Blog Building - Blog Directories

Basic link building for blogs, or so we’ve been told by those who know about such things, begins with getting your blog listed in some of the various blog directories available throughout the Web.

As the name implies, blog directories are giant lists of blogs. But these sites place user-submitted blogs into categories, making it easier to find blogs of a certain topic.

The directories are used by people seeking blogs that discuss a specific topic, or blogs that engage a specialized community or user group. Including your blog in a directory can also help with search engine optimization, making it more likely that a casual Google searcher will find a post on your blog that has just the answer they’ve been seeking. Perhaps the biggest and most popular blog directory is Technorati.

But in order to build readership and increase exposure to your blog, there are several other blog directories to consider, and we’ll gradually be adding our blog to some of these others as well.

Click the ‘More” link for some additional considerations…

• We’re operating under the assumption that the more specific categories are available, the better. So while it may be useful to be included in a blog directory that only lets us categorize ourselves by geography (“United States”), we’re figuring directories that allow for more specific categorization (“Business Research”) will be more helpful.
• Relatedly, keep an eye out for directories that restrict themselves to a specific type of blog from the outset. Because so many blog directories exist, there may be a directory already tailored to the niche of interest to you. In our case, we looked for directories such as the Small Business Blog Directory, the blog directory on SmallBusiness.com, and the iBlogBusiness directory.
• Speaking of the iBlogBusiness directory… A few blog directories will charge a fee ($10-$30) for your site to be reviewed and included, or a fee to have your blog “featured” in the directory with a temporary placement of prominence. Many directories require nothing more than a link back to the directory itself on your blog, and many require not even that much.
• Exclusively commercial blogs are prohibited from some directories, so check each directory’s submission guidelines carefully, or broaden your blog so that it’s doing more than just pitching your product or service.
• Be patient --- once you’ve submitted your blog, there may be a review process before you see your blog listed in the directory. According to Technorati, some 75,000 new blogs are created every day, so it may take a bit before your link appears.

So: we’re in the midst of this process now, and we’ve listed some of the dozens of directories we’ll target. When we stumble across additional directories that look relevant, we’ll add ourselves to more and more, and we’re open to your suggestions in the comments!