Is Directory Submission Dead?

SEO firms know the advantages that registering clients in major directories can achieve. Link building through directory submission has been one of the mainstays of the Search Engine Optimization business for years, but today there is increased doubt over the future of this once highly effective form of optimization. First, a brief history of web time- From the dawn of time (the early 90’s in web terms), listing in directories was a great way to get visitors to your website. Directories like Yahoo prospered and could charge large fees for firms to list with them.

The web grew, directories grew, websites grew and everything was fine.

Then the world changed - The search engine was born! Search engines conquered the web, and Search Engine Optimization was born. It may interest you to know that the first recorded mention of the term Search Engine Optimization was in a message posted on Usnet on July 26th 1997. It is highly ironic that whilst the search engine was destroying the directory, the Search Engine Optimization community would breathe new life into the concept.

The missing part of the puzzle was Google. Google hit the web in 1998 and introduced the idea of Page Rank. Most people think that Page Rank refers to the rank of a page, which is an understandable misconception. According to Google it is actually named after one of its founders - Larry Page.

The idea of Page Rank (where a site improves its position in Google by getting links from other sites) soon became very popular. Many other engines incorporated the idea into their algorithms. Search engine optimizers had previously concentrated on usage of ‘on page’ keyword optimization methods.

They needed to adapt quickly to the new Page Rank idea and get inbound links for their clients.

There were lots of methods for getting links, from link-exchanges, to blogging, to link purchasing. One of the simplest and quickest ways was to list their clients in directories. Search engine optimizers and directories walked hand in hand into a golden future. It’s a bit manipulative isn’t it? The web should be natural said Google.

These Search Engine Optimization companies are listing customers in directories for unnatural reasons. Some of these directories have hardly any human visitors but have large amounts of firms listed. Even worse, people are paying to get listed in these directories. It’s not natural usage. We are being manipulated said Google, and we must stop it! So this is what they did. September 1st 2005 Google Guy Matt Cutts stated in his blog “Google does consider buying text links for Page Rank purposes to be outside our quality guidelines” and “Google has a variety of algorithmic methods of detecting such links”. Nothing appeared to happen for a while, but then a few of the directories that offered to sell links started having no visible Page Rank on their internal pages. This was even true of directories that had free links, but on the same page had paid featured listings. Bad news for those people who followed Google’s webmaster guidelines and got free links, but far worse for those who paid for them and ended up with nothing! As well as punishing paid links, search engines have also improved their detection of web sites that link to what are regarded as bad neighborhoods (low quality spam filled sites). Many of the directories that are not properly managed end up with poor quality listings and as a result search engines discriminate against them. Since the birth of search engines the fortunes of Search Engine Optimization companies and directories have been solidly, inextricably linked, but if Google doesn’t like directories anymore, these back-links won’t be any good. It’s all not true. Google loves directories. In Google’s webmaster guidelines it says - when your site is ready: “Submit your site to relevant directories such as the Open Directory Project and Yahoo!, as well as to other industry-specific expert sites.” Google still likes directories it just doesn’t like those that are poor quality listings and those that sell links. After all how can Google discriminate against directories when it has one on its site (Google Directory). How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Directory.

The significant thing with directory submissions is to make the most of your efforts by listing your clients in the right directories. You need to list your clients websites in directories that are free of charge and high quality (human edited). A good place to begin with directory submission is the Open Directory Project. This is the largest directory to submit your clients’ websites to. This is a long term strategy. Each section is edited by volunteers and the acceptance times vary dramatically. It has been know for sites in smaller categories to wait for a year or more to be accepted! Another large directory is Yahoo.com which will cost you $299 to list in. If you work in markets outside the US you can often get listed for free. Yahoo.co.uk is now free for UK companies in the majority of categories. Again there can be a long wait before applicants are put live. Don’t ignore the advantages of local directories. Listing in directories for your state or country can provide very positive benefits, both in terms of Search Engine Optimization and finding local customers such as the Canadian Regional Directory. Also consider regional niche directories that not only find local customers but also customers in particular industries. There are a couple of great web sites for finding appropriate directories such as Top Directories and Vilesilencer.

The Top Directories site provides loads of useful information on web directories including their Page Rank and the movement of page rank at the previous update.

There are also details on submission times, gathered from user feedback. Vilesilencer provides huge lists of categorized web directories including a handy download of directories in Excel spreadsheet format. Maximizing your efforts by selecting the best directories should ensure that the time spent writing directory submissions adds the maximum benefit to your business. This is true not only in terms of human visits, but also with regard to Search Engine Optimization.