What Value Can New Directories Provide?

[bookworm-seo]

It seems like I keep seeing new directories pop up all the time. Nothing makes them different from other directories though, so I've got to ask: what value can a new directory provide? It seems like the market is so saturated none of the directories distinguishes itself; they all claim to be fully indexed, high pagerank, well trusted, and basically selling link equity. Heard that one before. Why should I buy from you and not Joe down the street?

On a related note, do you think directories are outdated? When was the last time one of you guys went to DMOZ, the V7N directory, Aviva etc to look something up? What function do they serve in today's web?

[casperl]

I dont think web directories are for humans any more Search engines are pretty good in their jobs which make them obsolote. Maybe niche directories can provide value to users.

And from a webmaster perspective, web directories can be used as backlink sources and vehicles to earn money. I think they will continue to grow since there are lots of hidden advantages in them (i am not aware of most of them yet!). One example is that, if you have an old and powerfull directory, you can easily create new ones by just placing the new one's sitewide link to the old one .

[Mr_Kumar]

Agreed to @casperl, but sometimes I used to visit the directories to get a list of certain type of sites.

[jijo]

I don't see much difference between link directories and link farm

[robpongi]

Here is a part of a very good, recent article: Increasing Your Traffic With Directories

Directories are not search engines; directories do not send out spiders that index individual pages and nothing is added to the directory autonomously. Directories rely on websites being submitted to them; then a team of actual people looks at the site to categorize it and check its quality and relevancy before adding it to the directory in the appropriate categories and sub-categories. Web pages in directories are not found using keywords (although some directory sites, like Yahoo! and DMOZ will let you search the directory and Yahoo! also proves directory listings at the top of its search results pages), but by drilling down through relevant categories until they find the category that the site resides in.

Because humans check the relevancy and informational "worth" of a site before adding it to the directory, search engines can rely on this process being carried out for them and that the sites have been described correctly. Directories don't contain any of your site's content; they won't pick out information from META tags or page content or cache your pages. All they provide is a link to your site and sometimes a very brief description that you as the submitting webmaster would write. But it's this link that can be used to improve your SERPs listing.

Link popularity is still very much a big part of SEO, especially in the early days after a site goes live, and using web directories is an excellent way to build link popularity and increase your site's SERPs listing, provided you steer clear of link farms, or directories that prevent the indexing of their links for some reason. While everyday people will generally not use overly generalized web directories (but will still use specialist or niche directories if necessary) to find specific web sites, spiders will still regularly index them and the links they contain (unless they are blocked from doing this by the directory they happen to be indexing).

The more directories your site is listed in, the more inbound links your site will be seen as having, which in turn will improve your link popularity. Link popularity isn't the only thing to consider for SEO. It's not even the single most important thing to consider. But it is still a highly contributing factor and should not be overlooked.

[bookworm-seo]

thanks for sharing that Rob, but it doesn't address the question: what value can new directories provide? (I know what a directory is/does; I don't agree that 400 directory submissions are going to do you any good past the first dozen or so. Link popularity matters because one site gives its approval to another, not because one added their own site to somewhere else... but I digress)

[robpongi]

Hi Bookworm-seo,

OK, here is another recent article which I highly recommend reading:

The Rise of the Directory - by Brian Turner of britecorp

[casperl]

thanks for sharing that Rob, but it doesn't address the question: what value can new directories provide? (I know what a directory is/does; I don't agree that 400 directory submissions are going to do you any good past the first dozen or so. Link popularity matters because one site gives its approval to another, not because one added their own site to somewhere else... but I digress)

Of course submitting to 400 directories blindly is a risky thing. I think you should try to guess the future value of a directory. In other words if you think a directory will be a high PRed quality directory at the end, you should submit your link to it without considering it is being new. A directory page having Pr0 can be PR1-6 in the following google updates.

[LazySEO]

Originally Posted by casperl

Of course submitting to 400 directories blindly is a risky thing. I think you should try to guess the future value of a directory. In other words if you think a directory will be a high PRed quality directory at the end, you should submit your link to it without considering it is being new. A directory page having Pr0 can be PR1-6 in the following google updates.

That's pretty much my philosophy on directory submissions. I look at it like investing a bit of time now for a future benefit later.

I figure that some of the directories that are PR 0 now will improve to PR 4+. If not, the listing was free, so all I'm out is the time it took to submit - no great loss to me.

I've already got some nice links for my older sites on directories that are now PR 5 and require payment. That's the other thing - the better free directories often switch to paid once they become established.

