Paid Directory Links

[RickyShockley]

To my surprise, I couldn't find a clear answer to the questions "Do paid directory links violate Google guidelines?"

I know Matt Cutt's recently had a video on paid links, but it didn't really cover paid directory links. Are well-curated directory sites that charge for inclusion violate Google's guidelines? A good example would be the business.com directory.

[GaryVictory]

Snap! So many of our new clients have been penalised through paid link building.

[JaneCopland]

Ha, in that case, it's pretty much every second new client you speak to!

[GaryVictory]

I was asking if you have any "new"clients who have been hit by penguin as a result of acquiring poor paid links.

Thanks for sharing Jane.

[JaneCopland]

I don't take these risks on purpose - if a link shows up on what looks like a high quality "directory" as a result of a paid posting for a client or a personal site, I won't worry too much about it but that's on a case-by-case basis. Links like that show up in the wild all the time, but I wouldn't personally seek them out. It depends on how much of a risk you're willing to take, but if you're otherwise good at link development, you don't need to take the sort of risks you see people taking when they acquire 20, 30, 40 paid directory links.

I am not sure what you mean by clients - are you asking if I have been responsible for clients being penalised? If so, no, I have not. Thanks.

[GaryVictory]

Thanks Jane. How about you?

Do you use "paid directories?”

Do you have any clients coming to you with "Penguin" battle wounds?

I'm a firm believer that businesses should invest money in developing interesting/educational content as part of their marketing strategy. If it is good enough, applied and shared correctly, it will create the foundations for success.

I'm just against paying for directory links that "could" cause harm a website, and may "never" become searched.

[JaneCopland]

William and Gary sum it up really well here - directory listings can be useful, but they should be sought for other reasons than SEO. Noah and Eduardo are also right - the safest thing to do is to acquire these links with the nofollow tag.

If you want to take a risk or two, the highest quality directories probably won't hurt you if they're followed links. Google's stance on these things is pretty hard line though, so if you're working on behalf of a larger company or client, perhaps it's best to play it safe.

[Berner]

I used white spark, and I found some great directories that were related to my site, so I felt that it was good resource to have.

[danatanseo]

I completely agree with this. Well researched and reputable directories are still worthwhile. As long as they are part of a mix that includes some link diversity, I think they can be a very valuable way to jump start a brand new site.

[GrowthHackingGooglesIndex]

Think of the Yahoo Directory.   It has cost associated with it and a listing there indicates a real website rather than spam.  Whether no-follow or not, if a directory carries trust and authority it is beneficial.

Regardless of what is said, these listings do add to your metric profile and do contribute to ranking.  Just like all the other "non-working" link types (read Press Release etc).

Don't believe me?  Go disavow or remove all your no follows.

[WilliamKammer]

Agreed, if you're doing it, don't rely on it to increase your website's PageRank, but powerful citations on those reputable directories can help with Maps and getting some targeted traffic.

[GaryVictory]

Most directories are not worth being listed on and certainly not worth the money in my opinion! Who uses directories anymore? Maybe some folk's still do, but like Eduardo says, make sure it's a "no-follow." Surely your money could be better spent elsewhere?

"Do paid directory links violate Google guidelines?" I'm going to have to say, yes! And I'm saying yes to "no-follow" links to - why? Purely on the basis that your practically throwing money away!

Any links intended to manipulate page rank or a site's ranking in Google search results may be considered part of a link scheme and a violation of Google’s guidelines.

You can find further information here.

https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/66356?hl=en

Hope this helps?

Gary

[WilliamKammer]

You'll never get a straight answer from Google, but here's what I've witnessed:

• Paid directory links CAN be beneficial if they are human-moderated and/or reputable. Something like BOTW has been a good historical example. There are also niche-specific reputable paid directories.

• Be INSANELY CAREFUL. If you're skeptical about a specific directory site, don't do it. It should be a well-known brand in the niche, for example, Martindale-Hubbell for Law.

• Think of it more as citation building than link building. There is SEO-value, but don't rely on directory link juice.

• If you're careful, rely on the directory site's authority and reputation, and do a little research, you should have no issue having some paid directory links in your link profile with no penalties.

[EduardoRuiz]

Yes, I agree with Noah. If it makes sense to pay for this link (potential customers are browsing these directories) then by all means, pay for them and get listed, but make completely sure these links are no-followed. You'll gain visibility, but won't affect your ranking positively.

[Atomicx]

If you pay for it, it should be no-follow. I would imagine the same for a paid directory.