Search Engines are the major source of traffic for any website. High search engine ranking can boost number of your visitors and in turn leads to increase in sales. The best way to get top search engine placement is to improve link popularity by having one way inbound links from theme based sites or pages, with different optimized anchor text, from different IP Class blocks and domains. This can easily be achieved by buying Internet web directory listings. Directory promotion is one of the best methods of website promotion. Before buying directory listing or registeration you must check the following points to ensure that you are going to get what you need.

Dmoz and Yahoo Listing
Ensure that web page directory where you are going to buy registeration is listed in Dmoz and Yahoo Directory. It will ensure quality of the web site directory.

Static Text Links
Ensure that you are getting static text links which are also known as search engine friendly links from such directories. Various directories use redirection method in website listing to count hits or rating. There links are usually not indexed by search engines and you cannot get any link popularity benefit out of it. For example domain.com/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=5 (redirection method)

Web directory URL's
Ensure that website directory URL's are search engine friendly as search engine index them easily. If website directory has dynamic URL's search engine some time find difficulty in indexing or may not index whole directory as it is which generate duplicate URL's

Age of Web Site Directory
Check the age of directory which is very important to determine its stability and quality. Universal rule is " Old is Gold". Search engines give more weight to old domains. You can check Whois record to determine the age of web directory. Many new directories disappear after few month for one or another reason.

Major Search Engine Inclusion
Ensure that paid directory you choose are listed in Google, Yahoo and MSN. Recently Google has banned many directories or poor quality Internet directories.

Keyword in Title
Ensure that web site directory editor allows using anchor text of your choice so that you add your keyword in Title

Alexa Ranking and Google PageRank
Ensure that paid directory has good Google PageRank and Alexa Ranking. Quality directory is always a good source of direct traffic to your website.

"no-follow" Tag
Ensure that directory is not using "no-follow" tag on your static text link as this tag prohibits search engine to count it as vote or link.

Quality of Websites Listed
Check the quality of websites listed on directory it will ensure the directory quality. Specially check the quality of websites listed in your category to ensure that your link will be from a relevant quality or authority page

Sponsorship Listing
Ensure that there is provision to enhance your listing from regular to sponsored listing. Some time you get good traffic and may like to enhance to Sponsorship Listing.

Directory Ranking
Check search engine ranking of web directory for specific category topics. If web directory categories are ranking on search engine then it means it is a quality directory.

Too Many Empty Categories
Ensure that web directory should not have too many empty categories as search engine consider them duplicate pages. It indicates the web directory is not popular and it will not give much traffic.

Number of Outbound Links
Ensure that number of website listed on page is not more than 50 as higher the sites listed lesser the link popularity and traffic you will get. If links are higher the probability of visitor click on you listing will be less. Also ensure that you are listed on first page of category.

Back Link and its Quality
Check Web directory back links and its quality. See category where you are going to be listed is shown in search engines back links or not.

Payment Option Annual or Permanent
Check either web site directory accept annual fee for listing or One time for permanent listing It will help you in calculating ROI on directory listing.

Site-Wide Link
Ensure that web directory is not selling site-wide links as search engine banned few directories in past which are selling site-wide links or selling PageRank

Mission of Directory
Carefully study the mission of web directory. Choose the directory which has committed to building a comprehensive directory, while maintaining a high standard of listings. Beware of web directories whose mission is to just sell PageRank or listing only for search engine purposes as sooner or later they will be banned by search engines.

So if you ensure some of these above mentioned points not only such directory listings will help you build a good link popularity for your website but will also increase your site visibility and lead to more traffic.