I think a lot of people have the mindset that generating traffic and links to their site is always best achieved with the latest and greatest method or software.

They neglect many of the “old school” methods of link building in favor of the “flavor of the week” method of link building.

One of the most neglected methods I see is the use of directory submissions.

Why?

Well, this is an old school method and it takes some time and work to get right. Also, there isn’t a lot of money in the directory business, so it tends not to be the center of attention when people talk about how to build one-way links to a website.

That’s really unfortunate because using directories can be a great way to improve your search engine rankings.

First of all, with almost all directories you get a one way link to your website. Some directories will want you to pay, and for really popular directories the fee is worth it, but there are literally thousands of directories you can submit your site to for free. So if you want a way to build links to your site for free, try this one.

I try not to get too hung up on Google Pagerank, but for many people, having a higher Pagerank doesn’t just mean better search engine rankings, it’s simply a matter of pride. Getting links from directories can be an easy way to increase your Pagerank a point or two.

Getting into the higher quality directories can also help you get a better Trustrank score with Google. This is one of the algorithms Google uses to rank your site, and it’s especially important if you want to rank well for competitive terms. While most directories won’t help you get a better Trustrank score, the best ones certainly seem to (Google never says which sites are on its list of “trusted” sites). I recommend getting a listing from Yahoo Directory and trying to get a listing from DMOZ until you get one.

And while you’re not going to get rich from directory traffic directly, you can get a good stream of traffic flowing to your site from directories if you’re consistent and continue to get your site placed in more and more directories over time.

So if you want better search engine rankings and more traffic to your website, be sure to add directory submissions to your war chest of link building methods.