Directory Submitter Review: What does it do?

To summarise, Directory Submitter contains a list of directories, you input your information into the software and it then takes you through each directory one by one to submit your site.

I was asked to review this after my colleague received a promotional email. I'm quite sceptical of anyone or anything who uses sales talk for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) products such as:

"Increase your Google Ranking and Get Tons of Targeted Prospects To Your Website For FREE!"

I'm of the firm belief that SEO can be achieved through creating an excellent user friendly, useful website that people will naturally want to link to and ensuring it meets all the technical parameters that make it search engine friendly.

Nevertheless there's no harm (in fact it's essential) to kick start linking by ensuring links appear in relevant places. Plus this review of Directory Submitter said it was alright.

This is the step by step guide of how Directory Submitter works (from the demo):

Step 1

Input all your information - this is what will be used each time you submit to a directory.

Step 2 (click image to enlarge)

The list of directories is at the top of the page and by double clicking on one you are taken to their website.

Step 3

Once on their website within the Directory Submitter software, your information is autofilled into the form and you then click submit.

As i'm sure you can tell from the above steps, all Directory Submitter is doing is giving you a list of directories and providing you with a way to autofill forms.

You can find a list of directories on many websites and an auto form filler is also an easy bit of (free) software you can find - even Google Toolbar contains an auto form filler.

Yes, this will give you a long list of directories and 'help' you to submit to them. However considering that a link to your site from another relevant site that performs highly in Google rankings, is a site in it's own right (and not a directory) and wants to link to you because you have good content is worth well more than 20 links from tiny directories based in Eastern European countries I wouldn't recommend wasting your time with this.

Also if you do it yourself you will be able to tailor what you input in each directory submission per site rather than having to create a new profile of your website information every time you want a different description of your website.

Concentrate your link building efforts on ensuring you have the content that people will want to link to. Then if you have done everything else in the world of SEO and you have the time to submit to directories - find a list online and do it yourself.