Paying for directory inclusion
-
I just wanted to see what the general opinion was on paying for directory entries. How high should the PR be to justify paying for it? Or how much is justifiable for entry into a directory with a lower PR?
I have recently submitted my site to Yahoo Directory but I have only seen my rankings increase in the Yahoo search engine. Are there any directories that Google like?
-
Some directories are great.
An example is in the industrial marketplace and directories like ThomasNet. Thousands of companies pay ThomasNet to be listed in their directories where many engineers look for their services and get a great roi .
-
My experience with directories: I have 2 sites, one is in 3 directories (Gimpsy, JoeAnt and Galaxy) and it not in top 50. The other is on no directories at all but has a free eBook which is linked to and distributed in some other places and no less than 2 weeks later got to top 50 in google US for a bout 5 keywords, the highest being 23 (from not being in top 50 at all). I'm relatively new as are my campaigns.
I'm working on the free eBook thing for the site in the 3 directories, I really hope these directories aren't detrimental and it's just a case they aren't as powerfull!? if anyone knows?
-
I had previously been told that submitting to directories was the best way to improve your PR. I find all the other ways of creating backlinks rare - due to the industry and when I do find something of interest, the majority of the time it has a low PR so not really worth putting a link in. Also, we're in a position where we can't really create any new content on our website regularly - there isn't much else to say other than what's on our website.
-
I agree with @Anthony save your money and time. Directories are becoming less and less relevant and paying for a listing in one is showing reduced returns.
-
Save your money and your time. Put them both towards creating something of value on your website. Pay a designer to improve your best piece of content. Pay a writer to create a new piece of content. Do it yourself with your free time.
Sadly, sometimes Directories can still work. However, it is not a safe, long-term tactic and you can get more value by putting your resources somewhere else.
SEOmoz has a list of directories that you can consider. http://www.seomoz.org/directories
-
Yahoo Directory entries (but depending a lot on location and niche) are still ok for referral traffic. Some US Yahoo Directory niches are still receiving a lot of traffic and the ROI on the entry can get positive.
I would't do it from an SEO point of view though on Yahoo or any other directory. Some very "good" directories got penalized by Google for passing PR so you are on the safe side if you keep away from it.
No follow links from directories are good though - you balance the follow vs no follow ratio so that can also help.
-
It's dependant on what the directory is. Yes Google doesn't like paid links, but some customers may still use online directories so from that aspect they are good. Look at a directory and see whether they are ones your customers will use.
As William Lau said, Directories, for ranking, don't work as well as they used to anymore.
-
Directories don't work as well as they use to anymore. Don't forget Google doesn't allow paid links, for that purpose, you can see their stance on paid inclusion.
But if you are insisting, many users have agreed that Yahoo and BOTW are the better directories.
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
-
Do You Risk A Penalty From Local Paid Directories in 2022?
Hi there, I have a client who wants to advertise in a local directory along the lines of "find your nearest plumber". The directory only has paid listings and they are follow links and they also mention your site or generated landing page may get a nice bump on google. Is there a risk that they may get a penalty for using this directory? The client wants to use it regardless of if it gives them an SEO boost but obviously wants to avoid any penalties at all costs. Thoughts on this? Thanks in advance
Link Building | | Scottlinklater0 -
Does Dofollow links from forumn profiles, blog comments, business directories or article directories etc have any impact?
Hi guys, So looking at my competitors in my city a lot of the people ranking on 2nd, 3rd pages and so forth have little or no quality backlinks, instead, their links are all from business directories, forum profiles and blog comments. I saw google employees saying easy to create links hold very little value and it's easy for the algorithm to distinguish been easy to obtain backlinks and difficult ones. From what I see on my competition backlink profiles, they may not get them to the front page but they do get them to pages, two three and four. I was wondering if creating say 20-30 easy links per week and also focus on obtaining high-quality backlinks. Would they be any penalties for 20-30 easy to make links a week from Google? Cheers
Link Building | | sydneygardening0 -
Are directory websites still worth considering?
Hi Mozzers, What are people's opinions on directory website? As standard, we would always attempt to get our clients listed on reputable generic directories such as Google My Business and Yelp, and then directories that are relevant to the industry in which a company operates. Do you think this is the right approach to take?
Link Building | | A_Q0 -
Paid directory links
Just going through my competitors back links, and discovered a couple of directories who charge a small fee for a listing (£20) (one way link) or a free listing (with a reciprocal link) they both have PR of 50 so I was wondering are these type of links still worth it? Best wishes. David.
Link Building | | WallerD0 -
Toxic Link Removal-Better to Pay an SEO Firm or Can I Do It Myself?
Hi Jen: Recently an SEO audit from a reputable SEO firm identified almost 50% of the incoming links to my site as toxic, 40% suspicious and 5% of good quality. They are of the opinion that it is imperative to remove the toxic domains. The fee for toxic link removal is about $3,000.I would prefer to save the $3,000 but would prefer not to take the risk of screwing up my ranking if this is a complex procedure best left to SEO professionals. My assumption is that link removal will involve identifying the toxic domains, requesting removal and eventually submitting a Google disavow request. Can I do this myself or is there a big risk of screwing it up? Assuming it is safe for me to remove toxic links, would anyone suggest software of tools for doing so? Thanks so much.
Link Building | | Kingalan1
Alan0 -
Can we submit our website irrelevant directories and resources?
Hey, Can you tell me if it is a good practice to submit our website to a "quality" but an irrelevant web directory? For example, i run article writing service, so it is good to submit my website to a directory that's not about article writing services? Thanks in advance! Mohd
Link Building | | Sizmic0 -
How Long for Google Directory and Search.com to update with Current Dmoz.org Data?
So I recently had a site added to dmoz.org and I'm wondering if anyone knows when Google Directory & Search.com update their site with new Dmoz.org data? They both use dmoz.org for their directory listings. Regards,
Link Building | | qlkasdjfw0 -
Suspicious Link Directory
I found a link directory with good PageRank and MozRank. The page I would be featured on has good page authority of about 41. Their editorial guidelines appear sound. However, I just discovered that they have a family of directories (about 7-8) that all look very similar in site appearance. I suspect that they are all hosted on the same servers and run by the same company. Would this family of directories be at risk of being flagged by Google as a link network and have all their links devalued? Thanks Mozzers!
Link Building | | SparkplugDigital0