What Is an SPF Record?
A plain guide to SPF: the DNS line that says which servers may send email for your domain, how to add it, plus fixes for exposed emails, unsafe links and ads.txt.
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Practical hints for bloggers and webmasters
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Also here: hand-checked directory and link lists, plain-English Basic guides, SEO and AI tool picks. Run by one webmaster since 2006.
At a glance
List health
Links last checked1,819sites working
365dead, parked or moved this month
2,011new sites added this month
220dead or bad sites deleted so far (171 this month)
Webmaster Lists
All lists →Free DirectoriesGeneral web directories that still accept free submissions.Instant ApprovalDirectories that publish your listing right away.Local DirectoriesPlaces to list a local business after Google Business Profile.Classified SitesFree classified sites for local ads and leads.
Article DirectoriesSites where you can still publish original articles.Social BookmarkingBookmarking sites for discovery and visits.Blog CommentingBlogs with open comments — join real conversations.Paid DirectoriesPaid directories with editorial review.
Beginner Guides
All 27 Basic articles →
How Long Should a Meta Description Be?
Meta description length explained: why Google has no fixed limit, why it may rewrite your text, a practical 140 to 155 character guide and good vs weak examples.
Robots.txt for Beginners
What robots.txt does (and why it is not a noindex), the User-agent, Disallow, Allow and Sitemap lines, AI crawler names like GPTBot, and common mistakes.
How to Check If a Page Is Indexed by Google
Check a page's Google index status with a site: search and the URL Inspection tool, learn the common reasons pages are not indexed and what to do about each.
How Often Should I Back Up My Website?
A plain guide to website backups: what to save, the 3-2-1 rule, host backups vs your own copy, how often to back up by site type and how to test a restore.
SEO Blog
All 38 Blog articles →
Why You Need an SSL Certificate for a Blog
No shop, no logins, so why bother with HTTPS? Here is what an SSL certificate does for a small blog: no Not secure label, safe comment forms, and a small but real SEO plus.
Whitelabel Error Page: What It Is and How to Fix It
Why Spring Boot shows the plain Whitelabel Error Page, how to replace it with your own error pages or an ErrorController, and how to avoid soft 404s.
Website Loading Slow but Internet Fast? Here's Why
Fast internet, slow site? The bottleneck is usually the website: server response time, heavy images, too many scripts. How to find the real cause and fix it, without buying hype.
Website Directory Submission: Step by Step
Editors reject most directory submissions for simple reasons. Prepare the right title, description, category and contact details, then follow these steps.
Should I Use a Keyword Research Tool?
Free keyword tools cover most blogs and small sites. Here is what each type does, how free and paid tools differ, and a simple test for when paying makes sense.