These sites allow users (the community) to vote on your submissions. Your submissions can be anything from articles, blogs, images, video and web pages. Don’t be a spammer, these communities will see right through your spamming efforts and you will probably get your account terminated.

What do you do with these sites?
Submit links that have useful, informative or entertaining content

Do not open multiple accounts to sway the votes unless you’re voting from Chicago-KIDDING! These sites have multiple ways of tracking users from IP address to the computer being used. It’s not worth it because you can and most likely will be permanently banned with no chance of ever becoming a member of these communities again. They will most likely also prohibit other users from entering your URL because it is now a known spam site and that’s a very bad thing for optimization.

This is an important site for optimization for many reasons but mainly its page rank (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PageRank) is high, 8 out of a possible 10, and ease of use. Couple this with links that are “Dofollow” and it’s a must for optimization. Digg has a massive following, visitors can submit and browse articles in categories like technology, business, entertainment, sports and many more.

1. Enter the URL and select the type of media you are submitting (article, video or image)
2. Enter a title – 60 characters max. This will become the document title so use keywords. Enter a description – 350 characters max. This will become your meta description so also use keywords. Both fields may be pre-entered after submitting the URL, you can delete these and insert your own. Now select a topic where the post best fits.
3. Click submit to finish.

Digg is a great community but there are some rules that need to be followed. Understand them before starting because Digg does enforce the rules and will not hesitate to terminate your account. “Go Green” is a popular theme on Digg so if your products or services are eco-friendly this is a great place to make people aware of them just don’t be a spammer – Be a provider of good information! Other similar sites include:

Users create individual web pages (separate from your site) and point them (using links) to corresponding pages on your website.

What do you do with these sites?
Create web pages separate from your site promoting pages of your website. Again, keep it informative; you are sharing information on the topic not sell. Use keywords and direct links to your web pages.

Here are some popular sites for your consideration:

What do you do with these sites?
Submit your articles with a brief description. Use titles that will entice your targeted audience. Keep it informative your goal is to share information. Submit article link to other social sites for awareness (traffic) and bookmarking.

The word “blog” is a contraction of the term web log. A blog service is a website where you can post your blog.

What do you do with these sites?
Start a blog and name it using or incorporating keywords. Make posts that promote pages of your website. Use keywords within the posts and make some of them links to your web pages. Submit blog link to social sites for awareness and bookmarking. Also see how to write a blog for business.

We have included a few sites for your inspection:

What do you do with these sites?
Craft press releases about important developments regarding your business. Topics can be numerous but it should be newsworthy. Think like a reporter - never write from your own prospective using words like “I” or “we” (except quoting). Shorter press releases are often times better; don’t use two pages to say what you can say in one. Some sites have templates but write it in the manor a true reporter would.

A well optimized press release can achieve good placement in the search results independent of your website.

Should your press release be truly newsworthy (like an act of community volunteering) and it’s well written, a professional reported could pick it and that has the makings of the story going viral and that brings in huge amounts of traffic.

Here are some press release sites for your consideration:

These sites allow individuals, companies and corporate entities to solicit sales for products and services

What do you do with these sites? Enter an intriguing title for your ad and use keywords. Enter a description of the product or service you are offering and provide link to your website when available, also use keywords. In most cases you need to enter your location and the category your ad is to be published in.

These sites can be very powerful because they provide users with an online “word of mouth referral”. Customers describe their feeling about your products and services.

What do you do with these sites? Register your business and include information as requested. Don’t forget the link to your website. Include any images that will enhance the overall appearance of your profile. You may find your site is already listed because these sites give the consumer the ability to list your business and provide a review. If this is your case make edits to profile as needed.

It’s very important to monitor these sites for consumer feedback. Most will email you upon receiving a new review. In the event you receive some negative feedback it is in your best interest to address the review in a professional manor. Most sites provide a mechanism for doing this. Your response will also be public. Address each point one at a time and always be polite. Always offer to make good on any concerns, offer to repeat the service free of charge and yes, in some cases even offer some or all of their money back. Remember the customer has nothing to loose you have everything to loose mainly your credibility which we have pointed out several time is your currency in business.

Below are some sites to investigate:

These sites list websites (links) by category and subcategory.

Paid Inclusion Directories These directories require a fee for inclusion. There are hundreds even thousands of fee based directories.

A few notable paid inclusion directories for you to consider: