Why your Yahoo submission might not be accepted

Last week, we told you three reasons why your web site might not get listed in Internet directories.

Here are further reasons:

4. Your web site uses uncommon plug-ins.

If your web site is password protected or requires some kind of plug-in, directory editors will probably not list your site at all.

Your site should not contain the latest technology that makes it potentially inaccessible to even a minority of your users. This can include excessive use of JavaScript, Java applets, Flash movies, Shockwave and other web elements that require some form of plug-in download. You don't know which operating system and browsers the directory editor will use when looking at your site.

5. Your web site isn't popular.

Some editors look at the Alexa rank first to decide whether it's worth looking at your site or not (although this doesn't make sense because either your site has exciting content worth linking to or not). Directories don't like to add the 536th site about "home based business opportunities".

Your site must be original and popular. It's a bit like the hen-egg problem. Your site should be popular but actually, you submit your site to directories so that it becomes popular. We recommend using the software program ARELIS to get more sites linking to your site.

6. You haven't published your post address.

It really helps if your site has a real address/phone/fax/email address attached to it. It also helps if you provide a contact name. Publish your street address and not a postbox address. Directories don't want to list fly-by-night companies.

7. Watch out for 19 additional mistakes.

We also published an article that describes the 19 common mistakes that prevent your web site from showing up on search engines. The reasons listed there also apply to your directory submission.

Next week, we'll answer the frequently asked question about the best time to re-submit your web site to directories if you didn't get accepted in the first place.

If you want to submit your web site to search engines, directories and even special industry-specific sites, we recommend using the software program IBP 3.

How to resubmit your web site to Internet directories

Have you followed our directory submission tips in the last weeks? Then it’s very likely that any directory will accept your web site submission the first time.

In short, make sure you have a professional looking web site with unique content that is accessible in all popular browsers and that has been proof-read by others. In addition, you should follow the directory guidelines very carefully.

If your web site doesn't get listed within 3-4 weeks, just re-submit it. Keep submitting your web site to the directory every 3-4 weeks until you get in or get formally rejected.

The main reason your web site gets rejected are time constraints. Editors of popular directories receive hundreds of submissions every day and have a backlog of sites to look at. The directory editor probably didn't have the time to visit your site.

If your web site has not been listed after 4 weeks, send a cordial email message to the directory editor. Try to get the right contact person for your category. Some directories such as the Open Directory Project (dmoz.org) publish the person in charge at the bottom of the category page. Click on the name to find out his or her email address.

Tell the editor that you have waited several weeks and that you have already submitted your web site several times. Ask politely about the status of your submission and whether there’s a problem you need to correct. Be sure to include your web site URL, the category name and the submission dates.

Even if the editor doesn’t reply immediately, your site might get the attention it deserves and it might get listed quicker.

If you have submitted your site to the popular Open Directory Project, you can ask about your site’s status at the public forum of the DMOZ editors.

This is the last part of our directory submission tips series. If you have missed one of our directory submission tips in the last weeks, you can find all directory submission tips here.

With our special Internet directory articles, you will know everything professionals know when submitting to Internet directories.

Now you should make sure you also use a professional tool to submit your web site to search engines, general directories and industry-specific directories: IBP.

IBP is a powerful web site promotion tool that helps you to get the best search engine rankings for your web site. You can find more information about IBP here.

Other special articles

• How to make your web site more effective
  
  
• The importance of robots.txt
  
  
• The Google™ search engine resource page
  
  
• 10 ways to link popularity
  
  
• How link popularity can help your rankings
  
  
• 19 common mistakes that prevent your Web site from getting top rankings on search engines

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