Directory Listing Quality
-
Have any of you ever purchased a directory listing with Absolute Directory (http:www.absolutedirectory.com)?
I was thinking about suggesting it to some of my clients since it was inexpensive, had a good domain authority (58), moz trust (5.81), and didn't seem to be filled with any ads or obtrusive content. Any thoughts? Is this to good to be true?
Regards - Kyle
-
There is a very clear line in this regard.
Yahoo directory does not charge to be added to their directory. They are charging to review your website. They have specific standards. They do not accept all sites. If your site passes the review you are included in their directory. If your site does not pass, the fee is non-refundable and your site is not included. That is the line which Google permits.
If a site charges and any site which pays is included, that is not acceptable. If a site charges and any site which is rejected receives a refund, that is not acceptable.
Yahoo and BOTW are two examples of permitted directories where a fee is required to be added. BBB and other organizations charge a fee to be accepted into their organization then, once accepted, you receive a listing in their directory. That is accepted as well.
-
I see what you are saying, just seems so strange that some directories are okay and some are not. Maybe the its authority they have for instance yahoo vs absolute directory?
None-the-less, thank you for all the feedback, definitely helpful in making my decision.
-
In general I would agree with Ryans comment - paid links are a no-no as far as google is concerned.
Yahoo directory and business.com appear to be the few exceptions to the rule though (many companies list in both without any detriment), there may well be a specific reason for this, but one I won't claim to know!
With association sites, most will word their t&cs to state that you are paying to be a member, and by being a member it entitles you to a link, thus escaping googles TOS. As to how viable associate site links are will be dependent on the site on which the link is, it's traffic, rankings and so on.
-
You made a very good point. What about directories like dir.yahoo.com? Or association sites that are directly related to their industry?
I am not disagreeing with you i am just trying to understand if there is a line of black and white or if it is gray.
Thank you for your reply!
-
Each SEO will have their own opinions on this matter. The best I can do is share mine.
NEVER EVER EVER advise a client to pay for a link.
I view SEO along the same lines as the doctor's oath "first do no harm". Paying for links is a clear violation of Google's policy. You are trying to assist a client to improve their ranking, and the result could be a removal of the site from Google's index. It's a bad choice.
Make great content and promote it. That is the best means of obtaining quality links.
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
-
Paid Subscription Directory with Low Moz Open Site Explorer Spam Score
Looking at different backlinks of my competitors and came across a few directories that require a 1 time payment for the year. Is this considered the same as paying for a link or would this be considered something like getting a listing on your local Chamber of Commerce site? Also, I put the site through Moz's Open Site Explorer and it had PA:22 and DA:20, which is nothing incredible, but also had a spam score of 2. So would a site like this hurt my rankings? I know that's a good spam score, so I am a little confused with what to do. Here is the site: http://scl-online.net/en.htm Thanks for any help! Love this site.
Link Building | | aua0 -
GWT Lists URLs with links to my site, but those URLs don't have links to my site
There are a number of URLs that show up for my website in Webmaster Tools as having links to my site when in fact they don't. I know this to be a fact because I actually wrote some of the sites that Google is saying are linking to my site and I know there isn't any links on the specific pages to that site. For example, the site in question is: https://www.liftproducts.com/ As an example, Google is saying that about 100 URLs from https://www.lift-tables.net/ are linking to it when, I'm fairly confident that there is only 1 link to it found here: https://www.lift-tables.net/info.php?countrytabs=3 Yet Google says links exist on this (and many more) page: https://www.lift-tables.net/liftproducts/max-lift/lpt4w-030-48.php I thought at first it might have been due to linking to a image file directly instead of locally hosting it, but after checking the source, that's not the case. I am also seeing this type of non-linking being reported on sites I have no clue what they are. For example, some Spanish site about tandem bicycles is being listed as linking to liftproducts.com: http://206-225-85-34.dedicated.abac.net/tandem/inc Yet I can find no evidence of an actual link existing. Am I missing something here? Any insight of why this is happening and how I can clean up my link signature would be appreciated.
Link Building | | Nivik231 -
Does Yext Directory Listings Help with Links?
Question: Does Yext Directory Listings Help with Links? They have 53 directories and I am trying to find out if this service is going to help building our links?
Link Building | | Tim_Jacquet0 -
Getting two BOTW.org listings? Regular drirectory + blog directory?
I have a start-up website. It's a niche market that's not all that competitive. I'm trying to get going with some basic link building, and I'm trying to focus for the time being on some recommended directories: BOTW, yahoo, business.com, etc. I already have a regular BOTW directory listing, accepted a few days ago. I'm wondering if it's worth also getting a BOTW blog directory listing? So two BOTW listings, the first pointing to the homepage, the second would point to the blog. If there is meaningful link juice to be passed, would there be an advantage of having two links? Or will the one I already have suffice? Also, since the site is new, I only have a few blog posts. Is BOTW likely to reject me because my blog is too thin? The posts I have are content-heavy (1000-2500 words per entry), but there's just not a large total quantity yet. Normally I wouldn't consider it, but they're having a cyber-monday sale today where it's 50% off the regular price, so it makes the decision easier. Thanks.
Link Building | | bluekite770 -
When is it time to buy a $100+ paid directory listing?
I have been working on a site for 11 months, everything is looking great. Apart from a small amount of highly important keywords which rank #2 to #5. 1. How will I know if I need to invest in a paid directory? 2. Will one listing be enough to make a difference? I am looking at a listing at BOTW.org. Other recommendations welcome.
Link Building | | ClassifiedsKing0 -
Yahoo! Directory contacts
Does anybody have any contacts over at the Yahoo! Directory? I'm trying to edit information on a very old listing and they username and password info that I was given does not exist. I've tried filling out the online contact form but I have not received a response back. Thanks!
Link Building | | TRICORSystems0 -
BOTW listing
Okay, I've heard a lot about botw.org listing and how it should be on our list. So I dig down to my category, and according to seotoolbar, page does NOT show a google cache date. Well, wouldn't that be a wast of $150? Also, I think I'm in the wrong business. I'm seeing these HUGE fees for seo and link building services. Even just consulting is outrageously high. There has got to be an option for us little guys, but obviously professionals in the seo market are making a ton of money.
Link Building | | azguy0 -
Is this a directory or are they selling links?
I came across a website that at first looks like an informational site, but they also have a directory. On their directory page, it says that if you would like a link placed in our directory email sales@site.com. Do you think Google would consider this a purchased link or a directory link? Can people get away with selling links on your site if you framed it as a "directory"?
Link Building | | SparkplugDigital0