Experiment Concluded - Pay Directories Win

[Buskerdoo]

John,

It would be interesting to test and see if there is a threshold on free directories. If you submit to 100 vrs 700 or 200 vrs 700. How far can you go and still get positive results and where is the threshold. This depends on how many list the site and how many of these pages are indexed.

How many of the 700 listed the site and how many of those pages are indexed?

[Cornbread]

Originally Posted by factoring

Lets put this in different terminology since people can't understand anyones point of view here.

Lets say you could pay a one time fee of $500 to live in a 600 square foot decent condo. (This is the lifetime link directories)

or

You could pay $500 per year and live in a luxurious mansion.
(a little exaggerated, but this is Aviva)

When John made the statement about paid directories he was making a business point. Why pay 10 times as much over a 10 year period for something you only have to pay once somewhere else. Which I agree due to ROI (return on investment) but, if a service like Aviva is worth paying 10 times as much over a ten year period then it is worth it. Aviva is like the mansion in that it is advertised everywhere. (I don't mean to act like I know exactly what John is thinking but that is my take on his post about paid directories.)

A company like BOTW which I just submitted to, may not be worth $70 per year depending on what you are looking for. I payed for the lifetime link $200. I believe that is worth it.

I agree, but Aviva is not a mansion, the only two directories that I consider a "mansion" and worth paying annual fees for are Yahoo.dir and Starting Point Directory. Aviva is a fine directory, and if they offered a lifetime link I would get it in a heartbeat, but it's not worth paying for annualy. Aviva is just a condo and should offer lifetime links like most other condos. They should really offer a plan like Best of the Web where you pay so much for an annual link and then more for a lifetime.

*I have an idea, since Aviva owns V7n, maybe John could talk to them about letting registered V7n forum members get a lifetime link. This would prove that Aviva really isn't greedy.

[Comenius]

John, I'd be interested in hearing more about why you think the free directories you submitted to are penalizing the linked site. Can you explain further?

Might any negative results not also have to do with the sheer number (700) of free links submitted in what I assume may have been a very short period of time?

[factoring]

Cornbread I feel like you are taking this to heart a little too much. Regardless if Aviva owns V7N, they are advertised on every site I ever visit related to web directories. I believe we could talk till we are blue in the face comparing directories. It is what it is. If your not happy don't submit.

BTW it is only $50 a year.

[Cornbread]

Originally Posted by factoring

Cornbread I feel like you are taking this to heart a little too much. Regardless if Aviva owns V7N, they are advertised on every site I ever visit related to web directories. I believe we could talk till we are blue in the face comparing directories. It is what it is. If your not happy don't submit.

BTW it is only $50 a year.

That would cost you $500 in ten years, just think of how many great lifetime links you could get for that amount of money. If you are starting a new web site you should think 10 years out, so how would you spend $500? One link with Aviva or 10 lifetime links of similar quality? I am not taking it to heart, I won't be getting Aviva and am trying to ensure that others aren't fooled into getting it either. I agre with John, annual only directories suck and they are greedy.

[Natural Elements]

I like free directories and pay directories. You can't have one without the other for many reasons.

Like I said before, a new well designed directory and light advertising could be more attrative for visitors than a high rank pay directory.

I started to be more selective with free directories this year, because after checking all of my backinlinks a lot of free directories had gone into the supplemental results or dropped in traffic for lack of advertising.

You taking a gamble with free directories, it could work or not, but you must try.

[tdd1984]

LOL aviva don't own v7n.com John Scott owns v7n.com. John and Jeff (owner of aviva) are friends. Which its really not my room to say this, but jeff and john came up with the idea of the contextual links they just do a lot of wheeling, and dealing with each others.

Don't you guys got friends you buy stuff off of, or do business with like somewhat somebody you need at times? Well thats what john and jeff does there just friends and they work together but aviva don't have any ownership what so ever over v7n.com.

I mean if you want to consider the contextual program then yea I guess, but its still ran under v7n.com, but jeff just gets a %50 percent cut which its really no ones business, and it don't really matter lol.

[Cornbread]

It's no big deal, I am not on a vendetta against them or anything, Aviva is an excellent directory, I just wish they would offer permanent links. If you had an unlimited advertising budget Aviva would be fine.

[tdd1984]

reason aviva charges like that to make sure ends meet, and to make sure he gets his pay every year Plus keeps less links in the directory so it don't get flooded out with links

[Cornbread]

Originally Posted by tdd1984

reason aviva charges like that to make sure ends meet, and to make sure he gets his pay every year Plus keeps less links in the directory so it don't get flooded out with links

So you are implying V7n can't make ends meet and will get flooded out with links? I don't think John would buy that argument. Hey tdd1984, I just checked out Dewitt Media, what a joke.

[factoring]

Wow Cornbread, you sure know how to make friends. Aviva and V7N are business entities. Yes other directories offer lifetime links, but Aviva offers consumers yearly links. If websites are submitting their websites and paying the yearly link fee, why change? Don't get me wrong, I would love to have a one time fee for Aviva, but their business plan allows them to advertise more than other directories, therefor makes an overall better directory for its consumers.

[tdd1984]

Originally Posted by Cornbread

So you are implying V7n can't make ends meet and will get flooded out with links? I don't think John would buy that argument. Hey tdd1984, I just checked out Dewitt Media, what a joke.

