Best of the Web Directory Review

Many people ask me whether submitting their site to the Best Of The Web (BOTW.org) Internet directory is worth the money it cost to get listed. Well that answer depends on a number of factors. However, if you want to know whether getting listed there has a positive impact on your search engine rankings, then yes, from my experience BOTW DOES seem to positively affect a website’s search engine rankings.

Submit Your Website to BOTW Directory NOW!

BOTW is one of the Internet’s oldest and most respected web directories. It is a human-edited directory which Google appears to recognize as a source for helping identify good websites. Most sub-directories show PageRank in the Google toolbar, their links are followed, and they use realistic anchor text rules.

It is unlikely you will get very many visitors from this directory, or any other directory for that matter. So if that is your only goal, then paying to have your website listed there may not be as worthwhile. However it is one Internet’s best general directories.

How much will getting a BOTW.org listing help my search engine ranking? Well that depends on several factors. If you are a small website with minimal competitors currently sitting on page 6 of Google for your primary search terms, then getting listed here could potentially take you up a few pages in the search engine results.

However, if you are in a very competitive industry trying to move up from position 5 on the first page of Google, then getting listed here alone will likely have little affect when used alone. But, I’d still consider it still depending on your overall SEO and link-building strategy. A BOTW directory link, plus a few more quality links may be exactly what you need to take that leap.

If you plan on submitting any listings to BOTW, then you might want to sign up for their affiliate program so you can get a 25% recurring commission for any listing you submit or listings submitted through your links. That’s what I have done. This is especially helpful since they just increased their annual pricing by $50; now a $149.95/yr fee which covers annual reviews. Or you can pay $299 if you want a permanent listing.

You can also submit your blog to their blog directory for a price of $149.95/yr. You can also submit your blog for free, and only pay if you want an expedited, guaranteed review. I submitted this blog awhile back a long time ago and never heard from them regarding my free submission, so I ended up paying.

They also now have a free local directory, but you’ll have to pay $29.95/mo if you want your listing to include a link back to your website.

In summary, BOTW is a safe bet as it is one of the few remaining and longest lived “Google approved” web directories.

Submit Your Website to BOTW Directory NOW!

Additional resources:
– 2012 BOTW promo codes
– Write your own BOTW review