Open Your Arm for New Site

A couple of days ago, I wrote an article - New Site Deserve More Attention From Webmasters, whose basic idea is to ask webmasters not do overlook the potential value of those new directories and content websites. Today, I'd like to reverse the topic to some extent - Directories should learn to open their arms to accept new sites.

It's not uncommon that directories claim that they don't accept new sites with PR 0. Enforcing this constraint, they hope to maximize the overall quality and credibility of their directory. Personally I wouldn't agree with this claim. On the contrary, I strongly believe that accepting new sites with high quality into their directories does benefit them greatly.

First of all, I don't see any correlation between member sites' PR and directory's own success. The purpose of directory is acting as a parking farm for different categories of website. Unlike content websites for which content quality and uniqueness are top concern, the critical success factors for directories are, but not limited to, the number of websites they contain and diversity of the websites. Rejecting new sites whose PR is still zero, the directory might end up containing only those mature sites which have been already included in numerous other directories. Besides, directories usually offer free one-way text link to other websites, which means giving a free vote to others with regard to PR. So, no matter what the PR of other websites is, the directory's ranking and popularity won't be impacted. The benefit of new site for directories is more obvious when directories ask for reciprocal links from their member websites, since those new websites are much more willing to link to the directories.

Besides, any new site will become old quite soon. Google search engine ranking update, major or minor, is more and more frequent nowadays. It's quite easy for a website to get a bigger than zero PR after doing the basic promotion homework, such as automatic submission to mainstream search engines, posting in forums, social bookmarking and so on. Although the waiting period from old to new is quite short, directories cannot afford to wait until those new sites become old before accepting them. The risks are, the webmasters of those original new websites may no longer be interested in directory submission, given the decreasing importance of directory submission for website promotion. Besides, based on my experience, the enthusiasm of webmasters are much higher at the early days of promotion and it will decrease quite quickly thereafter. If directories fail to seize the opportunity of accepting those new websites at the very beginning, it's highly likely that the opportunity will be gone forever.

According to what was said above, I strongly believe that it's to directories' own interest to accept new websites, especially those with high quality and great potential. Dmoz.org is the best ever example of directory practice. As you know, it pose rigid standard with regard to submitted websites. However, if you look at its submission form, its quite straightforward. No matter the website you submit is new or old, it won't take you much time to get your website across. I suggest other directories learn from Dmoz.org. The best practice is to redesign their submission form to make it open to any website, and leave the screening process to human's hand. That way, it will get exposed to a greater websites pools and at the same time maintain a high level of quality.

New Site Deserve More Attention From Webmasters

Directory submission and link exchange are still among the most effective promotion methods to drive link popularity. When choosing which directory to submit and which site to swap links, we webmasters always focus on those established site that already get a certain ranking position in Google. With regard to those new sites, no matter how large their potential is, we always neglect them completely.

For a long time, I'm following the rule mentioned above. Now, I'd like to give it a second thought. Here by "give it a second thought", I don't mean to discard the rule. On the contrary, I strongly suggest we continue to strive to get our sites accepted by those established sites, because if those established directories, such as the most famous one, dmoz.org, accepts your sites, or a high PR site which operates in the same market niche with you is willing to exchange links with you, the promotion return to you will be huge. The key point that I want to make here is, at the same time that you strive to get your sites accepted by established websites, you'd better try to take advantage of new directories or websites as well. The reasons are as follows:

• Every site has its early days. Dmoz.org can give you a ranking boost in Google once you get accepted by them. But such promotion benefit couldn't be possible without Dmoz.org's continuous development. The same is true for those small directories or individual websites. If you can identify those news directories which have huge potential to be a second dmoz.org or those new sites which have all the qualities to become a second digg, the long-term promotion benefit is quite promising if you spend appropriate promotion efforts to them.
• Submission to new directories or link exchange with new sites can secure you a better position in those new sites. I wonder if you have the following experience. Your site finally gets accepted by a famous directory after several month's waiting. However, when you try to locate your link in that directory, it's over 10 clicks away from the home page. Wouldn't you feel such experience frustrating? If you submit your site to new directory, it's highly possible that your site appear on the first page under a certain category. The same is true for link exchange with new site. Some new sites are even willing to exchange homepage links with you, rather than parking your links in so called "sponsored links" page.
• Submission to new directories or link exchange with new sites has a higher possibility to get accepted. I'm also a webmaster, so I can understand how happy webmasters are when their links get accepted and how frustrated when their links get rejected. Link building is such a long lasting project that many webmasters give up half way. We webmasters really need acceptance joyfulness secured by submission to new directories or link exchange with new sites to keep us upbeat all the way to the final success for our link building project.

In brief, I strongly believe those new sites, especially those with huge potential to get good search engine ranking position and administered by a responsible and diligent webmaster, are quite worthwhile for promotion. When we are focusing on those established sites, why not divert some energy to them as well?