12 Web Design Directories To Improve Your SEO
List of Web Design Directories Links from niche directories are of more value in SEO than submitting to general directories, and there are a number of specialized directories catering exclusively for web designers. Below are some of those.
Many of these require a reciprocal link and which have fallen out of favor since Google declared against “excessive reciprocal linking”; but in moderation it is fine as Matt Cutts talked about in 2007 – “Trading links is natural and it’s natural to have reciprocal links. At some level, natural reciprocal links happen, but if you do it way too often, it looks artificial.”
1. DesignDirectory
- Year Site Created: 2001
- Indexed Pages in Google: 15,400
- Backlinks in Yahoo: 155,988
- PageRank: 6
- Link Status: Nofollow
- Quantcast Ranking: 24,796
- Submission rules: Read the submission rules here
2. Web Design Directory org dot uk
- Year Site Created: 2008
- Indexed Pages in Google: 319
- Backlinks in Yahoo: 837
- PageRank: 4
- Link Status: Dofollow
- Quantcast Ranking: No data
- Submission rules: Reciprocal link required.
This is more than a directory and is intended as means for a client to quickly receive a quote for a job from a wide range of design companies. UK only.
3. Web Design Stuff
- Year Site Created: 2006
- Indexed Pages in Google: 1,850
- Backlinks in Yahoo: 44.301
- PageRank: 5
- Link Status: Dofollow
- Quantcast Ranking: No data
- Submission rules: Free to submit to.
The submission rules read: “If you are submitting a portfolio, design firm, or resource site, please select the most appropriate category and do not use “Best Design Showcase”. We will select the best to be placed in that category. You may however submit client sites or sites you think do have the best design to be placed in “Best Design Showcase”. Not all sites will be approved. Only well designed or sites with useful resources will be considered.”
4. Web-Development.com
- Year Site Created:1997
- Indexed Pages in Google: 11,400
- Backlinks in Yahoo: 1,639
- PageRank: 5
- Link Status: Dofollow
- Quantcast Ranking: No data
- Submission rules: Free to submit to but a reciprocal is required. From the submission page:
Web-Development.com is a directory of Web design companies. We ONLY add Web design company websites to our directory. In the future we plan to add additional categories for related companies such as Web hosting companies and domain name registrars, but at this time we are only accepting submissions for Web design companies.
5. American Association of Webmasters Directory
- Year Site Created: 2002
- Indexed Pages in Google: 1,670
- Backlinks in Yahoo: 30,433
- PageRank: 5
- Link Status: Dofollow
- Quantcast Ranking: No data
- Submission rules: Free to submit to but a reciprocal is required.
6. UK Webmaster World Directory
- Year Site Created: 2003
- Indexed Pages in Google: 302
- Backlinks in Yahoo: 3,457
- PageRank: 3
- Link Status: Dofollow
- Quantcast Ranking: No data
- Submission rules: Links are either paid or a reciprocal. Open to non-UK submissions.
7. UK Webmaster Directory
- Year Site Created: 2008
- Indexed Pages in Google: 73
- Backlinks in Yahoo: 469
- PageRank: 4
- Link Status: Dofollow
- Quantcast Ranking: No data
- Submission rules: Free but reciprocal is required. For UK only.
8. Web Design • Designers Directory
- Year Site Created: 2005
- Indexed Pages in Google: 2,229
- Backlinks in Yahoo: 163,889
- PageRank: 6
- Link Status: Dofollow
- Quantcast Ranking: 130,167
- Submission rules: Free and no reciprocal is required. US only.
9. Webmasters Lookup
- Year Site Created: 2005
- Indexed Pages in Google: 237
- Backlinks in Yahoo: 4,236
- PageRank: 4
- Link Status: Dofollow
- Quantcast Ranking: No data
- Submission rules: Free to submit to. This site is intended as a means for web designers to display their experience and portfolio to potential clients. Deep links are allowed.
10. The Web Design Directory UK
The Web Design Directory UK is a new venture and is totally free.
- Year Site Created: 2002
- Indexed Pages in Google: 77
- Backlinks in Yahoo: 14.388
- PageRank: 5
- Link Status: Dofollow
- Quantcast Ranking: No data
- Submission rules: Free to submit to for UK web designers but a reciprocal is required. States on the submission form that it could take up to three months before they approve your entry.
11. DesignDir.net
- Year Site Created: 2003
- Indexed Pages in Google: 625
- Backlinks in Yahoo: 14,359
- PageRank: 4
- Link Status: Dofollow
- Quantcast Ranking: No data
- Submission rules: Paid or free if a reciprocal link. This directory covers not just web design but also related industries.
12. DirectoryDesigner.am
- Year Site Created: 2003
- Indexed Pages in Google: 480
- Backlinks in Yahoo: 12,224
- PageRank: 5
- Link Status: Dofollow
- Quantcast Ranking: No data
- Submission rules: Please read the submission guidelines before you submit. It is free but a reciprocal is advised.
And last but not least is my own directory for web designers and webmasters here: http://www.suburban-glory.com/directory.html. It is free to submit to.
