SEOMoz directory list - some clarity needed FROM SEOMOZ STAFF
-
There are 455 directories (212 web, 188 social & 55 local) on the SEOMoz list.
Presumably they are there because SEOMoz recommends them.Yet common wisdom seems to be that web directories have negligible SEO benefit - see this recent SEOMoz Q&A discussion.
Matt Cutts advises against paid directories in this video (which >99% of them are)
In a private Q&A last month a member of the SEOMoz staff told me a link to my site from this directory, which appears on the list, was a "poor link".I think some better clarity in SEOMoz's guidelines on directories would be appreciated -- and I'd appreciate SEOMoz staff weighing in as promised when Private Q&As were ended -- especially as many SEOMozzers take most of what we learn here as near-gospel.
-
We've decided to hand off the directory list to a few interested industry friends, who are planning something new for it. There should be a placeholder for the new site soon, but it will no longer be part of Moz.
-
I am not seeing the list anymore on the new Moz. Shall we consider the list dead or is it going to come back?
-
Actually, you have asked that our staff respond, and we have. So I see this being answered.
-
I would add that one criterion we look at for the directories list is whether or not real people are actually using them. I don't think directories are a good tactic (and certainly shouldn't be your only tactic) for getting links, but can be a way to build brand recognition and drive some additional referral traffic, which is part of the reason why we don't just abandon the directories page completely.
I will say that we have plans to go a different direction with the directories page/list in the near future, although all of the specifics haven't been nailed down yet. It's definitely a resource whose usefulness we've questioned and we're working to make it more useful.
-
I'm not really even disagreeing, but the original goal was a balancing act. My recollection is that we wanted to find decent directories but also enough breadth that it covered a lot of industries. This naturally means that, for some industries, the end result isn't always as high-quality as we'd like. It also means that finding editorial directories was nearly impossible (there just aren't many of them).
I would not list yourself in 75-100 directories, regardless of industry. It could absolutely look low-quality, especially with exact-match anchor text.
I know there's been discussion about whether this is a resource we want to continue to support, and I can't give a definitive answer, because there isn't one at this point. The goal was to try to create something actionable and weed out the truly bad directories, but as Google's attitude towards directories change (and, unfortunately, as some directories become lower quality over time), we'll probably have to revisit this.
-
Dear SEOMoz
I don't know why/how this thread has been marked as "Question Answered" when it hasn't.
-
Toss up a lot of keyword links into those directories. I bet you get hit with Penguin.
A big list of directories on SEOmoz will mean "go here" to lots of people.
-
Thanks for your response, Peter. But I'm still as confused.
Surely, if SEOMoz cherry picks a shortlist -- having applied criteria for inclusion, otherwise you'd have www.spamlinkdirectory.net and all sorts -- then puts them on a page headed "SEO Web Directory List" it must been seen as an SEOMoz endorsement (implicit or otherwise) of their SEO benefits. I could probably find 75-100 on that list (Web+social+local) that could be construed as relevant to my site. Would listing in them be a "terrible idea", given that I'm also using other link-building techniques?
-
That's always been a tough line to tread - we want to list potentially useful resources, but that list is certainly not an endorsement. Personally, I think directories can have limited value, but:
(1) It's true that Google doesn't put much value on non-editorial directories.
(2) It's an easy thing to abuse. Picking a couple of relevant directories to list yourself in can be a way to pick up a few links and get a small amount of traffic, but someone is going to try to list themselves in all 455, which would be a terrible idea.
I think the original goal was to help people understand the diversity of what's out there and give them enough information that they could find 2-3 relevant directories that fit their niche. Unfortunately, in SEO, any good thing can be taken too far and often is.
-
Regardless of the value (or lack of) of a specific link from a specific directory I would agree with you that the seomoz directory list is a bit problematic. Since they are listed it does give the impression (rightly or wrongly) that these directories are 'approved' by seomoz and this might be sending the wrong message to many people. Would be interested in hearing the thoughts of a staff member on this, personally I would be tempted to get rid of the list!