I think you have no clue to what your talking about, if you would listen I clearly stated that the reason they charge what they do is due to quality plus it keeps the outbound links down which can be a good thing.

John Scott is a good friend of mine, and I don't quite think you understand or are fairly new to this field so I suggest watching what you say in his forums. Who cares if Aviva charges that much per year if Aviva wants to charge that much then they can.

If you understood you wouldn't be here 2nd degreing every one if you ask me I think its a bunch of non since you come in here trying to dog every ones services but yet who are you to say what goes on?

I think your the joke

[tdd1984]

Originally Posted by factoring

Wow Cornbread, you sure know how to make friends. Aviva and V7N are business entities. Yes other directories offer lifetime links, but Aviva offers consumers yearly links. If websites are submitting their websites and paying the yearly link fee, why change? Don't get me wrong, I would love to have a one time fee for Aviva, but their business plan allows them to advertise more than other directories, therefor makes an overall better directory for its consumers.

LOL yea hes not doing so well on the friendship scale LOL

[Cornbread]

I am not here to make friends, you guys can go to Myspace for that. This is a place to openly and honestly discuss search engine optimization issues. Fortunately, John Scott allows people like me to voice a different opinion, if not these forums would be boring. "Factoring" I don't think Aviva advertises any more or less than a lot of the non annual paying directories like V7n. Again, Aviva is a solid directory, I just wouldn't recommend them if you were on a budget because they are not cost efective.

tdd1984, I am sorry that I hurt your feelings by critisizing your directory (DeWitt)...........but cmon, couldn't you have thought of something more original that trying to sell contexual links?

[tdd1984]

Originally Posted by Cornbread

I am not here to make friends, you guys can go to Myspace for that. This is a place to openly and honestly discuss search engine optimization issues. Fortunately, John Scott allows people like me to voice a different opinion, if not these forums would be boring. "Factoring" I don't think Aviva advertises any more or less than a lot of the non annual paying directories like V7n. Again, Aviva is a solid directory, I just wouldn't recommend them if you were on a budget because they are not cost efective.

tdd1984, I am sorry that I hurt your feelings by critisizing your directory (DeWitt)...........but cmon, couldn't you have thought of something more original that trying to sell contexual links?

Quite honestly I think your criticizing your self, and before you go on about criticizing learn how to spell it. I have been in the linking business for some quite time, and thats all irrelevant to anything you have to say about the web directories, and where do you come up with my website being a directory we offer search engine marketing, contextual links, educational seo information, and consulting.

I think quite honestly your very new to this field and don't have any clue what your talking about, and yes this is a very open forum, and thats why I'm being very open with you just like any one else would be.



Now feel free to say what you'd like to say, but try to say it in a better manner hehe

[tdd1984]

Originally Posted by Cornbread

I am not here to make friends, you guys can go to Myspace for that. This is a place to openly and honestly discuss search engine optimization issues. Fortunately, John Scott allows people like me to voice a different opinion, if not these forums would be boring. "Factoring" I don't think Aviva advertises any more or less than a lot of the non annual paying directories like V7n. Again, Aviva is a solid directory, I just wouldn't recommend them if you were on a budget because they are not cost efective.

tdd1984, I am sorry that I hurt your feelings by critisizing your directory (DeWitt)...........but cmon, couldn't you have thought of something more original that trying to sell contexual links?

hehe one more thing business is about people

[rankland]

Free , paid ,anual, sponcored, monthly (pays) who cares what matters is traffic, pr. ,serp, and popularity.
This .... charge thing doesn't add up to peanuts, and you would think that webmasters would have something better to do with there time than argue about this.
I believe that if jeff was not worth his anual link webmasters wouldn't buy them every yr. , but they do so we should just mind our own business , and get along... thanks

[EvcRo]

I would love to see what happens to paid directories and the websites that bought links if Google implements their new proposed paid links policy.

So it doesnt matter the quality of your site rather than willing to pay to get listed in the so called authority sites.

[EvcRo]

Originally Posted by John Scott

So we submitted HealthSite "A" to five pay directories.

We submitted HealthSite "B" to 700 free directories.

HealthSite "A" ended up with PR4 and 100+ SE referrals daily.

HealthSite "B" ended up with PR1 and no SE referrals. Seems to be penalized.

i have a website : http://www.envla.com/

i didnt submitted it to any directory, you can search for envla.com in google, 5 pages.

it has PR2

so 2 things :

1. pr is a scam joke, i never understanded why people value it so much.

2. i extremly doubt that you did the 700 submissions corectly, something must have gone bad because you get PR4 if oyu submit to 700 free directories, its not an asumption, its a fact.

[Cornbread]

Originally Posted by EvcRo

I would love to see what happens to paid directories and the websites that bought links if Google implements their new proposed paid links policy.

So it doesn't matter the quality of your site rather than willing to pay to get listed in the so called authority sites.

Most of the quality directories don't charge for admission into their directories, they charge for a review and not all sites are accepted. Some of the top directories have stricter admission standards than DMOZ and Google directory uses DMOZ, so is Google going to ban themselves? Google has clarified their policy, as long as the directory listing is not a means to artificially manipulate the rankings and is used to drive traffic to the site, it is fine, and some of the top directories like v7n are putting their search bar on other high traffic sites in order to drive traffic to their listings.