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.
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
-
If I disavow bad links on "disavow link webmaster" will they still show up on my moz reports?
We recently found out we have a lot of bad links linking back to our website from spam sites, I disavowed them through the google disavow link webmaster. On my moz report it still shows the links, is that normal?
Link Building | | Ryan.Cruz0 -
About Link Earning?
I own an e-commerce store and I am get started with my SEO strategy. I know content is extremely important when it comes to link building, however for an e-commerce store what can I do as far as content. So far my only idea is blog posts. It's a furniture store so videos are really hard to do. The blog posts relate to home decor and interior design. My question is if people are going to be linking to my blog, will this help my website rank for product terms? The blog is part of the website, websitename.com/blog.
Link Building | | The_Kiwi_Man0 -
Linking to press coverage, reciprocal links?
We have been generating decent online press coverage with links to our site thanks to our PR agency and I have been asked to link to the online coverage from our website in a 'press coverage' section. My question is would google consider links from our site to the online press coverage as reciprocal links? Thanks
Link Building | | gavinr
Gavin0 -
Should we pay for this attorney directory?
I'm aware of how most directories don't matter and/or have lost significance over the past few years, but in the legal world, it sure seems like this one does: http://www.martindale.com/ I doubt we will ever get many cases from this directory, but it would be a nice link to have...I think. The DA is 88 and the page we would be listed in is a 39. Almost all of our competitors who outrank us have this link as well. Granted, it's not the only link, but it's one I could afford to obtain. Any thoughts or experiences? ***If any of you market for attorneys, and you're outside the Tampa area (don't want to cause any professional conflicts) have you recommended this directory to your clients? Thanks, Ruben
Link Building | | KempRugeLawGroup0 -
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 -
Is it a reciprocal Link ?
Hi, I found a great website and tought its content would be extremely interesting for our clients. I wrote about it on my blog (which has an URL with our website URL in it) , Facebook Page and even in Twitter. Meanwhile, I contacted them and offered to write an article about an interesting subject for them. They accepted and liked it so much that they decided to put 2 links for us on two of their pages. My questions are : Will this be a reciprocal link for Google? Did I make a mistake talking about them on my blog ? Did I «devaluate» the links they gave us?
Link Building | | Caru0 -
Question on Links from Directories…
Hello,
Link Building | | inhouseninja
When I do an OSE back link analyses of some sites that are listed in some directories we are considering, for almost all the directories and companies in them, the directories are listed in the OSE report, listed as followed, and usually have decent domain rank and page rank. So this means that the link from the directory is obviously being picked up by OSE and it’s listed as a followable link. My question is just because the link is picked up by OSE does that mean that the search engines value it too? Or could Google see the link ok but throw it out of the equation, presumably because it does not “like” the directory? Hope this makes sense
Thanks!0 -
Reciprocal Links Or One Way Links?
After reading a recent blog post on guest blogging and ways to build relationships for link building purposes, I began to wonder about something. It is my understanding that one way backlinks are superior to reciprocal linkage, but reciprocal is better than no link at all. So is it still worthwhile to do reciprocal guest blogging, and will the value of the links be worth it when completed? Or should we just be of the opinion that: One Way Link > Reciprocal > No link
Link Building | | dignan990