Is it OK to disavow directory submissions?
-
I'm currently working on a website that has had a load of spammy links built in the past.
From what I can see, it would be most efficient and effective to disavow everything that's there as all work performed previously is low quality, except for some local directory submissions.
These local directory submissions are likely "no follow" and therefore, I'm wondering is it OK to disavow everything including these local directory submissions, seeing they are no follow anyway?
-
Hi,
As everyone else has mentioned, nofollowed links are not passing PageRank and therefore should not be influencing search visibility as assessed by the Google Algorithm. If there is no manual action in place then there should be no reason to disavow them.
However, I look very differently at nofollowed links in the backlink profile of a site that has a manual action in place. In that case I ask two questions:
-
Is the site one that is in any way undesirable?
-
Are the nofollowed links part of an obvious large-scale manipulative effort?
If the answer to either or both of these questions is yes, then I choose to both attempt to get the links removed and also disavow. The reason for this: of course I don't want links from dubious sites which even though not passing PageRank could be doing damage to my brand and reputation and; when asking for reconsideration (judged by a real human being conducting a manual review) I believe that ignoring links that were obviously placed with the intention of manipulating search rankings simply because it didn't work, hardly shows a commitment to the "good faith effort" expected by the Webspam team. So, I go to the extra effort to try to remove and also disavow.
Marie is quite correct in suggesting that there are cases where links on some pages are followed and on other pages nofollowed - in fact we see instances at rmoov where URLs that contain multiple links to a site are actually a mix of followed and nofollowed links as well. As suggested ...you have no control over those links at all, so once you have decided which ones really need to be dealt with disavowing is the safest option available unless you can actually get them removed.
Again, I think the point has been fairly well made above ...Local directories are not all bad. Check for compliance with the Webmaster Quality Guidelines (which for paid directories includes a clear statement in their terms of service which indicates that you are paying for a site review and not for inclusion). The most relevant Guideline is the one about what Google views as "Link Schemes"
Hope that helps,
Sha
-
-
There is no need to disavow nofollowed links as they are not passing pagerank. However, there is no harm in doing this if you want to be sure. It is in theory possible that a site has nofollowed links on one page and followed on another. Or, in some cases, they could decide to change their structure and follow their links. But, in general I ignore nofollowed links when it comes to doing an audit.
-
To stay ahead of any future Google algorithm changes, I would disavow any links now that could seem questionable and hurt you in the future. But what is "questionable" is a complicated question. I would ask yourself these questions for every directory link you have gained:
1. Would I want this link if Google did not exist? (i.e., would the link send me valuable referred traffic anyway?)
2. Is this link curated by a human who is an expert in the field and who does not accept each and every submission?
3. If this link is being paid for, does it not pass PageRank (i.e., is it a no-follow link that adheres to Google's guidelines as such)?
If the answer is "yes" to all three questions, the link is usually safe. Since this is not the case with nearly all generic directories, I would likely want to disavow nearly all of them.
Note: You say that the links are no-follow, but that tag is still under the control of the directory websites and could change in the future (though likely it won't). I'd still disavow them just to be safe because you have no control over those links or what those sites may do in the future. However, this is a low priority since the links are no-follow -- I'd focus first on disavowing worse backlinks or doing your own positive online-marketing work to build your site further.
-
Unless you know you have had a penalty, or suspect you have, then I would be tempted not to disavow.
You say a lot of the links are low quality - what are you using to determine what quality the links are? As Chris said, directories aren't all bad, and some can be a real plus, so evaluate what you have before just removing them via disavow.
Tread a little carefully as I have seen sites get disavow-happy and kill all links, with a resulting drop from the SERPs.
-Andy
-
Hiya Gavo,
When you disavow you're essentially turning any links into no follow links so there isn't much point in disavowing no following links as it just makes more effort. You can however disavow as much or as little as you want but if you've not had a penalty it's best not to get too merry with that disavow list as you may find your position will drop (unless you counter it as you disavow).
