In the past few years, web directories have sprung up at an incredulously prodigious rate. And so does the number of bloggers and webmasters to get their websites listed in as many directories as possible. But the million dollar question is – are these directory submissions worth your time and efforts? Do they provide any real SEO value to your website? This post is an attempt to answer all these questions.
Before the major search engines made their appearance on the internet, prominent directories like DMOZ and BOTW were anachronistically akin to today’s Google, Yahoo and Bing. Quite discernibly, today their importance has crumbled. When one needs to find something online, he directly enters his search query in Google and lands on the desired website in a fraction of seconds. No one is even bothered to navigate the obsolete directories in this era of almighty search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. Though these major directories might have lost their -once upon a time solid readership, but they are still a huge source of authority and reputation. So, the presence of your listing in such directories can definitely do wonders for your site’s SEO and traffic; and yes, they are worth your time and efforts 🙂
What makes a good web directory ?
1. Good directories enjoy great PageRank and Alexa rank.
2. They have a strict human-editorial staff (which ensures that quality is not compromised for quantity)
3. They have an exhaustive list of categories and sub-categories &
4. Great design, layout and smooth navigation.
No wonders, this list of features is peculiar to all the top and prominent directories. Here are a few good of them:
| Directory | PageRank (as on today) | Alexa (as on today) | Domain Age (as on today) | Submission Type |
| Open Directory Project (aka DMOZ) | 7/10 | 812 | 13 years and 271 days | Free |
| Yahoo! Directory | 7/10 | 4 | 17 years and 256 days | Free as well as Paid ($300) |
| Alltop | 7/10 | 5622 | 8 years and 268 days | Free |
| Best Of The Web | 6/10 | 8622 | 16 years and 61 days | Paid ($150 annual OR $300 one time) |
| Starting Point Directory | 7/10 | 85545 | 17 years and 206 days | Paid |
So does it mean that rest of the directories are not up to par ?
I didn’t mean that. As long as they fulfill all those aforementioned features, they worth your time and efforts.
Types of directories to be avoided ?
1. Instant Approval (with no moderation) – I’m sure, a lot of new people into internet marketing will be antipathetic to this opinion. But that’s true to the core. Fast Approval OR Instant Approval web directories are mostly automated. There is no one there to monitor the kind of submissions it receives everyday. So what will you call such a place ? A link-farm, huh ?
2. Google penalized directories – Before digging into the category list and submitting your website, make sure that the directory is not penalized by Google. How to check that? Well, it’s very easy. Type in “site:exampledirectory.com” in Google search without quotes and hit enter. If the search query leads to no results at all, then it’s a clear indication that the particular directory has been penalized by Google. Follow this insightful resource on SEOmoz for more information.
On a final note…
Please don’t run blindly after getting your website listed in all the possible web directories. Stay away from bulk directory submissions and services. Before submitting your website, do take some time to carefully evaluate your desired directory just like the way their editors evaluate your website for inclusion.
Always remember: A great directory is one which besides passing a decent amount of link juice(Page Rank), also sends a decent amount of chronic referral traffic to your website.
All the best 🙂
