Directory submission
Directory submission is listing a business or website on online directories; done for backlinks it is link spam, done as accurate local citations it helps.
The term comes from early SEO, when sites were submitted to hundreds of web directories to collect links. Google's spam policies treat links from low-quality directories as link spam, so mass submission for links earns nothing and can hurt.
What still works is the other meaning: an accurate listing of your business name, address and phone on directories that customers, maps and AI assistants actually use, which is a local citation. Judge a directory by whether it is real, relevant to your country and industry, and shows your details to the public, not by the link it gives.
Where this applies
The ranked citation sites for the markets and industries this term shows up in.
See it in action
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