How much time does it take to do directory submissions yourself?

A thorough, high-quality submission campaign targeting 50 to 100 directories takes most people between 10 and 25 hours of focused work. This includes researching and vetting directories, preparing your submission materials, filling out each form carefully, and tracking the results. The time varies depending on how selective you are and how much you customize each submission.

What should I look for in a directory submission service?

Look for a service that does manual submissions (not automated), provides a detailed report with proof of each submission, targets high-authority directories (DR 30+), and has transparent pricing. Avoid services that promise hundreds or thousands of submissions for a few dollars — these are almost always automated and will do more harm than good.

Can automated directory submission tools hurt my SEO?

Yes. Tools that blast your URL to hundreds or thousands of low-quality directories automatically can trigger spam signals that harm your domain's reputation with Google. Google's algorithms are trained to detect unnatural, sudden spikes in low-quality backlinks. Stick to manual submissions to curated, high-authority directories — whether you do it yourself or use a reputable service.

Is directory submission a one-time task or ongoing?

For most websites and startups, directory submission is primarily a one-time task done during your initial launch or SEO foundation-building phase. The goal is to get listed on the 50 to 100 best directories and then move on. You might revisit it when you launch a new product, expand into a new category, or find important directories you missed — but it's not something you need to do continuously.

February 26, 2026·5 min read·Janu

Directory Submissions: Do It Yourself or Use a Service? An Honest Look at Both

You know directory submissions are worth doing. The real question is whether to grind through them yourself or hand it off to someone else. Here's an honest comparison of both approaches, including what people get wrong about each one.

You've decided directory submissions are worth doing. Now you're facing the real decision: spend the next 15 hours grinding through it yourself, or pay someone to handle it for you.

Both approaches are legitimate. Neither is automatically the right choice. The answer depends on your situation, and most of the advice you'll find online doesn't actually help you think it through.

Here's an honest look at both.

The Case for Doing It Yourself

There are real reasons to DIY your directory submissions, and they're not just about saving money.

You're selective in a way no service can replicate. When you research directories yourself, you make judgment calls based on deep knowledge of your product and industry. You know which niche communities your potential customers are part of. You might discover directories that a service using a standard list would miss entirely.

You learn the landscape. Going through this process yourself teaches you which directories have real traffic, which communities are active in your space, and which platforms people are actually using to discover products. That knowledge has value beyond the backlinks themselves.

You control the quality of every submission. A well-written, carefully tailored description for each directory performs better than a generic paste. When you're doing it yourself, you have full control over how your product is presented.

The cost is manageable if your time isn't at a premium. If you're early-stage, pre-revenue, and have more time than money, DIY is the sensible choice. Spending 15 hours on something that would cost several hundred dollars is a reasonable trade when cash is tight.

The Real Challenges of DIY

Here's what people don't tell you before you start.

It's more tedious than it sounds. Filling out the same form, with slight variations, fifty times is not engaging work. Most people start strong and lose momentum around submission 20. The directories at the end of the list — some of which may be just as valuable as the ones at the start — don't get done.

Researching directories takes longer than submitting to them. Building a quality list of directories that are worth submitting to, verifying their authority, checking that they're still active, and categorizing them correctly is its own project. Many people underestimate this step.

Tracking becomes its own job. Keeping a spreadsheet of 70+ submissions, following up on those that haven't approved after a few weeks, and verifying that live links are actually working requires ongoing attention.

Your time might be worth more elsewhere. This is the hardest calculation to make honestly. If you could spend those 15 hours on a feature that helps with retention, a sales conversation that closes a deal, or content that drives organic traffic — what's the opportunity cost of doing directory submissions instead?

The Case for Using a Service

A good directory submission service solves the tedium problem. You hand over your product details, and the work gets done while you focus elsewhere.

The key word is "good." There are two very different categories of services in this space:

Automated mass-submission tools: These blast your URL to hundreds or thousands of directories automatically. They are cheap. They are also counterproductive. Google penalizes sites with sudden spikes in low-quality backlinks, and automated submissions are exactly the kind of pattern that triggers those penalties. Avoid these entirely.

Manual submission services: A real person submits your site to a curated list of high-authority directories, one at a time. This is slower and costs more, but it's how directory submissions actually work. You should receive a detailed report with proof of every submission. This is the only type of service worth considering.

When a manual service works well, you get the backlinks you needed without the time investment. Effortless Backlinks operates this way: manual submissions to 100 high-quality directories, with a detailed report delivered when complete.

How to Decide

Ask yourself these questions:

Do you have more time or more money right now? If time is scarce, a service pays for itself quickly. If money is tight, DIY is the sensible path.

Are you in the middle of a launch? The first 30 days after launch are when directory submissions have the highest impact. If you're launching and your attention is already spread thin, delegating submissions frees you to focus on the things only you can do.

Do you care about customization? If your product is in a very niche category and you want to find and tailor submissions to highly specific directories, DIY gives you that control. If you just need the standard high-authority directories covered, a service handles that well.

Have you tried doing it yourself and stalled? This is more common than people admit. You start the process, submit to 15 or 20 directories, and then it sits undone for weeks. At that point, using a service to finish the job isn't giving up — it's being practical.

The Honest Bottom Line

For most early-stage founders, the right answer is: start with DIY using a structured list of the top free directories, then use a service to cover the remaining submissions you won't realistically get to on your own.

The directories get covered, your time is protected, and you're not paying for work you could have done quickly yourself.

Neither approach is wrong. The only mistake is starting and not finishing — leaving most of the value on the table because the first 20 submissions felt like enough.