I think these SEO's are alarmed as directories are eating into their profits!
Buying links on few quality directories is helping sites to comeup in the rankings very easily.
That's why these SEO's do n't like directories ,and say that directories are only link farms!
Here are the reasons Why SEO's say like this:
Most of us and webmasters know what is meant by SEO and how to get top rankings.(Best example is some directories getting into the top rankings for the keyword 'web directory')
Only a few who does not know about it go for SEO companies
of late you can rank very well for some keywords if you are listed in some of the quality directories.
SEO companies are slowly losing market as even newbie knows about my means of SEO and other things by forums like these and link building and submission to directories.
Nowdays only top websites and some new websites are choosing SEO companies for link building and directory submission.
The SEO's charge heavily for this
Directory submission:
For example a 100 directory submission may cost about $5 here (digitalpoint)
but the same 100 directory submission done by SEO's is $45
See how they profit.
link building:
SEO's also buy links for their client websites on some directories.They charge more than double the times for it.
Now days Webmaster's instead on wasting the money on SEO's they prefer to do it directory and link submissions individually as they can save a lot of money on it but at the same time they can direct their efforts towards development of a site by investing some money into the site,instead of giving to SEO's.
They are alarmed at this as it is eating on their profits.
Rand is actually trying to be smart by saying directories are garbage as he also said that only some directories are stronger.
His actual intention is to impress upon webmasters that he is the only one having a list of quality directories and not others.
So most webmaster would sign up SEO's for a high fees for the purpose of link building and directory submission. (over $1000 P/M under the guise of link building and SEO)
SEO's would submit to a few quality directories( about 300) for under $300 would pocket the rest for themselves.
But they would be charging the same $1000 monthly for that.
Some days back Rand has visited Google and Yahoo. Let us see what happens and what was the outcome of that visit.(He would definitely said some thing bad about directories to Matt and others.)
Let is wait and see what happens in this
PR update.