Are Most Directories Useless ?

December 18, 2008

This is a feature that we are implementing with each post. It is here because we provide small business SEO solutions all across Arizona. At this time we would like to thank our friends and clients for their support. If you have landed here looking for our Internet marketing or SEO services in Marana or Oro Valley, then please follow this SEO link.

Are Most Directories Useless ?

I have not been a fan of using directories for website marketing or for link building. When I first began the process of link building directory site submissions it was a well established mode for link building. But it never made sense to me. There was all of this great volume of articles and posts that indicated that the search engines were mostly interested in great content.

Since directories didn’t seem to offer quality content they didn’t seem to be very good options for using in backlink development. But I went with the flow and tried using software that partially automated the process. I submitted to around 100 sites this way and manually. In this process I only used free directory listings. After 90 days I reviewed these sources and discovered that we gained submission in only 9 directories. The ROI didn’t warrant any further use of this method, but the misconception was still circulating that the practice worked.

I still wasn’t convinced that these links from directories provided quality relevant links and I held on tightly to this conviction. Then it seemed as if Google had waged war on directories as many witnessed their Page Rank diminish in 2008. So I joined the bandwagon denouncing the use of directories.

Then Google eliminates any reference to using directories for any purpose. Gone where the recommendations for industry stalwart’s DMOZ and Yahoo. This was followed up with remarks from Matt and others at Google. It seems that Google’s position on using directories has not changed, but they never state what that position is only that it has not changed.

The reality is the only reason that most directories exist is to generate links, links that are used to gain higher search rankings. So let me see most directories have no useful content and their only reason to exist is to manipulate the search engines through links. This doesn’t sound search engine friendly to me.

How was your experience with directory submissions?

We are officially requesting that you join the conversation here. That is, if you found that this post was at all interesting, useful, or perhaps you are just looking for a useful link. Then, I would like to entice you to comment by providing you with useful links as part of what I call “Scratch My Back Marketing.”

The Scratch My Back Marketing requires you to scratch this blog by leaving a useful comment of at least 20 words or more. Your comment should be relevant to the post. My scratch is that you will receive a Do Follow anchor text link (Keyword Luv) and if you have a blog with an RSS feed enabled you will receive an extra permalink back to your blog via Comment Luv. We also use the Top Commenter plugin as well!

It’s all about win/win marketing. I am willing to exchange page rank for the bump that a fresh comment provides.

Are you ready to exchange comments for links?

This is the part where I move link juice around the site and hope that someone might actually want to learn more about our local small business SEO solutions and venture further.

And to learn more about our services please check out these links:

Local SEO Services Tucson Website Designs Phoenix SEO Tucson Search Engine Optimization

Holistic SEO Solutions Geo-Targeted SEO Solutions Niche SEO Solutions

If your business is located in the US, Canada, Marana, Phoenix, Glendale, Scottsdale, Arizona or beyond and you would like to learn more about how your website can benefit from a blog, SEO, Internet marketing, or our affordable website design/re-design services please call Tucson SEO at 520-777-6479 or 1-866-512-1230 Now!

Tucson SEO… Solutions that create probabilities out of possibilities.