Are directory submissions important anymore?
Despite Google’s preeminence, directory submissions are still important. Directories catalog links for easy access for visitors to find information they are searching on.
The biggest value from directories is not so much direct traffic from your directory listing, but from the SEO lift you get from the directory listing. The more important the directory, the better improvement in your search engine placement.
Links play an important part in determining your ranking position for the various search engines. Obtaining quality inbound links can influence your search engine rank immensely.
Garbage in, garbage out. If your website lacks lots of text content but is full of images and flash content which search engines cannot spider, the directory is not going to be able to overcome these ‘spider traps.’ Make sure your site is SEO friendly and optimized to take full advantage of a directory’s SEO lift. Submitting to a directory under a particular category, and have links to content rich pages which will allow the search engine to most easily categorize your site under the relevant topic.
There are many specific directories available online. Niche or specific directories target only websites categorized for a particular subject or field. There are directories available for virtually all business areas and topics. Regional directories are available which may be highly useful if your online business targets customers locally.
Directory submission companies like Directory Maximizer can help. Check out this article from them on the importance of directory submissions. 