Did you enjoy this article and found it useful?
Get even more from us:



















Amdzines - Web Designer India
Posted 854 days ago 25These are a good list of web design directories. however, a couple of them ask for USA zip code.
joe
Posted 882 days ago 24Hello,
Using Blog to raise SEO ranking- Is it best to be on the front homepage of the site or can it be on a 2nd page
Really great post, enjoyed reading it. Thanks,
joe
Jason
Posted 889 days ago 23I didn’t realise most of these existed, especially the UK ones!
Teresa Schultz
Posted 898 days ago 22Thanks for this great list. It is worrying, though, about not being quite sure how many out-going links one should consider safe to include in a site. Also, I decided on only ten links in my “link exchange” at the bottom of my page rank 4 homepage, so if web design directories want a reciprocal link on my homepage, where am I supposed to put it? – hm, will have to think about this.
.-= Teresa Schultz´s last blog ..TnT Web design services good news and bad news =-.
gouthami.b
Posted 920 days ago 21Good colletion dude.I will try them….
Yehia Cahbagus
Posted 948 days ago 20thanks for the great list ..
.-= Yehia Cahbagus´s last blog ..Mengembalikan jati diri bangsa Blogger =-.
website laten maken
Posted 955 days ago 19Wow, great list of webdesign directories!! I visited them all and submitted my site to it. Except the ones that are UK and US only. Thanks!
.-= website laten maken´s last blog ..Webdesign: het belang van een goede zoekfunctie =-.
Mario Spencer
Posted 970 days ago 18Thax a lot Bro..
Excelente Post
Andy Bailey
Posted 973 days ago 17Oh dear, looks like I might spend an entire afternoon at work going through this post and then probably the rest of the week on the other posts! thanks for listing so many places for me to improve my skills in seo. :-)
.-= Andy Bailey´s last blog ..Worldwide CommentLuv search engine trawling over 150,000 CommentLuv Enabled Sites =-.
Rooturaj
Posted 974 days ago 16Good collection. Shared and bookmarked to submit my sites latter. Looking forward to more such informative posts.
.-= Rooturaj´s last blog ..How to use the @mentions in facebook? Link to your facebook friends in status updates =-.
Del
Posted 984 days ago 15Great list I have herd to get in the Dmoz directory is a must which has a high pr
winelirious
Posted 991 days ago 14Thanks for this article.
.-= winelirious´s last blog ..Bigger than ever ‐ Twestival Local 2009 comes to Bangkok =-.
jibran
Posted 1001 days ago 13great website keep it up man
jibran
Posted 1001 days ago 12wow wow wow man to good web site about the web designing i like it.
David
Posted 1004 days ago 11IMO it is not worth adding links back to these sites to gain a few mid-low quality links. Personally, I’ve never done reciprocal links and see some people ranking well off it, but I have heard numerous cases in which people have had issues with them, recouped rankings after they removed their reciprocal links page(s) etc.
.-= David´s last blog ..Supply and Demand for SEO in the UK =-.
Andy Walpole
Posted 1005 days ago 10I’m glad you liked them and found them useful!
@Matt Gorden A few of them are for UK or USA only but I’ve noted this in the “submission rules” field
.-= Andy Walpole´s last blog ..Do web designers need to use Dreamweaver? =-.
Johannes
Posted 1008 days ago 9Thank you for your list, I found some fine directories! I also like to recommend the W3C Sites Directory >> http://www.w3csites.com/
Impulse Design
Posted 1009 days ago 8Thank you so much for this I was struggling a lot to find good design directories to boost SEo.
Lucas Tadeu
Posted 1009 days ago 7Great post! I really needed this *.* Thanks for posting
Clay Jackson
Posted 1010 days ago 6This is exactly what I’ve been looking for! Thanks for posting.
Matt Gorden
Posted 1010 days ago 5I checked through this list & submitted one of my web 2.0 design service website to few of them. But webmasterindex.co.uk directory is not a strictly web-designer’s niche directory. Rather its a UK specific general directory. Hence I suggest to remove it from your list.
Thanks
Eric B.
Posted 1011 days ago 4Thanks for the links. I will be submitting my site to some of these!
.-= Eric B.´s last blog ..Creating a PHP CMS – Part 3 =-.
Dainis Graveris
Posted 1011 days ago 3Yes, I must thank you to Andy too, I was aware only about 1 of these to be honest! Very useful to build stronger PageRank:)
Brian Yerkes
Posted 1011 days ago 2Nice roundup Andy, I just submitted my link to a number of these. Thanks for sharing!
.-= Brian Yerkes´s last blog ..5 People I Follow on Twitter and Why =-.
Luis Lopez
Posted 1011 days ago 1Great article Andy, I see you know a lot about design directories, because I’ve been looking for and I only had like 4 really design related, but Thanks I’ll use them.
.-= Luis Lopez´s last blog ..50+ HD Desktop Wallpapers For Your Inspiration – Abstract and 3D =-.