How do paid directories like thomasnet.com do so well in the serps? Aren't the Panda updates supposed to be moving us away from this?
-
With all of the updates/changes to Google's algo, I assumed that paid listings & links like those on thomasnet.com would have less merit. Is this an incorrect assumption?
-
Thanks again Ryan. Thomasnet does well in the serps, but they do so on the backs of those that pay to be in their directory. That being said, I fully understand your explanation and appreciate your clarification for me.
-
Mike, the one point to clarify is whether you feel that Thomasnet.com is performing well? or whether the sites which pay Thomasnet.com for links are performing well?
If Thomasnet.com is not paying for any links themselves, then there is no reason for them not to perform well.
My understanding is that Google would penalize the BUYER of any links by removing the value of any paid links. There is much speculation about whether Google takes any additional steps. They could penalize the seller and they could further penalize the buyer, but I am not aware of any confirmation to either point.
-
Hey Ryan, thanks for the reply. They do offer free listings on their site, but not free links. Perhaps I was a bit fuzzy on my question. Thomas does very well on many keywords from their listings. The majority of thomasnet's content are the listings of companies that pay to be on the thomasnet website. Thomasnet has a rather high domain authority of 77. If thomasnet content consists mainly of paid listings with paid links and my understanding is that these are not good for SEO, why would thomasnet perform well?
-
Paid links do not pass link juice. What is causing you to believe otherwise in this case?
Also, I took a quick look at the site and noticed a Free Links link in the footer. I didn't investigate it but they may offer both paid and unpaid listings.
-
Yes, I do understand how linking works. My questions is about the links on their directory which are paid links. Any company in their directory with a link to their website is a paid link. Shouldn't paid links be valued lower than non-paid organic links?
-
Thomasnet is a large site with a nice, but not overwhelming number of links.
Also, a lot of their competition is in naive markets where they compete against much smaller sites. Although Thomasnet is not a major "powerhouse" they do have a nice number of links and that gives them enough authority to be a strong competitor in the naive and smaller markets.
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
-
Links from Real Estate Websites Link Page, Do or Don't?
It seems that real estate sites have at times been under heavier scrutiny from the search engines. But real estate agents get networking, which makes acquiring those links a little bit easier. Plus with localization of search, I think real estate sites may give off a good GEO scent. Should SEO's go for links from real estate websites? Does a reciprocal link devalue said links?
Link Building | | Thos0030 -
Where I need to jump? Web OR Social OR Local Directories
I am working on patio umbrellas keyword to achieve top 3 ranking in Google. I have achieved top 30 ranking with help of on page optimization and want to achieve top 3 ranking with help of link building. Today, I was checking SEO web directories on SEOmoz. Now, I can't make any changes on live website exclude content. So, I have only one option to deal with link building. There are 3 sections over there including Web Directories, Social Directories & Local Directories. So, which is best one to improve my ranking on Google? If anyone have additional inputs for link building so eager to know that. I want to achieve top 3 ranking with my keyword by next 2 months.
Link Building | | CommercePundit0 -
Blog Directories
Will links from blog directories to our subfolder-located blog within our website help the ranking of our overall site? In other words, will it just help the rankings of the main blog page (where the directory links are pointing to), or will it pass the link juice to the rest of the site? Thanks!
Link Building | | NiallTom0 -
Why are major directories missing from link report
Why are back links like dir.yahoo.com not listed in the link report for sites that are listed in dir.yahoo.com? For a site with 18 back links and a DA of 28, how much affect, if any, would a paid listing in a directory like yahoo have on the sites DA?
Link Building | | ChristopherGlaeser0 -
Does MerchantCircle.com have any SEO benefit?
We have created accounts for several of our clients at www.MerchantCircle.com directory and created blogs, coupons, etc for them but we did not get any single click or benefit from merchantcircle.com at all. We wasted a lot of time and also monthly membership fees. I really would like to hear your experiences. Did you have any positive results from merchantcircle.com ? Did they lose their importance after Panda update? Their MOZrank also shows ZERO and we are considering cancelling our accounts with them. Thanks for your advice and help, Lewis
Link Building | | CertifiedSEO0 -
How Long for Google Directory and Search.com to update with Current Dmoz.org Data?
So I recently had a site added to dmoz.org and I'm wondering if anyone knows when Google Directory & Search.com update their site with new Dmoz.org data? They both use dmoz.org for their directory listings. Regards,
Link Building | | qlkasdjfw0 -
Panda Update: Isn't a link still a link?
I was doing some link building and some SEO's said that the Panda update affected many websites. I am going to use eZineArticles.com as my example. EzineArticles was affected by the Panda update and does not show up in the SERPs as much as before. But they still have doFollow Links coming from the articles I am submitting. QUESTION: Regardless if EzineArticles was affected by the Panda Update, isn't a "Follow Link" still a "Follow Link" OR am I completely wasting my time on this devalued website? Edit: Yes I know a PR 0 page is not as valuable as a PR 9 page. I am asking from the standpoint of the affected Panda Update domains overall.
Link Building | | Francisco_Meza0 -
Directory submissions
Hi All, I am wondering what is the current story with directory submissions. Are they not good news now? Will they upset the panda? Should I make directory submissions? Andrew
Link Building | | fleurya0