Are directories dead, in my opinion? For the most part, yes. But there are exceptions. The directories that still succeed or rank well are the very niche ones, run by real webmasters who check each link manually to decide whether it deserves a listing. That kind of care produces a directory with depth, which is what actually helps your SEO campaign and gives you results you can measure.
So what do web directories do today, and are they worth your time? This article explains what value a web directory has for SEO, why it might still be useful, and how to get the most out of one.
Web directories today
Directories are not what they used to be, but we’ve watched them evolve, and some sites that fill that role in a modern way have done very well. Think Yelp or TripAdvisor. These are directories of a kind, and they’ve grown enormously because they give the user genuinely useful information. On the other side, Google has pulled down or demoted plenty of directories that carry no real value, while letting others run freely.
How web directories lost value
About ten years ago article marketing was everywhere. The idea was that you wrote an article about your niche, packed it with keywords (sometimes at the cost of readability), and submitted it to as many directories as you could. That earned you links back to your website. A lot of people did this, and for good reason: it worked.
But while these links boosted rankings effectively, they also broke Google Webmaster’s rules, since their only purpose was to boost rankings.
Background
When the internet started to expand in the late 1990s, many users struggled to find information about specific subjects. Search functions were far less developed, and getting results for specific keywords was hard (even Google didn’t have a streamlined system for showing relevant results back in 2000). To give users broad access to information across many subjects, web directories were set up.
At first there wasn’t much competition, and the earliest directories ranked high on the SERP. Advertisers soon saw that directories could fund a business model for their operators. Directories also gave SEOs a new place to post articles with strong backlinks.
Getting listed on a directory was once a reliable path to traffic and success. That changed as search engines developed, and since 2012, when Google released Penguin, the value of article directories dropped sharply, especially for link building.
How web directories work
The main difference between a search engine and a web directory is that search engines spider the web looking for new pages, and after assessing things like value and relevance, they index the links to those pages.
Web directories work by hand. Users upload links to the right categories, and editors go through the new links to decide whether they belong in the directory.
Good directories hire trained reviewers to evaluate submitted links and file them in the correct categories. Done properly, a directory like Dmoz.org is far more reliable than a typical search engine result, because real people go through every link to check whether it offers relevant information. If you’re considering directories, the most reliable ones charge fees and have editors who review links.
Keep in mind that search engines still refer to established directories like Dmoz and botw.org when deciding how to categorize your website.
That’s why getting listed is worth it: having your link published on one of these respected, editorially selective platforms can only help.
Here’s what search engines consider when ranking a typical website:
a) How relevant the content on your website is
b) How that content is organized
c) How much of the content would be considered relevant
d) Navigation and inter-linking
e) The number of quality outgoing links and the anchor texts used
f) Incoming and outbound links from external sources, and how those sources rank on other search engines
That last point comes into play when you submit your link to respectable web directories. In case you’re wondering, these are some of the most respected directories on the web:
a) Curlie: an open-content directory managed by editors in a community called the Open Directory Project. These volunteers are impartial and review each submitted link before including it, and only if it meets or exceeds their criteria.
b) BOTW (Best of The Web Directory): the same service, but for a fee. Once you submit a link and pay, they review it by hand and include it only when they’re satisfied it meets their quality standard. Payment does not guarantee acceptance.
c) Jasmine Directory: a web directory of businesses. If they accept your link, it could mean being featured across their fairly extensive network.
d) DirJournal Local Search: a well respected directory, mainly for local businesses.
Depending on the directory, users can sometimes post article descriptions of about 300 words, then add one external link and one image. The main criticism is that directories encourage low standards. Since most of them are used as a source for backlinks, users ignore quality and focus on the bottom line: funneling traffic.
In some directories anybody can publish an article, even if their English is poor, and the content goes live. Wikipedia took a different route with how it lets members edit content, and this keeps the writing at a reasonable level. Even when a post doesn’t meet scientific standards, it’s still considered quality.
Google knows this trick as a backdoor link building method and has devalued hundreds of directories because of it. But on the whole, it makes sense to submit links to paid directories, because search engines consume the links on these platforms as already validated by real people.
Why would Google pull down hundreds of websites?
It might seem unfair to the owners (surely some of them are genuinely trying to offer an honest service?), but it would be bad for users if anyone could create plainly manipulative directories. Look closely at any cheap or free directory and you’ll notice a pattern. Without generalizing too much, here’s what makes Google pull down web directories:
a) Non-specific subject matter
Most people build websites around a specific niche, and directories are the same. Financially, it’s tempting to generalize the subject so anyone can submit a link, but that signals to Google that the directory might be manipulative.
b) Anybody can get in
If a directory lets low quality, spammy websites link to it, then even a simple algorithm can detect and demote it. Google has hunted low quality links and “bad” online neighborhoods for years, and it uses these associations to flag your link as a possible spam signal.
c) Stuffing links to make it look natural
Directory owners go to great lengths to make links look natural, such as adding links to major media sites, government resource sites, and so on. Anyone who knows what to look for can easily spot this forced “natural” linkbuilding against a directory that grew genuinely.
You have to look at the details to catch it. A section on driving might be full of great resources, but click through to a section about DUI attorneys and the page looks off.
d) Directories that promote search engine link value instead of real traffic
You’ll find domains that describe themselves with phrases like “high page rank” or “search engine optimized.” It may read as innocent marketing, but to some people (Google included), it’s a good sign you’re out to sell links meant to manipulate search engines, with no regard for building quality listings.
f) Premium sponsorship
When a directory offers to place your link in a higher category with better placement, or promises it will appear in every category, that’s a clear sign the owners are doing shady link building.
g) Common trendy links
If the “recent additions” section shows links to a cheap cosmetic surgeon, a gambling site, a real estate company, and an insurance lawyer, you can be fairly sure Google will pull that website down soon.
