web · marketing

Directory World: requirements, how to submit, and what you actually get

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A human-edited general web directory from 2003 that still hands out dofollow links, now that the free lane is off and the only open door costs GBP 29.95.

directoryworld.net
Directory World homepage
Eligibility

Who Directory World accepts

You need
A live URL that resolves directly, since they say redirects will not be accepted
Content in English
A subcategory specific enough to file it under, chosen before the form appears
GBP 29.95, for as long as the free lane stays closed
You'll be rejected if
Adult content
Gambling content
Anything not in English
Anyone who needs their own title and description to survive, since they reserve the right to edit both
Websites
What you actually get
A line in a general web directory of the pre-2010 school: 17,000 listings over 494 categories, where Software is a 275-entry shelf and the biggest one in the building is Travel and Vacation at 5,983. What you get is a title, a sentence of description and a dofollow link from a DR 61 domain. Nobody browses this to discover products, so read it as a link and not as a launch.

How to submit to Directory World

  1. Drill into a subcategory first
    The Add Site link points at index.php?a=0, which refuses to take anything and tells you to pick a more specific shelf. Browse to the category you want and use its own Add Site link: Software is index.php?a=22.
  2. Read the rules above the form
    English only, no adult, no gambling, no redirects, and two you have to accept: they may edit your title and description, and they may move the listing to a different category at any time without telling you.
  3. Find out which lane is open
    Standard Review is the free one and it currently renders no form at all, just an apology about a backlog. Express Review is a single URL field and a button, and it is the only thing on the page that works.
  4. Pay, or leave
    Express is GBP 29.95 and the fee buys priority in the queue rather than a decision: the page says the submission will appear above standard listings if accepted. Current stated waiting time is 1 day.

Directory World requirements

Website URL
105 characters, no redirects
Express review fee
GBP 29.95
Content in English
A specific subcategory picked before the form will load

Gotchas

The free lane is switched off. The submit page still describes a Standard Review, then replaces its form with an apology about a review backlog and no reopening date, so a maker who came for the free listing finds out at the last screen.
They reserve the right to rewrite your title and description, and to move your listing into a different category at any time without prior notice. Both are stated in the rules you accept by submitting.
The GBP 29.95 buys queue position, not a listing. Their own wording is that the submission will appear above standard listings if accepted, and nothing on the page says what happens to the fee if it is not.

Let your agent submit to Directory World

Connect SubmitMap to your AI over MCP and this page stops being something you read and copy. Your agent asks for the Directory World playbook and gets the brief for this exact form, with the values already taken from your submission pack instead of placeholders you fill in by hand.

What it does for this platform
Checks your product against the 8 Directory World rules above, so you find out you would be rejected before you open a tab.
Hands your agent all 4 fields this form asks for, none of them optional, already filled from your pack.
Tells you what paying buys here, so you pick it on purpose: GBP 29.95, which they call an administration fee rather than a listing fee. It buys a review as a priority, stated as usually within 2 business days, and a year sitting above the standard listings in the category before it drops in among them. A free Standard Review exists in the interface and is switched off: the page says free submissions and updates have been temporarily disabled while they clear a review backlog, and gives no date for turning them back on.
Types it into Directory World in your own browser, and stops for you when the form wants a sign-in.
Records what it sent, so the dashboard can answer "did I ever submit to Directory World?".
Connect your agentHow this worksTools and endpointsWorks with Claude Code, Claude, Codex, Cursor, VS Code and Hermes.

Directory World FAQ

How long does Directory World approval take?
Directory World's typical time from submission to going live is 1-2 days.
How much does it cost to submit to Directory World?
Submitting to Directory World is paid (GBP 29.95, which they call an administration fee rather than a listing fee. It buys a review as a priority, stated as usually within 2 business days, and a year sitting above the standard listings in the category before it drops in among them. A free Standard Review exists in the interface and is switched off: the page says free submissions and updates have been temporarily disabled while they clear a review backlog, and gives no date for turning them back on.).
Does Directory World give a dofollow backlink?
Yes, a listing on Directory World carries a dofollow link. The site has a domain rating of 61.
Does Directory World require a backlink to your site?
No, Directory World does not require a link back from your site.
What gets you rejected from Directory World?
Adult content; Gambling content; Anything not in English; Anyone who needs their own title and description to survive, since they reserve the right to edit both.