Is there still future for directories?

[olddocks]

Is there still future for directories in terms of market and money? i heard that the market is almost saturated with hundreds of directories started everyday.

[Johan007]

There are hardly any topic/niche directories including no entertainment or movie ones for me to submit too I do not submit to general directories as I see them as spam or low quality clones (and I bet SE see this too), but I would submit if the directory is relevant to the topic/niche with the owner a specialist on the topic. This would actually be valuable to search engines and we all win. A niche directory may actually gain a little more traffic. A niche directory would also be easier to market and gain much more PR for obvious reasons so I have no idea why people still pump out general directory clones.

Stop reading this and get creative, your all marketers!

[jesse1]

there are thousands of directories.

most of them are crappy though.

you'd have to come up with some new concept to add value.

[rankland]

Originally Posted by olddocks

Is there still future for directories in terms of market and money? i heard that the market is almost saturated with hundreds of directories started everyday.

The way i see it happening is the directories that are promoting their sites, and paying for strong links will be the corprate seen directories on the board.

The directories that are not learning there business will drop off, and to answer your question the internet needs web directories. Every site needs links, and promotion of some sort.

I believe as time goes on its going to be much harder to get linked in the searches, and when this happens you will finally see the major web directories every day.

At this time you will also see how much money a web directory is worth.

When i first got on the board msn would link you for saying HI! not any more.

I bielieve the time is coming soon, and my advice to any directory that is up and coming is to make your move now before its to late, and when yahoo stops giving links for every thing you post i believe the storie will be written..

[richrf]

When I first started developing my site a few months ago, I initially entertained the idea of developing it as a directory, but I did not see any growth path or any long term value, so I dropped the idea. I am still experimenting ideas all the time, but directories are so incidental nowadays (I, for one, have never used one), that I think that their long term prospects are pretty dim. For a while, they did have a purpose, but nowadays, I can't find any value proposition in them at all, other than for some SEO manipulation which will probably become less relevant over time.. But I could be always proved wrong.

Rich

Rich

[sheena]

I see that there is a lot directories and it is almost a hundreds. I think there is a future for directories in terms of market and money. Most of them buy directories and offer paid , free , niche and even deep link services.

Originally Posted by olddocks

Is there still future for directories in terms of market and money? i heard that the market is almost saturated with hundreds of directories started everyday.

[geldirectory]

There is future for directories depending on what you offer to your customers, if you can provide something unique then yes there is future for you and that is also bright one.

[olddocks]

Originally Posted by geldirectory

There is future for directories depending on what you offer to your customers, if you can provide something unique then yes there is future for you and that is also bright one.

good point you made.

[Cornbread]

I don't think we will see near as many directories in the future. There is just way to many fly by night directories right now, they don't provide traffic and most are to spammy to provide link juice so they have no future because they serve no purpose. Only the very best premium directories will survive as we move forward under the new paid link guidelines from Google. So if you own a directory and it is a middle of the pack enterprise, you might think about a new profession because most of you will not survive.

[rankland]

Link juice will come with enough good productive submissions, but sometimes you have to take a gamble. When alive directory was a pr.0 i left him on my non- submitted for 3wks, and took a chance/wow look what happeded.

[Deejay Dan]

Having just started my directory, I'm obviously by no means an expert in this area but here's what it looks like to me:

Personally, the only directory I've ever used is Yahoo's web directory back when I first got online in 96-97. Ever since then I've used search engines exclusively. What's the point in clicking through multiple categories when I can just type in what I want? That being said, I've never seen anyone else actually use a directory for it's "intended" purpose, that is to find good websites.

Every day on all the webmaster sites, I see tons of submission offers. I do appreciate the opportunity but when you visit most directories it's clear they're MFA. There's ads plastered all over the place on a website that no one's going to visit except other webmasters. It really makes no sense to me aside from the SEO value you might get from it. Which most directory's that offer free submission have very little page rank, or if they have page rank you submit to deep categories without page rank.

I'm sure SE's see directories for what they are, basically a promotional tool for webmasters which is all good but I think some sort of devaluation takes place for directory links.

Just my opinion *ducks*

-Dan

[rankland]

Originally Posted by Deejay Dan

Having just started my directory, I'm obviously by no means an expert in this area but here's what it looks like to me:

Personally, the only directory I've ever used is Yahoo's web directory back when I first got online in 96-97. Ever since then I've used search engines exclusively. What's the point in clicking through multiple categories when I can just type in what I want? That being said, I've never seen anyone else actually use a directory for it's "intended" purpose, that is to find good websites.

