A Link From ODP is Still a Must for Your Website |
The importance of inbound links to your website is not debatable. All SEO experts will agree that once search engine optimization basics like Keyword Research, Meta Data,and Page Titling are done correctly, it's all about the links.
The source of those all-important links is where debate begins. For example, some SEO companies will tell you that there is still value in getting links from the seemingly thousands of link directories available. In fact, if you look at their proposals, a lot of what they will charge you for SEO services is for the time it takes to submit your website to tons and tons of directories. The theory is that quantity of links is what's most important, regardless of the source's quality.
Others companies (like us here at Brand5) will say that the days of the link directory free-for-all are over, and that quality of links far outweigh quantity. All directories are not created equal, so you need to be careful where you are listed.
One directory that both sides of the debate can agree provides your website a must have link is the Open Directory Project (ODP).
For those of you who have never heard of ODP, here's a very quick recap: it's an open content directory that's been around since 1998. Links are grouped and displayed in very specific categories. It's maintained by a group of editors--meaning that the site doesn't add just any link to the directory. Each link is actually reviewed by a human and compared to the sites list of guidelines. What started as an attempt to catalogue the web's content has turned into a link powerhouse. According to Wikipedia, more than 4.5 million links are now contained in the directory.
ODP is such a giant that Google considers a link to your website from ODP as a sign of legitimacy, and weighs that as part of how your website performs in their search engine results. That's reason alone to make sure that your website is registered with ODP.
So, if you are trying to figure out the world of SEO on your own, make sure that submitting your website to The Open Directory Project ranks towards the top of your list. If you are considering hiring an SEO firm, be sure that they bring up submission to the ODP as one of the services included in your contract. If they don't, perhaps they are not as knowledgeable as they claim to be. In that case, it's time to look for another SEO provider.
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