Directories Submissions - Basics

Hello, please clarify the importance of submitting to directories. I lurk around on a few admin forums from time to time reading and I've found countless posts about submitting to directories. I even signed up to a free service called Web CEO which signed my site up to several hundred directories all at once.

All the while I was doing all of this submitting and reading I was hearing from live webmasters and programmers that hang around my house that it's not hurting me to submit to those directories but doing so is not as helpful as I think. Then I started reading that Google may now be "punishing" people who sign up to tons and tons of directories.

Can someone clear up this confusion for me once and for all?

Can someone clear up this confusion for me once and for all?

No, no one can clear up the confusion, as it seems that no one really knows the answer. If anyone is claiming to know the answer, then ask for a copy of their Google Employee Card.


Submit to ALL directories, free and paid!
Just submit to free directories
Just submit to paid directories
Don't submit to any, they are being penalized!
Always use the SAME keyword & description
Change/rotate your keyword & description (I agree)
DMOZ links will raise your PR!
Dmoz links are penalized with a duplicate content filter (I agree, find them in SERP)
YAHOO directory is worth that $299 (really? Have you ever used the YAHOO directory? I know I haven't)
Too many links are bad!
No link can hurt you...
Blah blah blahThe list goes on and on and on and on... pick one side or the other, and don't be bothered if you happen to change your mind. No one really knows the answers to the directory issue.

So do what feels right to you. Don't do an automated submission thingie, manually fill in the forms. On your way to fill in that form, get a fell for what type of place it is and ask if you really want a link from them. Look at the surrounding submissions and see if it's nothing but spam, if it is, skip to the next one. Do a couple of submissions a week, take your time, there is no rush...most directories are rather slow it seems, so it'll take a while to get that link indexed anyway (though, niche and popular directories can change that).

So again, just do what feels right...as whatever you end up doing, I'll likely be able to point you to the blog of an SEO expert that agrees with your decision ;)

LOL!!!

I love your answer. You sound just like the people around here.

OK, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing now which changes every week. Sometimes I do nothing and sometimes I get on kicks and submit every day. I'll do it all by hand from now on and I'll change my descriptions and keywords up.

Regarding Yahoo...Those stupid slurps are ALWAYS all over me and Yahoo still refuses to note my existence. I wouldn't pay them a dime.

Used to be that people actually looked at directories as a resource to find websites related to a topic.

Then - everyone and their brother made a directory, or 2, or 50.

Then - DMOZ really started to suck. Google Directory isnt promoted, nor is the Yahoo directory.

In the end - they are all but worthless now except for an incoming link.

directory submission are a good source of one way link.