Internet directories have long been part of site promotion strategies. Although some Internet marketers have abandoned directory submissions in favor of other promotional methods, directories still play an important role in Internet marketing today. Below are five reasons why your site needs to be listed in web directories.

1) Directories are making a comeback. As the search engine results page (SERP) of Google and other top search engines are increasingly convoluted by sales pages, more Internet users are turning back to directories to find the information they need. Human-edited directories, such as DMOZ (Open Directory Project) are increasingly becoming known for providing reliable results to Internet users searching for good information.

2) Directory submission builds critical inbound links. Links are the foundation of search engine optimization and critical to raising a site’s page rank. Directory submissions enable website owners to create these inbound links free.

3) If a site is new, submitting the page to directories can force the search engines to index it faster. When the search engine spiders the directory, the bot will follow the link to your website and index your page on the spot.

4) Directory submissions create direct streams of targeted traffic. As stated previously, directories are making a comeback. By including your website in general directories and niche directories, you can attract quality traffic.

5) Directories often allow anchor text links. Anchor text links have more value with Google than standard URLs. Having anchor text links posted on multiple niche directory pages will increase your site’s page rank significantly.