Use strategy with directory listings

It's pretty easy to traipse around cyberspace adding your company name or web site link to various online directories, but you'll get better results if you plan your directory attack a little more carefully.

* First, come up with a pithy, 25-word description of your business and have it ready to go. Many directories ask for such descriptions, and it's easier to have one ready to use than to try coming up with it on the fly.

* Next, browse each directory before you submit a listing so you'll get a sense of how it's organized and which of your competitors are also listed.

* Finally, consider all the relevant classifications or keywords under which your business might be listed, in order of importance, based on where your competitors are located. (You may find a directory niche where the competition isn't so fierce.) Specify all the categories where you want your business listed in order of importance, since many directories won't list you under all the ones you ask for.