Preparation of website before Submitting to Paid Directories?

[Boodreaux]

I am reading that submitting to premium directories is a good way to get a jumpstart on SEO rankings.  I have noticed that most of the good ones take a while in order to be approved and that many do not guarantee a listing, even if you pay $299 (Yahoo).  So my question is, Do directories turn you away if you have bad web page optimization on your website?  Because if they do then I definitely need work done there first.

Any advice on getting accepted into the premium directories the first time?

Boo

[Boodreaux]

Thank you for your responses.  I will get to work on fixing up my site first before I submit.

[EGOL]

Any advice on getting accepted into the premium directories the first time?

If you want in then don't waste their time with a half-done site.  There is plenty of trash on the web.  You should be trying to impress them.

[edwardlewis]

If you are going to go down the paid directory route then just check that you read all of the submission guidelines first.. each directory may have different rules on what they do/don't like.

I'm not a big fan of directory links and it's not something that I put a great deal of effort into.. there are lots of other ways to build links or encourage social sharing.

There are quite a few things on your site to look at.. I would work though all of the issues on here: http://gtmetrix.com/