Also, don't forget that one of the main benefits of directory submission is choosing your anchor text. If I discover that one of my low-competition secondary keywords is bringing me traffic, I can often boost my position for that KW just by getting 100 directory links. This works great for long-tail keyword phrases, BTW.

[casperl]

Also, don't forget that one of the main benefits of directory submission is choosing your anchor text. If I discover that one of my low-competition secondary keywords is bringing me traffic, I can often boost my position for that KW just by getting 100 directory links. This works great for long-tail keyword phrases, BTW.

A very good point!

[nhebb]

The very best directories I've seen are the ones that fill a very narrow niche. The ender end the niche, the better.

Let me give you an example...

I make a flowcharting add-in for Excel, and a goof portion of my user base is in the manufacturing sector. So I looked at manufacturing software directories. Those sites are charging a handsome sum for listing products and they get good traffic.

I'm not in the directory business, but if I were, I would look at keywords that pull high CPC on Overture (because it's the only tool that publishes prices) Then I would build a directory around that.

[rankland]

I dont know if you can put every new directory in the category of crap...

Im a new directory about 1 yr old...... by the way thanks for the info....but any way i indexed 261 google links 80% from site.
check for your self and by looking at the a nice % of my 6800 links from site thats not indexed but have google links as well, and looks good for me and my submitters.

Its pretty upsetting to have people down grade a web directory when there are plenty out there taking their job very seriously.

I really feel the only reason people pee on web directories is, because they submit too everyone on the board with out regard to doing a web masters job, and checking them out first.

You can submit to 1000 and get 1 google link or do your research and get 1 on your first try its really up to you.

[bookworm-seo]

nhebb, lazy, you guys have some good points about anchor text and niches.

My question isn't whether directory submission is worth it: my question is a challenge to the webmasters here to suggest an added value that a directory can provide.

[LazySEO]

Value to who? Visitors, submitters, the directory owner? If you clarify a bit, I can probably come up with a better answer than the one I gave up there.

[John Scott]

Originally Posted by jijo

I don't see much difference between link directories and link farm

If a directory has no editorial integrity, it probably is just a link farm.

Why should I buy from you and not Joe down the street?

You should buy from Joe, George, Bill, Bob and Jane. The more quality directories, the better. It makes link building easier, and gives you a way to get a leg up on your competition.

[bookworm-seo]

Lazy, the value can be to anyone, but I think the focus should be on visitors/consumers. Inevitably if it's useful to ordinary surfers a directory will provide seo value.
John, even if you could find 100 or 1000 quality-edited directories, do you think it would actually be useful to submit to them for SEO? I mean, what value is a link - even from an editor-managed directory - if nobody's ever going to see it, which is the case for most directories. The whole point of link-based analysis is counting votes - but if your vote isn't going to be acknowledged in an election (i.e. a surfer choosing which links to follow through the net), it seems the link may not be so impressive.

[rankland]

New directories with decent content helps a directory put more of mine on the board....

[seveneth]

For new directories, personally I think niche directories is better.
Build niche directory that suits your hobby or your interest where you have good knowledge about it. Build community around it, add more features on it that will bring benefit to your users. Build it for long term goal.

[LazySEO]

Originally Posted by bookworm-seo

Lazy, the value can be to anyone, but I think the focus should be on visitors/consumers. Inevitably if it's useful to ordinary surfers a directory will provide seo value.

Honestly, I don't see most new directories having any real value to human visitors. Niche directories are probably an exception to this, if they are well targetted and publicized. I can't say that I've ever used a directory other that Yahoo or DMOZ to find a site.

The only value I see in directories right now is the SEO benefit. It's become kind of a self-serving cycle. One-way links with a choice of anchor text are very valuable to webmasters and all these new directories are providing an almost endless supply.

As far as it not being counted as a vote, I'm still seeing good results from directory links, so I'm inclined to believe that they still hold a lot of PR weight.

I actually don't know what benefit the directory owners get, except maybe they get enough paid links to make it worthwhile? I've never owned a directory myself, so I'm not sure on that one.

Until the SEs really do start to discredit or devalue these links, I think we'll keep seeing more new directories every day. The demand will be there because webmasters are always looking for more free links.

[rankland]

Its all about link value, popularity and traffic....regardless of what type of directory you have ....ones not better than the other if it suits the person submitting.
Its obvious to the site submitting looking for what they want.. for the money they want to spend if they want to submit or not.
The site could be looking for serp in cirtain keywords,or pr.,traffic,popularity links.
This may be found in a niche, web directory or any other link of value they are looking for. Its pretty crazy to say ones better than the other.