Remember Directories are not all evil sometime they are okay, e.g yahoo & yell etc. if your niche finds you through a directory then in fact its good. Its the spammy directories Google's not keen on, so bare that in mind if people are finding you through the local listing.
So the things you want to ask your self is:
Do I have a penalty?
If I do what's caused it?
If I don't can I prevent one by removing links?
Am I getting referrals from these links, would be be better to keep the links and no-follow them ?
Best of Luck.
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
-
Directories
Hi The former owner of One of our competitors ( www.gastrocatering.com ) gave my some insight into how he got his site up in the rankings. He said he got his site listed on 100s of directories had bloggers Wright about him. Gastro catering ranks highly for almost every key word we want I used the moz tools to see where his links came from, Should I copy what he did? I read a lot of posts that lead me to the conclusion I shouldn't, but he ranks #1 for so many desirable keywords. What are your thoughts on this please? All the best Ben
Link Building | | SussexChef830 -
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 -
Back to Basics: Lets talk link directories :)
Hi, Ok, bit of a muddy subject for me because lots say it's a good method, great for getting things started and some say it's a complete waste of time and it's spammy. But I guess the difference between the two opinions is quality! I have stopped using directories but think it's time to add some diversity to my link profile. In the past I have used this - http://www.directorycritic.com/free-directory-list.html What are your thoughts on that list? Does it actually fall into the spammy category and I should be looking for a much higher quality list. Cheers
Link Building | | activitysuper0 -
Paid Directories and On-page Keyword SEO
I have a new website and I am getting ready to submit to a few paid directories to get my links started. I wanted to optimize my domain name/keywords for those directories and also for my on page SEO. My domain contains my keywords. For example "www.horsebuggy.net Questions: #1 Should I target the horsebuggy.net in my on-page SEO or just target horse buggy? #2 When I submit to a paid directory which should I choose for my company name. (I currently have a DBA for each term....for ex.. horse buggy and horsebuggy.net . Thank you, Boo
Link Building | | Boodreaux0 -
Low page rank directories but high domain authority?
I just paid someone to submit me to a few directories and I saw were I was listed on one of them today. The url page authority of where I was listed was a "1" with zero moz trust and zero moz authority. The root domain authority is a "69". Is page authority or domain authority the most important for links? I believe all the directories I was submitted to have url page authority of "1". ( I watched a video yesterday and I think the head guy said that page authority was most important but I am not sure.
Link Building | | Boodreaux1 -
Yahoo! Directory Category Question
The listing for my company was buried in a bad category in the Yahoo! Directory that had no Page Authority. I was able to get them to remove the old listing because I couldn't find the account info for the individual that originally created it. I resubmitted and they didn't put my site in the category that I requested but the Page Authority of the category that I was placed in is 50. Is this OK? Or should I repeal and ask them to move it to the category that I had originally requested which I feel would be more relevant for my company and listing which also has a 50 PA?
Link Building | | TRICORSystems0 -
Listings, paid profiles and directories
Hi, In the industry I am working in (education), we do have a lot of portals offering paid listings (for example profiles featuring a school, the courses you offer, sometimes with reviews etc). Almost all big competitors and big names normally do have these kind of listings. Besides from having to decide if these sites really bring the relevant conversions, I am wondering about their impact on SEO. An example for an offer:
Link Building | | ecnic
Our Top Picks listing is a 40 word listing and logo we put on any 30 pages of our web site, example.com for 12 months, for $595 US. You can choose the pages you want, or we can put you on all our [category] pages, or certain continents/countries you want to target. Now, I am wondering: Do I have to worry about my linking profile ? (All of sudden a bunch of links with the exact same anchortext and content embedding to our site?) Or can I just decide to go with a paid listing based on the link value the page offers me? Looking forward to reading what you think!
Nicole0 -
Directory Submissions
Hello All. Our site has 17,000 links from over 300 route domains but none from directories. Using open site explorer i've found tons of paid and free directories but Its so time consuming manually submitting. Is it better to take the time to check each directory manually or should I look at some kind of automated service? Cheers Todd
Link Building | | toddyC0