The Ultimate Lists as of June 2006

Every few months someone compiles a new list of blog directories for submission. I thought it might be nice to pull them together with a basic how-to piece on using directorires best to promote your brand and your blog. With that in mind, I’m reposting I piece I wrote and combining the several directory lists I’ve been able to gather into one Directory Submission Handbook. This will have it’s own page in the sidebar for easy access whenever you need it. It will be called the 1800+ Directory Lisitings page.

Directory Listings as Blog Promotion

The blog looks great. You’ve been through the Blog Review Checklist. You’ve got several posts with great titles and compelling content–to let readers know you’ll be around, when they come back. Now it’s time to let people know that you exist.

List your blog in the Blog Directories. Which ones? All of them–every one that you can find the smallest reason to. Listing is a slightly longer and more involved task than changing phone companies. However if you take the time, your work will last for the life of your blog.

Prepare a document with the following information before you start. Keep this document. It’s your blog’s biography. You’ll have reason to use it as your blog makes friends and influences people.

Your username. Pick one with no spaces. Many directories and forums require that, and no one needs too many usernames.

Your email address This email address will get directory updates and be used for verifications. You may want it separate from your personal email address. You’ll need a system to keep track of directory correspondence. Much of the login/password email that you want to keep will have subject lines that start with blog-something.

Your password I’m sure you know the cautions and rules about passwords.

The name of your blog Be sure that you have the spelling, spacing, and everything about the name exactly as you want it. Some directories make it difficult to go back to change it later.

The URL This is http:// (nameofmyblog) .com

The feed Some directories will ask for your RSS or XML feed. You should be able to find that address within your blogware documentation. It will look like your URL with an extension.

The description Though you’re probably anxious to get done, don’t hurry through this one. This is your advertising, and it will be out there a long time. Again, in some places you may not be able to change it later. Make two versions one under 150 words and one under 300 words. Some directories have stricter length limits.

Keywords Choose keywords that readers would use to look for a blog like yours. Review them to make certain that they’re not so broad that they apply to every blog, or so narrow that only you would know them.

Then start with one of the lists below. Approach the task as suits your nature. I did a few every day until I was done. That way I could work on writing and do things on other parts of my blog too.

Words of Caution

You don’t need to be in every list and you don’t need to carry ever link on your blog. So take a look around before you submit. Will someone new there ever be able to find your blog in the crowd? Will you? I’ve gone back to directories and not been able to find my own blog even though I knew it was there!

Certainly you the more “phone books” you are in the more chances that people will find you. But if the phone is poorly organized or shoved off in a drawer the chance that particular phone book will help is fairly slim for you.

On to the Directory Lists

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There are some duplicates in these lists. Not nearly so many as you might expect. I quite counting how many links to directories were here when I reached 1800.
Google’s Blog Directory List

Robin Good’s RSS Top55 – Best Blog Directory And RSS Submission Sites

Free Web Directory List from Smiley Cat

Top Rank Monster RSS and Blog Directory List

Other Directory Lists

These Lists from The V7 Network
Nine lists here.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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Other posts to check out:
Directories and Click Exchanges as Promotion
Blogger Forums as Promotion
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