Sunday, October 02, 2005
Favorite Links (Finding Niche Directories With SearchIt!)
As I promised last Sunday, this Sunday's sharing of my favorite links will be more of a tutorial on how to use the free SearchIt! search tool to find niche directories that can link to your site. As a matter of fact, I plan to deal with the different types of research you can do with SearchIt! in my Sunday favorite links feature for the next few weeks. It's such a useful tool—that is FREE besides—that it only makes sense to help you get the most out of it.
The SearchIt! search tool consists of a window with two dropdown boxes and two text boxes. In the two dropdown boxes, you select the type of search you want to do. In the two text boxes, you select the search criteria (such as keywords or URLs) you want to use.
I know. This sounds complicated when you're not looking at it, but trust me, once you're there and working with it, it makes a whole lot more sense.
There's only one other thing important to realize about the SearchIt! search tool: it expects that you'll read and follow the directions they offer you.
Read directions? How can they expect that of independent minded web marketers?
I know. Guy that I am, I tried to jump right in and just start plugging in search info randomly.
But it didn't work. There's such a wealth of valuable search tools packed into this little-bitty window, that you really need to click the links they tell you and read the directions before you fly off and try to get worthwhile results without knowing what you're doing.
And I promise: I won't tell anyone that you took time to read the directions.
So here's some of the ways you can find specialty hubs and directories to get links from using SearchIt!
In the Step 1 dropdown box, select Specialty Hubs and Directories.
Click the dropdown box for Step 2: Select Search Type. You'll see the following options:
(Note: These options may change. The SiteSell people (who maintain the SearchIt! tool) are constantly adding new search tools to it.)
Google Wide, Google Tight, Yahoo Wide, and Yahoo Tight are actually specially formatted searches of Google or Yahoo, with special criteria designed to return results about relevant link directories.
To search with one of these options, click the link that says Click Here for Information About Search Type AFTER You Complete Step 1 & Step 2. The directions explain what kind of keywords you need to enter into boxes 3 and 4.
Basically, you enter your most important keyword in the Step 3 box. You enter another related keyword in the Step 4 box. Then, after clicking the SearchIt! button, reading the information on the page that appears, and clicking on the link to see your results, you can go back and adjust your keywords to find the different directories that different combinations of keywords give you.
If niche directories exist for the keywords you're searching, those directories will pop up as your top results. If you're searching for narrow niche keywords for which no directories exist, your results most likely will be reciprocal link directories instead. As long as you read the directions, you should find plenty of possibilities for linking, either one-way or reciprocal.
The other three options (SE Guide to Topical Directories, ISEDB Directory Database, and Search Engines 2) are directories of directories that can help you find niche directories to which you can submit your site. Again, the broadness of the keyword you use will affect how many niche directories you find.
All in all, SearchIt! can find you lots of useful information on directories and many other subjects. The main thing to remember is to READ THE DIRECTIONS. With as many tools packed into this one interface, you're not going to take one look at it and intuitively understand how to use every one of them. But the directions they give are easy, and they do more than just tell you how to use each tool; they also throw in tips on how to use the results you receive to make your site more successful.
SearchIt! is one of these free tools that really produces value for you. I recommend that you check it out and make it a part of your web marketing research arsenal.
Jeff
As I promised last Sunday, this Sunday's sharing of my favorite links will be more of a tutorial on how to use the free SearchIt! search tool to find niche directories that can link to your site. As a matter of fact, I plan to deal with the different types of research you can do with SearchIt! in my Sunday favorite links feature for the next few weeks. It's such a useful tool—that is FREE besides—that it only makes sense to help you get the most out of it.
The SearchIt! search tool consists of a window with two dropdown boxes and two text boxes. In the two dropdown boxes, you select the type of search you want to do. In the two text boxes, you select the search criteria (such as keywords or URLs) you want to use.
I know. This sounds complicated when you're not looking at it, but trust me, once you're there and working with it, it makes a whole lot more sense.
There's only one other thing important to realize about the SearchIt! search tool: it expects that you'll read and follow the directions they offer you.
Read directions? How can they expect that of independent minded web marketers?
I know. Guy that I am, I tried to jump right in and just start plugging in search info randomly.
But it didn't work. There's such a wealth of valuable search tools packed into this little-bitty window, that you really need to click the links they tell you and read the directions before you fly off and try to get worthwhile results without knowing what you're doing.
And I promise: I won't tell anyone that you took time to read the directions.
So here's some of the ways you can find specialty hubs and directories to get links from using SearchIt!
In the Step 1 dropdown box, select Specialty Hubs and Directories.
Click the dropdown box for Step 2: Select Search Type. You'll see the following options:
- Google Wide
- Google Tight
- Yahoo Wide
- Yahoo Tight
- SE Guide to Topical Directories
- ISEDB Directory Database
- Search Engines 2
(Note: These options may change. The SiteSell people (who maintain the SearchIt! tool) are constantly adding new search tools to it.)
Google Wide, Google Tight, Yahoo Wide, and Yahoo Tight are actually specially formatted searches of Google or Yahoo, with special criteria designed to return results about relevant link directories.
To search with one of these options, click the link that says Click Here for Information About Search Type AFTER You Complete Step 1 & Step 2. The directions explain what kind of keywords you need to enter into boxes 3 and 4.
Basically, you enter your most important keyword in the Step 3 box. You enter another related keyword in the Step 4 box. Then, after clicking the SearchIt! button, reading the information on the page that appears, and clicking on the link to see your results, you can go back and adjust your keywords to find the different directories that different combinations of keywords give you.
If niche directories exist for the keywords you're searching, those directories will pop up as your top results. If you're searching for narrow niche keywords for which no directories exist, your results most likely will be reciprocal link directories instead. As long as you read the directions, you should find plenty of possibilities for linking, either one-way or reciprocal.
The other three options (SE Guide to Topical Directories, ISEDB Directory Database, and Search Engines 2) are directories of directories that can help you find niche directories to which you can submit your site. Again, the broadness of the keyword you use will affect how many niche directories you find.
All in all, SearchIt! can find you lots of useful information on directories and many other subjects. The main thing to remember is to READ THE DIRECTIONS. With as many tools packed into this one interface, you're not going to take one look at it and intuitively understand how to use every one of them. But the directions they give are easy, and they do more than just tell you how to use each tool; they also throw in tips on how to use the results you receive to make your site more successful.
SearchIt! is one of these free tools that really produces value for you. I recommend that you check it out and make it a part of your web marketing research arsenal.
Jeff
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