-
Yes, Google have turned down the link value of links coming from most of the directories but saying that the link value of directories is finished is untrue! There are many directories which contain a link value and paying for them is a worth investment (in terms of link juice and business conversions.)
Yahoo directory and others are few of finest example of it as people still find them reputable and pass businesses to the businesses listed here!
-
I believe Google is against paid directories that accept everyone. Directories such as Yahoo, BOTW etc charge a fee, but those fees can be considered an editorial fee. Believe it or not high quality directories actually do reject applicants.
In google's guidelines it tells you to submit to directories, but people ended up taking that and submitting their site to thousands of directory sites not matter the quality. Submit to the big high quality directories and you will be fine. Make sure that the directory page you are submitting to has a higher page authority that way you can pass some link juice. These are my personal practices and beliefs and may vary with other people on this site.
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
-
Back links do I need my keyword in them to rank? If so creative way to accomplish this?
The first question is pretty self explanatory. If I do need my keyword I'm trying to rank for in my link example: Looking for a cool skateboard (cool skateboard) is my keyword. Can anyone on here help me come up with some creative ways for me to get folks to post backlinks to my site with that key word in it? Unfortunately my sites url does not have the keyword in my domain.
Link Building | | mr_w0 -
Link building need help
I've been doing link building for the past 2 months for a website. I've put together some blog posts and submitted them to some sites. However, I don't want to repeat the content on other sites or use the same sites again for links. The problem with this company is that nothing is happening. The last press release they issued was in 2010 and in the 4 months I've been working for them nothing has happened. I have found a few good quality websites in our niche which I could approach for links, but I want to have good content to put on them. Does anyone have any ideas as how to create content that would be suitable, bearing in mind this a B2B company.
Link Building | | AAttias0 -
Directory submission after Google panda update
I am very much concerned about directory submission after Google panda update. I have few questions in this regard 1- Should I submit the home page URL or deep links in directories? What is better practice? 2- Can I submit more than one link in one directory? What are the consequences of submitting both (home page and deep link) in same directory? 3- Should I start directory submission aggressively or I need to take care about the quantity? Regards
Link Building | | shaz_lhr1 -
Submitting my URL on web/business/service directories
Does it make sense to submit a business URL in as many relevant web/business directories as possible when kicking off a link building campaign? Submitting a free listing is obviously better than nothing, but when does it make sense to pay extra for a premium listing profile on some of these directories? There are just so many and a lot of them appear spammy, even though some of my competitors are getting traffic from them. Any advice on this would be great!
Link Building | | TheSquareFoot1 -
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 -
Directories and Link Building
I was reading a post by Eric Enge, http://www.seomoz.org/blog/role-of-directories-in-link-building and nobody talked about in the comments, so I want to see what you think: Considering that get some bad links from punished directories is bad for your site, it's worth to use site submissions softwares, like SubmitEaze, that promisses a 1,000 submits?
Link Building | | seomasterbrasil
Do you use it, what you think about it? [title edited by staff for clarity]0 -
Other than the homepage, what other pages need linkbuilding TLC?
With my linkbuilding efforts, I know what keywords I want to target but my homepage ranks for most of my keywords. The other pages were written and built for specific keywords, but do they need linkbuilding TLC? They don't rank in the SERPs much anyway (if not at all) and the homepage is by-far the strongest in the SERPs.
Link Building | | Bill4Time0 -
What are the best paid directories today?
Looking to do some paid directory submissions and was wondering if a) they were still worth the money and b) if you have $500-$1,000 what paid directories would you submit too? I am assuming that BOTW is still on the list, but I rarely every see a BOTW link in any backlink report. Are they still relevant or are they more a sign of quality to the engines rather than an actual link? Same with JoeAnt
Link Building | | BraveheartDesign0