So you’ve developed some of your better domain names. You’ve got good content and a nice design. But how do you move up in the search rankings?

Most people know that you need (preferably one way) links pointing to your web site to get Google’s attention. There are many ways to get these, but most of my SEO friends agree you need to submit to two paid web directories: Yahoo and Best of the Web.

Search engines are better at finding new sites now than they were before, but having a directory listing on these sites still seems to matter. When I look at who ranks above me for key terms on a geo web site I recently launched, most of them are listed on both of these directories.

But wait, aren’t web directories antiquated? Doesn’t everyone use search instead of directories? Yes, and you should expect little traffic from web directories. But because the links are validated by humans, search engines trust directories. And because the top directories charge a substantial listing fee, search engines trust that they won’t be filled with a bunch of spam sites.

Yahoo! Directory - Yahoo!’s directory is the gold standard, but it will cost you. The fee is $299 per year. Your site is reviewed withinin 7 days.

Best of the Web - Best of the Web has been around since 2004 1994, and Google’s founders referred to it when they designed their search system. It’s generally considered the second most important directory to Yahoo and costs much less. You can either pay $99 per year or $249 for a lifetime listing. BOTW frequently offers coupons and promotion codes. (During May, enter coupon code MAYDAY to save 15%.)