Every day on all the webmaster sites, I see tons of submission offers. I do appreciate the opportunity but when you visit most directories it's clear they're MFA. There's ads plastered all over the place on a website that no one's going to visit except other webmasters. It really makes no sense to me aside from the SEO value you might get from it. Which most directory's that offer free submission have very little page rank, or if they have page rank you submit to deep categories without page rank.

I'm sure SE's see directories for what they are, basically a promotional tool for webmasters which is all good but I think some sort of devaluation takes place for directory links.

Just my opinion *ducks*

-Dan

If what you are saying is true, and not word of mouth why do you see alive directory, botw, v7n making millions of dollars, and where ever you go there promoting through directories to get linked.
Back in the day before google was google the board was totally different everyone wanted to be a search. Now that they weaved out the bads, and got the productive searches you dont see to many productive searches that come on the board. Well to days a new day, and your getting to many directories that will soon be weaved out, and you better hope that you submitted these productive directories when this happens, Because i really see this day coming soon.
Most web directories think if they build a site that it will fair as well as some of the bigger directories on the board with time. What they dont understand is over 80% of directories dont have a chance right when they got on the board. When we loose these 80% you will see exacly the power the directory world will have.

[Deejay Dan]

Originally Posted by rankland

If what you are saying is true, and not word of mouth why do you see alive directory, botw, v7n making millions of dollars, and where ever you go there promoting through directories to get linked. -snip=

The big directories like v7n and Aviva for example are big because they're being ran by competent business people whom are constantly promoting and will spend big $$ to promote. They're also making a nice income off links because their prices are set higher than the majority.

Most of the directories I see are PR0, 1, 2, and maybe even 3. For these sites it's almost not worth your time submitting to them. Who knows if they'll be there tomorrow? The people behind a lot of them are just your average webmaster without the means or knowledge to promote the directory into becoming a good money maker for them nor an authoritative site. They, like myself go download phpLD for free, find a free template (or buy one) throw it up on a hosting account with 20 other sites on. Paste in a few banners or adsense and open a submission thread. Presto instant link farm with minimal work.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it. I'm all about quick and easy setups but from where I stand that's how it looks. A majority of URLs that see have very little chance of getting type in traffic, who's looking at the site? Spiders is all.

Will my directory be there tomorrow? For sure. Next year? Depends if I break even, if in a year I cannot make enough off that site to pay for the domain renewal, it goes bye bye.

[littlephoenix]

any way you look at it, a well built directory with good traffic can always be a good thing, i dont see any negatives whats so ever.

[myshabi]

As a webmaster I am not seriouse about directory submission now. There are thousand of directories in the syber space and all are cramp sites. However I am interest about yahoo and DMOZ.

As a web surfer I am never use web directories to find information. coz I am trusted search engines than directories.

[Cornbread]

Originally Posted by myshabi

As a webmaster I am not seriouse about directory submission now. There are thousand of directories in the syber space and all are cramp sites. However I am interest about yahoo and DMOZ.

As a web surfer I am never use web directories to find information. coz I am trusted search engines than directories.

Myshabi, you should still be serious about Directory listings, if not, you will fall behind your competitors. I still don't know why people think the Yahoo Directory is some magic bullet. I have had a Yahoo Directory listing for about three months and I have only gotten 2-3 hits (total). It's not linked from the Yahoo Homepage, so Yahoo is not even promoting it's own directory. Also when I check my backlinks it is only coming back as an average link in the SERPS. It doesn't seem to me that Google gves it any special treatment, or even Yahoo for that matter.

Yes there is a future for Directories, but the days of the link farms are over. If you are a web master you should never pay an individual or company to submit your site to directories, you should just do it yourself and only submitt to the top rated directories because the rest will be gone within a year anyway.

[littlephoenix]

Originally Posted by Cornbread

Myshabi, you should still be serious about Directory listings, if not, you will fall behind your competitors. I still don't know why people think the Yahoo Directory is some magic bullet. I have had a Yahoo Directory listing for about three months and I have only gotten 2-3 hits (total). It's not linked from the Yahoo Homepage, so Yahoo is not even promoting it's own directory. Also when I check my backlinks it is only coming back as an average link in the SERPS. It doesn't seem to me that Google gves it any special treatment, or even Yahoo for that matter.

Yes there is a future for Directories, but the days of the link farms are over. If you are a web master you should never pay an individual or company to submit your site to directories, you should just do it yourself and only submitt to the top rated directories because the rest will be gone within a year anyway.

yahoo is not magic but it sue owns at leat half of the internet, but i think if your doing searches your self, its good to use yahoo or dmoz because all the results are man picked and quality sites unlike little directories that are just there for links.

[infogle]

ofcourse... future is still open for directories... but time is changed for directories now directorries cannot be just simply directory they must have any info also about the visitors and much much more....