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
-
Yahoo Directory inclusion of Spanish Websites
Hi everyone! I was wondering if anyone of you know if the Yahoo Directory accepts Spanish websites. My website has its 100% market in Mexico, so i havent seen the need to put an english version of the site. I dont know if i can accomodate my site under regional or something in order to avoid translating the ecommerce site. Or i must put an english version of the site. I would deeply thank your comments. Thanks,
Link Building | | JesusD0 -
Are paid links on your brand name considered bad by Google?
I've been intrigued recently by the penalty applied to a site we have just started working with. They were penalised back in summer last year as their previous link builder had built 60,000 links all with the same hard to get keyword anchor text....we're still sorting it out. My question now is that if the client pays for inclusion on some relevant sites, such as niche directories and those sites automatically produce 'follow' links, would the client be penalised if they link on their own company name? For example if they manufacture blue widgets and the anchor text on the link is 'ABC Manufacturing' rather than 'Blue Widgets' would Google see that as a reasonable link? I appreciate that if they linked back on the keyword anchor text 'Blue Widgets' it would be wrong but I'm seeking clarification on using the company name. Any thoughts?
Link Building | | aqueous0 -
Paying to be listed on link directories... a little help?
So, I was perusing SEOMoz's suggested link directory list and noticed some sites there require paid links. I have a couple questions regarding this: Is paying for directory listings a good idea? I'm not crazy enough to buy a bunch of links; I want to create a sustainable SEO strategy. But I do know that most everyone does at least a little paid linking. Is there a budget or percentage of ones total links you would recommend for this? Is it REALLY ok to do this at all? Also, assuming I have about $200-$500/month I could spend purchasing links, what sites are best to get links for first? Just a bit of background: we're starting a content marketing strategy for our business and are spending about $2,000 per month "buying" content (design, data, writing, etc.) so purchasing links is definitely NOT our strategy and never will be. Thanks!
Link Building | | Kibin1 -
Are directories worth my time?
So I just came across SEOMoz's directory list. And I wanted to ask what people think about directories. I hear for new sites, they are good. For old sites, not so much. We are launching a new project next week. Should I start submitting it to some directories? Look forward to opinions. I really love this forum, everyone is so helpful!
Link Building | | endlessrange0 -
Article Submission Old Hat or Still Good hat?
I have always used article submission sites such as ezine, article snatch etc... I have always seen the big ones as a good way of getting relevant content out into the internet network with the bonus of building quality links back. However I have now been reading a lot of conflicting information, since the latest update from Google that even an article being republished multiple times around the net will wipe out the positive impact of the article and bring no SEO benefit. I wanted to get feedback from the SEOmoz community to see if you now feel this is a pointless exercise and we should now be even more careful as to where our content is published.
Link Building | | iprosoftware0 -
Anyone have Free Directories with High Domain Authority they'd like to share?
I was just curious if anyone had any directories they'd like to share that carry high Domain Authority(imo: 70+)? I know about dmoz.org and Pegasus but other than that, none. Thanks.
Link Building | | Modbargains0 -
Paid directory submission
Hi Team,
Link Building | | PLEsearch
We are looking for link submission in paid directories, so could you please you please let us know what will be the procedure of paid link submission ASAP Regards0 -
Exact match domains still work??
I'm sure this has been asked and it also has been answered but I'd like some insight from another SEO as to why this site -> <cite>www dot newhomesglasgow.co.uk/ </cite> is ranking on the first page for the keyword(you guessed it) 'new homes in glasgow' OSE shows about 4 backlinks. Is it just the content on the page(that's jammed with keywords) and the matching URL? Any feedback would be appreciated 🙂
Link Building | | DanHill0