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!
-
Hmm, OK thanks! I'm a bit confused looking at Yahoo!'s directory. Do you get to set the title and description, or do they just pull that all from your meta data. They have a place to describe your listing, but it's not evident that it will actually serve as the description.
-
Yup its like $200 or $300 a year . And the worst part is, sometimes they dont add you . NO JOKE. So its like a gamble but a gamble most people take i am guessing and Oleg is right i forgot about DMOZ but i would worry about it. Its more of a do it and forget it type of thing. So i would just do it and forget about it.
I mean your looking in the right place SeoMoz has a good list of directories.
But my opinion is same as Olegs, BOTW, DMOZ and YDIR.
Thats it. dont focus on anything else for now.
Later on its a different story
-
Thanks Oleg, I'll check out those directories and see what's in our budget for now.
-
Thanks. Again, we've got a content strategy nailed, we're just not kicking it off until February. I understand the value of investing in content, I don't need convincing on that front.
I'm just looking to learn more about purchasing SOME (not a lot) of paid links to get the right mix of link building going on. I see it as a pyramid with paid links at the top and content marketing at the bottom.
It looks like Yahoo! directory is $299/year... wow, is that right?
-
Thanks Chad, that's helpful. As I said, we already have a content strategy we're fleshing out. We kick it off on 2/4/2013 with a sweet infographic I've put a lot of time, research, and some cash into (about $1,500). We're currently working on a slightly fresher design and on-page optimization until the 4th. Hence, I'd like to do a couple link purchases before then, just to learn and start adding something to the mix.
-
Kibin, some good questions here and honestly it really depends on your strategy and your budget ( $200-$500 ) that you can say that a plan should fall in place.
A few things are evident.
That google really frowns upon paid links. ( but most of us still do some FORM of paid advertising ) .
So it all really depends on your strategy. You are 100% correct in saying that you want to create a sustainable strategy and that is SOOOO important in your link building strategy.
A few things i would look at is the Yahoo Directories, which a lot of people still sign up for which is $200 a year. ( although it does not hold much value today, people still do it )
Best of the Web is another good example, you can actually buy advertising from them as well )
Depending on what type or product, service or business you are trying to build links for, i would suggest spending money into giving things away for bloggers or spending money in create a widget or infographic which is easily a good link bait.
Honestly and i think everyone will agree with me, there is no right or wrong answer. Just best practices thats about it.
I hope i helped you a bit, let me know if you need anything else clarified.
Best Wishes,
Hampig M
-
Manual link outreach > guest blog posts > directories
Manual Link Outreach - find other websites in your industry, give them a reason to link to you, contact the webmasters and convince/entice them to. Hardest to do, best for SEO.
Guest Blog Posts - Find related websites that publish content, offer to write an exceptional piece of content for them, have link to your site. Medium, great for SEO.
Directories - DMOZ, BOTW, YDIR are the big ones. If you want to do directories, stick to niche specific and/or local directories. Easiest, okay for SEO.
Definitely hit up all 3 and budget accordingly. Variety is key.
Good luck!
-
Hi,
I am sure you have heard of Google Penguin Algorithm that rocked many of the webmasters that use paid links to try and connect their websites/blogs to certain keyword terms.
- The big issue was the amount of paid links set in their SEO Footprint. Google busted a truckload of websites that showed heavy footprint for paid links.
Don't be afraid to pay for links to high-end directories like Yahoo.Com, Business.Com or any of the directories SEOMOZ list. Also try to do only a few every 90 days.
If you want great traction to your website, you need to start a content algorithm. Meaning you need to do some research and determine what pain-points your potential target audience has and start figuring out a conversation you need to have with them. That means both implicit and explicit thoughts.
Build out a frame-work of content first and then come up with a plan for syndicating the content.
Find communities or follow experts in your niche and reach-out to them to host or sample your content to start generating natural links.
Overall to answer your question. You can do paid links. However, do paid links of quality. Directories, Press Releases. Vary your anchor terms and do not a ton of paid links every 90 days.
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
-
Ran a backlink competitor analysis and found that the competitor has their links coming from various linkedin and youtube posts but my client does the same thing and im not seeing any links coming from those sources for them?
Ran a backlink competitor analysis and found that the competitor has their links coming from various linkedin and youtube posts but my client does the same thing and im not seeing any links coming from those sources for them?
Link Building | | Stongex0 -
Inbound Links not showing. Links are not no follow
Over the past several months I have definitely received inbound links to my website ( none of which are no follow). I have HubSpot as well s Moz and none of the links are showing. My competitors with the same link sources are showing though. I am completely dumbfounded. Why are my inbound links not showing and how much time does it take for them to show if they show at all? Thank you!
Link Building | | NPatt0 -
Will placing links in articles on my site help my rankings?
I have a few page rank 2 articles on my site. Will placing links to other pages on my site with appropriate anchor text in the body of these articles help the other pages to rank higher for the anchor text i place in these links in the articles? Thanks in advance! Ron
Link Building | | Ron100 -
What do you consider a low authority link directory
Dear All, I would like to weed out the low authority link directories that harm my site. Can someone explain me how you determine a low authority link directory? Do you look at "page auth." and "domain auth"? And do you consider all the links pointing to your site with a "page auth." and "domain auth" lower then - let's say 40 - as a low authority link directory? Thank you for your answers in advance! Regards, Thomas
Link Building | | ThomasH0 -
Is purchasing internal page links from directories worth it?
Since data suggests that only the first link on a page to a singular URL is counted, are the deep links purchased from directories worth the money/provide any value?
Link Building | | mj7750 -
Where to link?
Hi I need to gert this page up in the rankings http://www.kerryblu.co.uk/wedding-headbands-70-c.asp but am getting no where fast. When applying for links should I direct them to this page or to the homepage, and let them filter through. Thanks
Link Building | | Yorkie0 -
Inbound links vs. internal links
Which scenario does more to help SEO - A) An inbound link from a low traffic/low page rank site to my site B) An internal link where one page of my site links to another page on my site
Link Building | | DVanSchepen0 -
Panda Update: Isn't a link still a link?
I was doing some link building and some SEO's said that the Panda update affected many websites. I am going to use eZineArticles.com as my example. EzineArticles was affected by the Panda update and does not show up in the SERPs as much as before. But they still have doFollow Links coming from the articles I am submitting. QUESTION: Regardless if EzineArticles was affected by the Panda Update, isn't a "Follow Link" still a "Follow Link" OR am I completely wasting my time on this devalued website? Edit: Yes I know a PR 0 page is not as valuable as a PR 9 page. I am asking from the standpoint of the affected Panda Update domains overall.
Link Building | | Francisco_Meza0