next time someone else downloads it. I'm not sure how that part works.

The point is that since I have been using this, I have been watching the number of backlinks to my websites slowly climb. It will take a while, so don't expect miracles to happen overnight, but at least I can see some progress.

If you are interested in faster results there are a lot more directories available on the paid version. Personally, I haven't tried it. I don't feel the need to get into the paid advertising right now. I know that it is available if I need it, but for right now, I think that there are plenty of directories to keep me busy for at least a little while on the free version of Directory Submitter. If anyone else tries this, please give me your opinion.

Optimizing Your Website - Keyword Optimization

Sometimes it can be hard to find best keywords for optimizing your keyword tags. Although there are several paid resources that can help you to with your keyword selection, there are also a variety of great free keyword analyzers too though.

When trying to how to get the right keywords, you will want to find out what are the most popular keywords, or most searched keywords relating to your website. The sites below will help you in choosing keywords for your website, and once you come up with the best keywords for your site you should use them in your meta keywords tags if possible as well as using them on your site. This will help you in ranking well for particular keywords.

These are my picks for choosing the best keywords for your website...

I found KeywordSpy to be quite interesting in researching some of the various possible keywords that other similar sites might be using to drive traffic to their websites. You get limited views of everything on the free version at the website, but you can use it as much as you want. They also have a free trial offer available, although I haven't signed up for it. For now I have only tried the freebie that is available on the site although the website says that you will get more results by using the free trial so I might give it a try.

Wordtracker FREE keyword suggestion tool will provide you with the top 100 searches related to the search term you input on their form. You even have the option to filter the result to exclude adult content from your search if you wish. They also have a paid version available which offers many more suggestions, but I think that the top 100 is probably enough for most webmasters. Besides, if you aren't happy with the free results, just input a new search term and see a new list of results. Some may overlap, but you are bound to get some great suggestions.

Overture Keyword Selector Tool is also a useful tool in selecting the best search terms for your website. Just enter a term related to your site and you will get a list of related keywords. I have used this one quite a bit in the past and gotten some pretty good results.

KeywordDiscovery.com is a paid tool, but you can make some free searches there too. I have gotten some great free keyword lists here.

Rushmore's Keyword Research Tool is another useful site for researching which keywords would be best for your website. Just type in your key word or phrase and click the button. Within seconds you will begin seeing a list of great keywords to choose from. Depending on your connection speed, it might take a little while for the list to complete, but it is worth the wait.

HitTail offers it's basic service for free too, and although you have to register to use it, you get some great benefits from it. I just registered for their free basic service, and they are tracking search results on a couple of different sites for me, as well as offering keyword suggestions and more. I think I am going to be happy with this free service.