Paid Directories
-
As we all know paid links can harm your SEO efforts because Google doesn't like these type of links.
I was wondering, if paid links are bad, why does SEOmoz includes so many paid directories in the SEO Web Directory list???
-
Very helpful Ryan, thank you. Was just on botw.org and had Paul's exact question.
-
The short answer...there is a very distinct difference between directories which charge you for a listing and those which charge you for a site review.
If you are charged for a listing it is simply advertising. You pay a fee, you get your link, and that is a violation of Google's policy. The directory will still do it, but Google will basically nofollow the link internally so no PR flows through it.
Sites like Yahoo directory and BOTW.org charge for a site REVIEW. There are several key components:
1. The review fee is charged regardless of whether the site is actually listed or not.
2. A percentage of sites must not pass the review. If everyone passes, it is considered a fraudulent process.
3. No refunds. The site cannot offer a refund to those who don't get in otherwise the charge was not really for the review.
4. Reasonable quality standards must be in place.
A more detailed response can be seen here: http://www.seomoz.org/q/current-thoughts-on-directories
The directories in the SEOmoz list were likely accurate at the time the list was last updated, but it may not be perfect. There are likely directories in that list which may violates Google's terms, and other directories not listed which comply with Google's terms. The list should be used as a guide, not a bible.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Backlink Indexing Problem? Suggest any paid or free tool..!
My Forum backlinks and social share backlinks are not indexing plz suggest any free r paid tool that index such backlinks. Otherwise my ranking will drop. Plz help
Moz Pro | | AsifSeotools7770 -
Struggling with the principle of backlinks, all i can see for the competition is directories?
Hey everyone, I have been using the open site explorer to check the linking domains/inbound links of competition for window suppliers. I've read that directories generate pretty much no link juice, yet all i can find for pretty much all of the well ranking competition (other than few very major companies) is directory listings. This leaves me wondering whether just submiitting to 5-10 good relevant directories would help tip me above some of the competition... I've read quite a lot about generating quality backlinks but i still haven't got my head around how to actually do anything myself that would be potentially useful. All i've done so far is post to relevant high authority directories and a couple relevant forums. I have pretty much £0 budget but a decent amount of time and strong graphic design and animation skills so feel like i can put that to use but again would have no idea what to do even if i created something share worthy. I can't imagine succesfully contacting anyone and getting them to link back to me or share my content.. Thanks for any advice...
Moz Pro | | binkez320 -
Spammy Directories Using Title Meta-Tag For Link
I've been noticing a growing amount of spammy directories using my title Meta-Tag to create a link back to my site. Since my title uses competitive keywords, these external links on spammy directories look over optimized and I fear an algo penalty might get triggered. Should I be concerned and what can I do?
Moz Pro | | alrockn0 -
Rank Tracking paid tool
I need one of the best rank tracking tool that allows me to upload keywords in bulk but first I need to see its trial to check either they update daily or they stay with weekly rank which is mostly the case with many free tools. Kindly tell me the one that you have tested and its working good.\ Updated daily.
Moz Pro | | csfarnsworth
Have free testing feature and than can purchase it no matter in a week. Support a lot of keyword to be track.0 -
Did I get paid for Jan or Feb ?
I started pro account in 18 jan. And I got an invoice in 18 feb. So am I supposed to get first month free ? Is this payment belongs to Jan or Feb ?
Moz Pro | | zizigo0 -
Can the link acqusition tool / web directory list be used for non-english language enquiries?
Hi there, We are currently in the trial period of seomoz pro and have been testing all of the availiable tools. We are very happy with OSE and the other professional tools however we have discovered a barrier in our research methods. 1, Does anyone know how can you use the link acqusition assistant for non-english enquiries? The suggested search queries that are automatically generated are "submit site" "submit url" etc, but this has almost no use for a non-english keyword. - Also are the results only displayed for google.com - is there no localization at all of search enquiries? 2, The list of directories provided by seomoz link: http://www.seomoz.org/directories are anglo-centric. What are the availiable options for non-english speaking directories / local directories NOT based in the United States? Any help that can be provided would be greatly appreciated!
Moz Pro | | deliveryhero0 -
No Local Directory links in Open Site Explorer?
Hi there, I just signed up for seomoz pro today and have been playing around in OSE looking at a number of local business websites that I manage SEO for. For all of them, I have put an endless amount of effort ensuring they have good quality, accurate business listings in all the local directories like yelp, yellowpages, hotfrog, tripadvisor, etc. For most of them, I did this months or even up to a year ago. However, I don't see a single link reported in OSE that is a result of my efforts here. Does OSE not report links from local business directories, or should I be concerned that I'm somehow not optimizing properly, or are these types of links of such little value that they don't get picked up, something else? Thanks for the help!
Moz Pro | | rianDS1 -
Where do I find "URLs Receiving Entrances Via Search" and "Non-Paid Keywords Sending Search Visits" in Google Analytics?
These are two metrics highlighted in the "Organic Traffic Data" report in the PRO campaigns. Since this report is composed of data linked from Google Analytics, I bet there's a way to find this same information in GA. So...anyone know how to do that in Google Analytics? I want this information for some long-tail productivity/potential research.
Moz Pro | | jcolman0