In general, the lower the bar for getting into a directory, the less Google, Yahoo, MSN, and the rest value a listing there. To avoid this, some editorial directories raise the bar by charging high fees (Yahoo) and being very picky about who they include.
Another way premium directories set themselves apart is by focusing on one subject, such as web design, infographics, blogs, or charities. When you chase directory links, remember that not all links are good for your website, so be selective. Do your research and learn where your link will sit before you proceed. You can check whether the page is being indexed using Google cache.
Another tactic is to pace yourself. Follow this rule: for every two links you build with a web directory, follow up by building at least one genuine, natural link.
Strictly speaking, web directories are still relevant
As long as search engines keep referring to quality directories when ranking websites, the directory business still has a place in SEO. At the same time, Google has to show it’s serious about eliminating paid links and manipulative directories, so it will keep tightening the noose to protect its credibility here. For now, link buyers are still nervous, and some have backed off from spending because they don’t know whether a directory will be penalized.
Spend time in SEO forums and you’ll meet a lot of people who resent what they see as a systematic devaluing of directories. These people build their own directories, pay to submit to others, and serve affiliate links; they profit from selling advertising. It’s not as strong as it once was, but there’s still a clear self-interest in keeping these general purpose, pay-to-get-linked directories in Google’s good graces.
Sadly, SEOs outside this game, along with representatives of the major search engines, take a dim view of directories, at least for link building.
To see why directory link building isn’t popular with search engines, look at it from a search engineer’s perspective. To illustrate, here are the criteria that make a directory well respected.
a) Selective
It should be hard to get your website linked, because editors have to review each link to judge the quality and value of the site. We’ve already named Dmoz and Yahoo as directories that use this selective method, but there are others with the same principles that won’t include spammy links for any reason. Good examples are Forbes’ Best of the Web, Nature.com, and eHub.
b) Designed for people, not machines
Avoid any directory built solely to boost your ranking. If the list is genuinely designed to help people, search engines will want those links to count. If not, you’ll struggle to convince any search engine the site isn’t manipulative. One tell: if the owner is actively marketing the directory on SEO forums, watch out. The links are probably low quality.
c) Well referenced directories
Any directory that gets links from other directory lists or affiliate links will draw suspicion from search engines. You want a directory that has earned plenty of high-quality links from reputable sources, since it’s likely to carry more weight. Avoid directories whose links point to other directories.
d) Niche subjects
In general, the more specific a directory is, the more valuable it is. It isn’t always true, but you’re more likely to find what you need in a niche directory. Search through a directory dedicated to chemical engineering, or some other specific field, and the listings will most likely be high value.
e) Unique
Since Dmoz set the benchmark for directories, many sites have tried to clone its layout. The trouble is that most clones are low quality and offer little value. Directories that are specially designed, with their own custom layout built from the ground up, are more likely to be worth something.
f) Custom domain vs. trusted domain
Some of the most highly regarded directories are built alongside globally recognized domains, which makes them more likely to be trusted than those on their own domain. There are exceptions, but building a directory next to a respected domain name has real value.
g) No links to low quality neighborhoods
A directory that links to low-quality websites is fairly easy for search engines to spot, and they’re likely to shut it down. Try running this MSN command, “linkfromdomain:url.com,” to see whether it lists sites that could hurt your ranking. If you see any website you wouldn’t want to be associated with, that’s a clear sign the directory isn’t worth your time or money.
Given all this, it makes sense to avoid the cheap general directories that ask $20 for a link with no discretion. You want to know where you’re linking from, and any successful link-building campaign takes plenty of time, effort, and money. Use your judgement and stay out of trouble.
A link is just a link?
SEOs have repeated this for years, but from what we’ve seen, it isn’t true. Google’s Matt Cutts has hinted again and again that the discussion isn’t really about the type of link, but the type of page or site, and the relevance of the link, which is what assigns value.
For example, with blogger outreach you should be careful about offering value to the target. You don’t want to link to a blog that reviews workout gear in one post and baby oil in the next. Directories are the same: consider the source and how it might affect you. Looked at this way, a link is definitely not just a link anymore.
If you’re after good, reliable directory links that add long term value, don’t lose hope. There are thousands of great directories you can join, you just have to spend time going through them to find the right ones. And a good directory won’t always look the way you expect.
Some still require dated submission and payment over email or phone, yet they’re worth it. Sites like the Atlantic Canada Portal Web Directory, Te Puna Web Directory, the Molecular and Cellular Biology Department at Harvard University, Biolinks, and Comic Books X are good examples.
Conclusion
The main problem with those big directories is low standards, and you should avoid them at all cost. Your test for any directory link, or any link at all, should be whether it will send useful traffic, which comes down to whether it’s built for humans or for search engines.
When you think about it, the criteria we’ve used to decide whether a directory is link-worthy are basically the same criteria that make any website valuable to the user, and that value translates easily into high rankings. Even if you don’t see the immediate value of directories, there’s no harm in using them as one more tool for exposure.
Spend real time on each submission. Work on your description, title, and anything else that adds value or that your link needs. That improves your chances of being accepted, of getting good placement, or even of being allowed to customize your own anchor text.
Remember, there are no shortcuts in link building, so it helps to have the right attitude. It’s a slow, painstaking process of providing value, staying consistent, and trusting that users will appreciate the work you put in. A successful SEO campaign uses many tools, and this is only one of them.
If you’re starting from scratch, take time to share quality content on relevant platforms such as social sites, so your link building campaign mixes different elements. One more thing worth mentioning: the value of a directory link depends on where the website is in its life cycle. New websites benefit more from a good directory than from cheaper, general ones. Older websites that have earned the trust of search engines and built a broad link portfolio don’t need directories as much.
