Directories - which ones??

[MsSearch]

I am ready to submit a client site to UK directories. Which directories are worth the money?Particularly Looksmart....

are there any other well-known/popular search engines in the UK that do not use Looksmart UK or inktomi results? I've already added Yahoo Uk and Google UK to my submission list...are there any others that I should submit directly to?

Thanx....

[MakeMeTop]

Lycos.co.uk has it's own directory which it uses instead of ODP for top listings. UKplus.co.uk is another popular directory (but I've never had any luck getting into it). Another one which drives some traffic is Splut.com (helps with Google). Don't forget however that both Lycos UK and Excite UK have a default filter to exclude .com sites when UK searchers look for sites. To a certain extent AV UK and Google can do the same thing - so make sure you have a .co.uk domain - it helps a lot!

Obviously you need LS UK for MSN UK, Excite UK and AV UK directory listings. It also powers searches on the more popular ISP portals such as LineOne, NTL and BTInternet. These tend to be used by many first time internet users so can give reasonable traffic.

Note that if you submit a domain URL which is already in the LS US directory to the UK - that description will show up in LS UK - not a different one as used to be the case. If the URL is not in LS US - then the description will be written by the local editors.

[markymark]

Yahoo UK and Google UK - you don't need to submit to. Yahoo (UK) is exactly the same as Yahoo.com - you need to check the UK sites button otherwise you get the .com results (with a few flags thrown in). Google UK used to filter out .coms and just include .co.uk - they've changed this recently. It is still filtered, but I can't figure out how.

Other directories - most only take genuine UK sites (or, in reality, sites with a UK address). UKPlus is the other biggie over here, but I've never been able to figure out how it ranks sites and the descriptions used are a law unto themselves. You might like also to look at UKDirectory - this will bring a few hits and has a monthly Yellow Pages-alike magazine that you can buy in most high street newsagents (W H Smith, etc.) - that lists all its sites by category.

I have had some good results recently from Great-British-Pages.co.uk/Kent-Pages.co.uk but views are pretty mixed on this one.

[damn that Barry Lloyd - who invited him over here anyway ? I think I just said pretty much everything he said, but I type slower]

[ihelpyou]

Oh yes. Very happy Barry is contributing here. Thanks!

[MsSearch]

thanx markymark and makemetop...

The site I'm submitting has a .co.uk extension and has never been submitted to any engines/directories before. Under these circumstances, I do want to submit to Yahoo and Google....would it benefit me more to submit to Yahoo Uk or just the appropriate general category (at Yahoo.com) ? (same for Looksmart)?

Also has anyone has success with the 'free' submit at Yahoo UK? Does anyone have an approximate amount of time from submission to acceptance?

Anyone submit to Mirago?

[markymark]

Mirago still has free submit as well as PPC. I would use the former. The main advantage of the latter is getting into ask.co.uk which can generate lots of traffic, but you may be able to do it cheaper via espotting.com.

With free-submission to yahoo, just about everything vaguely commercial directs you to express submit. I don't know if doing this via the UK or US site makes any difference. I known the billing is from the same place though. Submit to the UK site as I guess that UK editors will be looking at it and they can at least spell British English.

For LS, check at MSN.co.uk to see what the competition for your keywords is like. If there are no other UK sites using LS.co.uk and the main results are all worldwide directory listings - then that is a guaranteed number 1 for your client.

[markymark]

Actually re: my Mirago comments. I think that may be wrong. I think the top Mirago results show up in Ask.co.uk regardless of whether they are PPC or not. I would still go with espotting or uk.goto.com for this though.

[MsSearch]

With Mirago's free submit....they state:

"Submissions are all checked for accuracy and your IP address is stored with this submission. Sites submitted with incorrect regional information or professional classification will be ignored without notification."

Does this mean that they will disregard my .co.uk site because I am submitting from an IP address in the US?

I understand that sometimes PPC is necessary but I haven't decided which company I will go with...eSpotting or GoTo UK. Does one have more coverage than the other? Which PPC results appears in the more popular engines?

Markymark, you have been an enormous help....thank you...

[markymark]

MsSearch - I don't know about the IP address thing with regards Mirago. The implication is that if your IP address is outside the UK, they won't consider the submission. I am not 100% certain on this but it seems to be the case. If it proves to be true, I will happily submit on your behalf.

UK PPC - well uk.goto.com drives the most traffic - it has partnerships with Excite, AV (UK), Ask and Freeserve among others. Espotting partners with UKPlus (top listing only) NTL, Hotbot and Ask and some smaller directories. Personally, I like the logo and default search options at Espotting. Though you have to be careful with the latter and turn half of them off. But having your site logo branded across directories and search engines can only be a good thing.

If you can only go for one - then Goto UK is your best bet, but I reckon you should cover both.

[ihelpyou]

Though I cannot answer your question MsSearch, I agree. The posts in here have been great!

[highman]

>Does this mean that they will disregard my .co.uk site because I am submitting from an IP address in the US?

I think they refer to the IP of the site you submit, not from where the site was submitted.

Yes, I agree with all the suggestions made so far, and uk.goto is def a good idea

[MsSearch]

So far, I have submitted to ODP, Yahoo (thru the free submit--i will test the time lapse), inktomi, Looksmart, Lycos UK, Mirago, UKPlus, Splut.com, UKDirectory.

Excite UK, AOL UK, MSN UK, Google UK...LineOne, NTL, BTInternet will get picked up thru at least one of the above submissions.

Besides PPC, am I missing any important UK engines? This is all new to me...

:up: :up: for your help...

[markymark]

Only the directory part of Excite gets picked up via Looksmart - for the main (default) search, you will have to submit here also. If you are uncertain about Goto, look at the way Goto listings are displayed here (top two only) and you will be convinced.

I guess you have done altavista.co.uk also, right ? Though the UK submit now redirects to the US add URL page. Previously, AV UK had its own database. I think now there is just a .co.uk filter, but as it hasn't updated in two months, I can't tell. I also understand that AV paid inclusion applies only to the .com

I would add your client to: www.250000.co.uk , www.great-british-pages.co.uk as well. If only because these are static pages that could contribute to link popularity. Results from the latter often turn up in the top two pages of UK search engines, so this is useful.

There are others that may be worth a shot - but I'll have to dig through my logfiles to see.

[markymark]

And another thing........makemetop's advice on making sure you submit to the Lycos Directory as well as the search engine is good advice. The Directory seems to take about 2-3 months to update, but as the top two-three slots for each results page are directory results, it makes sense.

[MsSearch]

thanx....

:kisses: