Link building is an important step to off-page optimization (often known as off-site optimization). If you are familiar and actively engaged with SEO (search engine optimization), then you are familiar with onsite and offsite optimization. While onsite optimization deal with site content, layout, structure, navigation, page title, description, keywords, header, keyword density, etc, offsite optimization deals with mainly promotion and marketing. Link building is a major part of site promotion.

 There are various different methods of link building and out of them all, directory submission is one of the most renowned and popular method. Its been over a decade write owners have been utilizing the method of directory submission for link building and the method continues to grow in popularity. One of the main reason for which submission to web directories is so popular is probably because it is easy and often free. Anyone can search the web to find a directory list or find the individual directories to build a directory list together. Once the list is found or made, rest is just keep submitting to them.

 While it sounds pretty easy that one can just find a list or some directories and just submit to them, it can be a little more difficult than that in reality. There are tens of thousands of web directories out there and not al of them are SEO friendly. Submitting to poor quality non SEO friendly directories will just waste your time and not benefit your site SEO at all. If you want to benefit from effective link building, then it is important that you submit to directories that will pass some link juice and potentially some traffic to your site.

 Internet is an ever changing platform and everything within are also changing over time. Directory submission is not what it used to be before and one common trend in this area these days is niche directory submission. We all know the importance of relevant link building. Google pays more importance to backlinks that come from relevant sites or sites that matches the theme of your own site. Niche directories are directories that are developed with a specific topic in mind compared to a directory structure covering pretty much all possible categories out there. Since these niche directories only accept and list sites within a specific category, having your site listed there will offer you a great benefit as those backlinks will be considered as relevant backlinks.

 Aside from directory submission, there are many other methods of link building which one can take advantage of. Some of the methods are social bookmarking, article submission, forum posting with signatures, blog commenting, social media pages like Squidoo lenses and hubpages, RSS submission, etc.

 If you find it daunting to collect a list of directories and submitting to them one by one (which is extremely time consuming), you can hire a directory submission service provider who can help you with the job. Link building service providers have wide range of directories in their list already and have an efficient system setup which makes it easy for them to submit to directories. They also understand the nature of all the directories and how to submit to them and get approved. Directory submission service can cost very low and often start from single digit dollar for starter package.