Large Paid Directories - Still Worth It?
-
Hi,
So we've heard all the updates from Google lately: don't get involved in buying links, link networks etc etc.
My question is, does buying a link from one of the traditional large directories get penalised by Google? If I was to buy a link from Best of the Web - http://botw.org/ - would this be a waste of time? Would I get penalised?
If we are only buying 2-3 high value links for our site from very high quality directories, do you think this is fine?
I'm asking because BOTW is having a sale today (tomorrow US time), half price submission.
Thanks!
Edit: Paid directories such as this are still featured on SEOmoz - http://www.seomoz.org/directories - so I'm thinking they still have value if used sparingly?
-
You are correct, BOTW isnt one of them- it is currently marked in LinkDetox as a "toxic" link
-
Getting links from directories like Yohoo and BOTW are not considered paid links by Google due to their authority and also because the amount they charge is towards editorial fee and they still reserve the right to reject any spam site.
Having said that, due to recent changes in the way Google uses incoming links in determining ranking these links might have no to little effect in rankings. They still might get some direct traffic.
-
Don't expect too much improvement from those directory links. They're good to start a project but you'll need a lot more to achieve good rankings.
-
Google knows that there are high quality directories out there, and BOTW is one of them. Since Google knows that real humans are reviewing the sites that are submitted and allowed to appear on the site, it's a quality service that benefits the web.
While the list of high quality directories is small, they are certainly worth getting for any link building campaign.
-
We will see...I just got BOTW and Business.com a couple weeks ago...looking forward to the April 27th crawl for updated rankings.
-
As far I know, registering your business in these well known directories is not considered as "link buying". These are "quality" business directories and (according to them) they do filter dodgy, spammy, low quality websites.
I've registered a large number of websites in BOTW, Yahoo, Business.com, etc and never had any penalties.
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
-
Still seeing older links
We have recently updated all our product page titles on our website to something more descriptive for our Google Shopping campaign. This was what was recommended we do by the folks at Google. Doing this causes all of the URLs for the products to reflect this change. The structure is as such: https://ourwebsite.com/bulbs/product_id/title. Now when Moz provides us with our weekly crawl report we see a load of duplicate page content errors (roughly the same amount as the number of product pages). I don't quite see this as a coincidence so it must be a consequence of having updated the titles. My question is why is Moz still crawling our older links? We no longer link to any of the pages with the older URLs so why are they conflicting?
Link Building | | TrueluxGroup0 -
Why does my aged Yahoo Directory listing not show up as link in OpenSiteExplorer?
A site of my is in the yahoo directory (3dprinter.net). It's been there for a long time. I just went into OpenSiteExplorer to see where the link ranked, and it's not there. Why would not not show up? And if it doesn't show up, is it even worth my money to do for other sites?
Link Building | | bizzer0 -
DMOZ Directory
Have not hear much good about DMOZ lately. Is this listing worth anything?
Link Building | | casper4340 -
Which Article Directories are still relevant?
Hi, I know Article Directories are not valued as high as they once were and many took a hit from Google. But are there any Article Directories that are still worth posting content on? Thanks!
Link Building | | MasonInteractive0 -
Has anyone done any real research about paid directories?
Hi Guys Im doing a little link building and in the industry Im working in there are quite a few directories....most offer free inclusion as long as you link back to them. This process can be slow due to the number of people trying to get listed. Also most offer a "express service" whereby you can get your site reviewed and uploaded faster if you pay a nominal fee circa £15. I'm not refering to any old directories these are directories which are industry specific and related to my site, however they are not confined to the country I am in (UK) but extend world wide So that got me thinking has anyone actually done any conclusive research which suggests that either A) you will not get any benefit from being included in such a directory or B) that you get penalised if you do so or C) none of the above and there is some benefit. I have been using open site explore and I can see these sites are giving link juice to my competition (as far as I can tell ofcourse) I found a site with almost all of its back links from these types of directories ranking on the first page for a very competitive term (67% using Keyword Difficulty tool) Would be interested to hear your thoughts / experiences
Link Building | | RankStealer0 -
Is it worth the $325.00 to join the BBB just to get the link?
Trying to build as many quality links as possible. Saw a suggestion on a recent blog to join the BBB but it cost $325.00. Is it worth it?
Link Building | | katazoom0 -
Renting Directory Listings
Is anyone aware of services that allow the renting of directory listings? Someone explained the concept to me and I am trying to find a good source for directory rental links. Thanks
Link Building | | jenadams0 -
Is this directory good or spamy?
I was using open site explorer and one of our local competitors and in the top 5 of the SERP has a link in http://directory.askbee.net/submit-site-to-directory.html They want either a $1, $5 or a 3 way link to get your link in the directory. Do any of these help or would this directory be a waste of time. Thanks
Link Building | | mmaes0