Submitting your dating sites to directories is a crucial point when it comes to Search Engine Optimization. It is an excellent way to receive one-way links from targeted resources and free targeted traffic.

The first thing to take into account is the nature of the directory. General directories are ok, but you will get better results if you submit your sites to dating-related directories as you will receive visitors specifically interested in dating resources, thus more likely to join your site. And obviously, submitions to non-related directories will be pointless.

The second important point is the popularity of the directory. By popularity, I don’t just mean PageRank. PageRank is useful to webmasters because the higher their pagerank, the better their results on Google. And it can be a good indication of the site’s popularity for users. But don’t solely focus on this, PageRank is not always relevant to the actual site traffic and popularity. So make sure you always check the Alexa rank of the site (Alexa.com). The lower the traffic rank, the more traffic the site receives.

You will also need to check if the directory requires a reciprocal link. If it is the case, you can add the reciprocal link to the “edit links” section of your admin area. Then the links/banners or any code you add will appear on your links page. However, remember that one-way links are always better than reciprocal links. One one-way link from a popular high-traffic site/directory will always be better than dozens of reciprocal links with small, unknown directories.

Once you have done this with a directory, do it with another one and so on… Make sure you keep a record of these directories on an xls spreadsheet for future reference so that you don’t waste your time researching again when you have to submit another similar site. This list will be YOUR selection, depending on your own needs, requirements and matching your site(s).

The easiest way to start looking for directories is to use Google. Type keywords such as “dating directory UK” or “dating directories United States” etc… and browse the sites. You will also find lists of directories all over the Internet, but some of them will be out of date, some sites will not work anymore, some of them will not match your needs etc… That is why it is always better to compile your own list of quality directories and make sure you stick to it and update it regularly with new resources.

If you have good lists of dating-related directories, feel free to post them here as a comment.

Main benefits:

- Receive free targeted visitors from directories.
- Get better rankings on Search Engines.
- Receive free targeted visitors from Search Engines.
- Get a better Google PageRank and Alexa rank.
- Improve your brand awareness etc…