By Andy Walpole on August 14, 2009

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.

Digg to launch new user-ranked advertising scheme.

There is plenty of buzz going around about Digg’s soon to be released voting based advertising system.  If you are unfamilar with Digg, to simplify it,  they are a content sharing website. If, while purusing the internet, someone comes across an interesting article, a hysterical you tube video, or the funniest cat with witty caption image they’ve ever seen, they can sumbit the link to Digg, where other “Diggers” will either “Digg”(like) or “Bury”(dislike) the link. The more diggs a link has the easier it is to find and in theory snowballs in popularity.

Digg’s new advertising scheme will embrace the user-ranking system that made their site so popular, allowing users to “Digg” ads, improving their visability, or “Bury” them.  With the twist that the more diggs the ad recieves the less money the advertiser has to pay, the more diggs the ad recieves, the more they have to pay. It’s an innovative idea that many advertisers are quite excited about. However I can’t help but have one nagging concern. What’s to stop competitors or people just in a generally bad mood from burying for no reason other then to cost the advertiser money?  What effect would having a very buryed ad have on a fledgling brand? Would people even give them a look if they’ve already seemed to have been weighed, measured and found wanting by others?  Unfortunately sabatoge does happen,  and while I’m sure Digg is aware of this, they have yet to say how they plan to prevent it.

They have recently said they have made some major “dupe detection technology and content submission process”, but there is no indication that this will have an effect on detecting malicious bury attacks.

Hopefully they will give us some more assurance that their new advertising scheme will be a good return on investment for the busineses that employ it and not a hungy blackhole sucking away their money with no benefit, as the launch date approaches.  Until then, while I am exicted by the introduction of fresh ideas in the world of click advertising, I believe it would be recklessly irresponsible to use or suggest their new advertisting scheme until more information is released promising that the interests of the advertisers be protected.  When that day comes, I will gladly join the celebration.

One way to fix the photoshop hand icon that prevents you from editing.

If you use Photoshop CS2 or CS3, you may have encountered the evil hand icon of doom, who laughs at you whilst simultaneously preventing you from getting any work done.

You may have tried restarting the program to no avail, or in a mad stress induced frensy as you watch the minutes tick past on your taskbar, helplessly staring at what you need to edit but are unable to,you  reset all of your presets, restarted your computer, randomly pressed every key on the keyboard in interesting combinations, tossed the laptop like a frisbee or drop kicked the monitor…  I have read some very interesting things people have done when they had this problem and I believe I have a solution for those who encounter it, that doesn’t involve any key bashing, pc throwing or desperate restarting.

Next time that pesky little hand icon shows up and won’t go away, preventing you from getting your project done…take a deep breath, select the move tool (top right), look at the second top tool bar, read “auto Select Layer” “Auto Select Groups” and “Show Transform Controls”.  Select the “Show Transform Controls” box so that it is turned on. You can then unselect it and voila! your problem should be solved.

If it’s not, then please excuse this interuption and resume threatening your program with violence.