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.
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
-
Value of Links? What is each link worth?
Morning Everyone, I just had this thought and wondered what everyone's opinions were in terms of link value in monetary terms. We'll assume for the purposes of this that the links come from contextually relevant sites and that the sites in question have got the Moz DA from being high quality and have a good quality incoming link profile. Its a bit of a theoretical question, but i guess imagine if the only way you could get links was to pay for them, what would they be worth to you. This is link value for SEO purposes, they will have in addition value from traffic from good sites, that no doubt varies wildly depending on topic. I assume everyone also agrees on: The first link from a domain is the most valuable High DA sites are worth more than low ones. So could anyone who has an opinion on the link value suggest a monetary value for links. Its really just using a monetary amount to see how best to target my time. Here is my example of what might be expected, but I am hoping people with more knowledge will perhaps correct it. DA Rating First Link 2nd-5th Link 5th-10th Link 10Plus Links 5 $5 $2 $1 $0 15 $7 $3 $2 $1 25 $25 $10 $5 $2 35 $45 $20 $7 $3 45 $65 $30 $11 $4 55 $95 $45 $19 $5 65 $200 $100 $45 $6 75 $350 $120 $65 $9 85 $700 $240 $95 $15 95 $1100 $450 $200 $30
Link Building | | wellandpower1 -
This directory looks great - would you agree?
I know people have mixed feelings towards submitting their sites to directories, but this one really seemed special, so I decided to share the opportunity with the Moz community, as well as open up a discussion on the value of being a part of this directory (and similar ones.) We recently submitted our site to Dial a Human (www.dialahuman.com) It is a directory of companies' phone numbers, which go directly to a person (bypassing the machines.) I think this directory actually does provide users with value, and is far from your typical link farm. The Page Authority is 56 and the Domain Authority is 47, and it is a PR5 site. The other companies listed are all extremely reputable (most of them are fortune 500 companies.) The fee to join is $75-$150, but to be included with this group of companies, we felt it was very worthwhile. We would join this type of directory over and over again. Would you? If you have any other directories which are of the same caliber please share!
Link Building | | JMacSupply0 -
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 -
BOTW & Yahoo Directory
Hello! Typically how long does it take for these links to show up in Opensite Explorer? I sumbitted these approx 3-4 weeks, OSE has just updated, and I still cannot see in my link profile? Has anyone else experienced this? Thanks guys!
Link Building | | TP_Marketing0 -
Is guest posting going the way of paid blog links?
As the Penguin update continues to change the way sites do SEO, many have moved towards guest posting as a "white hat" means of getting links from legitimate related sites. Now, admittedly, the content that is being posted via guest blogging seems to be much higher than the crap that was being posted on article directories and such. You also don't get the duplicate content like you did with the spun articles and mass submissions. But, guest blogging is becoming as ubiquitous as the paid blog links (i.e payperpost, etc.). I for one, have used guest posting, although I am not 100% sold on the results. It seems that with the increase of guest blog networks, these links are becoming as easy to get as the article directory links. Doesn't that lessen the SEO value of the links? And here the question that is always pestering: If you have quality content, why would you ever place it on someone else's site? This is the meat of the discussion: Shouldn't guest blogging be limited to unique opportunities (i.e a VERY established guest blogger in your niche)? Or is it okay to post content on as many related legitimate blogs as you can? Thoughts...ideas....
Link Building | | inhouseseo0 -
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 -
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 -
What are your views on link submitters / directory submitters?
I have no real opinion on them to be honest, I don't really have any experience with them personally: eg: http://www.fastdirectorysubmitter.com/downloads.html http://www.thelinksubmitter.com/ http://www.dumpblaster.com/ I presume they will be negative or a waste of time?
Link Building | | Benj250