Internet Marketing Strategies

Directories - A Gold Mine of Links for Jeweler’s Websites
Brad Simon

In order to get your website noticed by search engines and ultimately getting people to view your website you need two things – Great Content and In-Bound Links!  This month we are going to look at one powerful way to generate quality in-bound links and that is from Local and Business Directories.  Directory Links are an excellent source of links, but first let’s look at why links are so important to your website.

Links are connections from other websites pointing to your website.  Generally, when people discuss linking, they mean establishing inbound links (links on other websites that point to your website).  Outbound links (links on your website pointing to other websites) takes points away from your website and actually devalues the importance of your website.  Link trades are no longer effective as the link out of your website hurts you as much or more than the inbound link helps.

Inbound links to your website provides two important benefits in getting customers to your website.  The first is that if any of your potential customers are visiting the website that host your link they may see it and click through to your website.  The other, and more important, benefit is that Google and other search engine spiders will see your links and the more links into your site that you have the better page rank you will receive and the better chance your website will show up in searches which will also help get more customers to your website.

So if you only want in-bound links to your website and no out-bound links how can you get anyone to link to your website?  It’s not as easy as it once was, but there are still many ways to do it.  One of the easier links to obtain is through Business Directories.

There are numerous directories online today that will list your business and provide a link to your website for free or for a small charge.  Not only can potential customers find your website from this link, but also all the search engines will see this link to your website and that will help you in your page rank.

Use the free listing when that is an option (provided you don’t have to give a reciprocal link), and if you pay for any listings make certain that you keep a balance in your link popularity.  I would not let paid links become greater than 20% of my total links.  That means for every paid link I would go out and get at least four free links to my website just to keep the balance.

We classify Business & Internet Directories into 3 broad categories.  These categories are Local Directories, Jewelry Directories, and General Business & Internet Directories. 

Local Directories
Local Directories are extremely important in getting noticed in local searches, and an essential ingredient in any brick & mortar store’s online presence.  Make certain you are listed and have links to your website in all of the Online Yellow Page Directories.  You want to sign-up for the free listings.  Many will try to get you to spend money on an upgraded listing or some other search marketing options.  Don't bother with that, but make sure the information is accurate and up to date.

Some of these Yellow Page Directories may already have your store’s information.  Many purchase the data from third party database providers that supply the information from, believe it or not, printed yellow pages directories.  If you find a directory that has out-dated or wrong information about your store, you can up-date the listing. 

Jewelry Directories
Links from websites that contain similar content and keywords as your website are given higher value than other links.  So Jewelry Directories are the next important step to take in developing links and can be done at the same time as Local Directories.  

Jewelers of America have a “Find a Jeweler” web search.  All members of JA are listed with their store name, address, phone number, and website URL, plus a link to Google Maps showing their location.  However, we’re surprised by the fact that very few of the independent jewelry stores listed have a link to their website.  Jewelers of America’s website has a Google Page Rank of 7.  This is an extremely high page rank website within the industry.  This is a no-brainer!  You NEED to have your website listed in this directory. 

In Addition check with any other Trade Association you belong to.  Many of them also have online directory listings of their members.  Make certain your information is correct and your website’s URL is listed.

General Business & Internet Directories

The third category of General Directories will become more important as your link popularity grows and are not the first directory links for you to develop.  For the most part retail jewelry stores should concentrate their directory links from Local Search Directories (because this will help the most in getting local customers into your store) and Jewelry Industry Directories (because directories with the same content as your website are the highest quality directory links you can obtain).  The two exceptions to this are Google Directory http://www.google.com/dirhp and DMOZ www.dmoz.com 

Google Directory is owned by the largest search engine on the internet.  Need we say more?

DMOZ, also known as the Open Source Directory, is the grandfather of all online directories.  You should submit your website to this directory as soon as your website is ready.  It is free to list your website and if you are accepted and receive a link from DMOZ all search engines will value this link highly. 

Tips to Submitting to Directories
Take great care to search out and choose the appropriate category for your site.  Look through all the categories and sub-categories that the directory offers and choose the one that best fits your store.  It is generally very difficult to get your site listed in more than one category, so make sure you pick wisely.

Don’t go overboard.  You need to keep a balance with your links.  Directory links are a very important part of a linking strategy but directory links should never account for more than 15% to 20% of all of your inbound links.  Inbound links from only one type of source look suspect to the search engines.  Get links from large website directories, small website directories, article directories, blogs, feeder websites, video websites, and other related websites.

Increase your links gradually.  An enormous number of links coming in too quickly will not look natural to the search engines.  Work on submitting to directories over time submitting to a few directories each week for two months is better than taking one day to submit to all of them at one time (or having a paid service submit your website to directories).

There are NO Guarantees.  Just because you get listed in a lot of directories does not mean you will shoot to the top of search engine searches.  Directory listings need to be part of an overall linking strategy.  The internet is constantly changing and the search engines are constantly changing the rules to get top listings.  By developing a well rounded balanced approach to internet marketing with directory listing as part of it, you stand the best chance to get top listings and stay there even if they change the rules on you.

AND ONE MORE THING . . . Even if no one ever clicks on your link it is still very valuable to you because of search engine link popularity.  The search engines see the link and rate your site higher.

For more information on Internet Marketing, as well as information on directories to be listed in and which directories and services you need to avoid, go to: www.Internet4Jewelers.com.  Brad Simon will be presenting a seminar on Internet Marketing at the SJTA Atlanta Jewelry Show, August 9-11, 2008.  For more information on attending go to www.atlantajewelryshow.com