Are directories dead?

Some people think that directories are no good for SEO now. What do you think?

Ed

Thanks for the reply Riverwire. I think that if you get into the stronger directories then they definately add value.

If your site will be listed in dmzo, certainly this will have a higher value than many backlinks.

I can not believe that people are still talking about directories after real search engines were developed.

In the 1990s sites like Yahoo were a large directory. You had to submit your site into a category. To find a site on a certain topic, you had to browse though the categories.

And that is where directories came from.

Fast forward 10 years, directories are relic of what the "internet" used to be. They are like a museum.

Do they hold value, sure they do. But only a certain amount of value.

Directories help us get backlinks but usually the approval to get listed in the directory takes time. Directories with high PR are helpful

I think its not yet dead but these days people now are not giving a lot of importance about submitting to directories maybe because it can only give you a little amount of share for your site but we can still do that, anyway it still can add traffic.

They can be of some help but DMOZ was the one to get in but its very hard to do it these days so people just dont bother any more.

I don't think so. Directory sites is considered an old tradition for link building process but in terms of its effectivity on your sites, it is still valuable in terms of one way linking. As far as I know, there are many directory owners who manage to create a mirror site on their directories coz they are also benefit from it.

Getting one-way thematic link is far better than getting backlinks from 100 directories .

Thematic link vs directory links

That's my oppinion to. In some cases your site will be penalized by Search Engines for the huge number of links that you are required to have an the main page to be inserted into a specified directory.

directories are still a way to get traffic and pr as well. just submit to quality directories.

still use them for getting backlinks...

I also use directories to add backlinks but I just choose quality directories.

i don't think it's true that directory submission are dead as a matter of fact it helps my blog get high PR from those directories by means of their backlinks.

Directories are good if they are spam free & high page rank!

These are long time and one way links but these links haven't so value for juice or even not good for traffic.But these are not dead.

I think directories are good for building backlinks. Its almost become a forgotten method though. With all these other ones that are out there. For example backlink building can now be done through Template Sponsorship, Signature Links, and so many other ways. With the world of sites like Digg and Stumble Upon. So many things get in the way. What I wonder is with so many links in this directory, does your link even get noticed anymore?

- Caleb -

WTF are you talking about? What kind of links at the main page???????

Only quality directories are good, not all directories are good.