I am compelled to do another write-up on web directories due to continued ignorance and misconceptions regarding their changing roles amongst webmasters – especially old timers. In an earlier post, I have tried to explain the role of modern directories in today’s changed web environment. In that post I mentioned that, the nature, scope and role of web directories have changed with the passage of time.
There was a time when web directories were meant to serve as catalogues of websites listed on categories arranged by subjects where surfers could visit a directory to browse and find information on sites related to subjects/categories of his/her interest. It was good-ol-days when the very concept of World Wide Web (WWW) was not as big as that of today. It was also Pre-Google era when the search algorithms of Ask.Com, Yahoo, MSN, Altavista etc. were not as sophisticated as present day Google search technology. Since two young entrepreneurs –named Sergei Brin and Larry Page set up a search engine called Google from a rented garage in Menlo Park, California,
the internet has never been the same again continually evolving beyond imaginations and creating new boundaries and horizons.
Some of the pre-Google web directories are Yahoo Directory and Best of The Web Directory.
Misconception No 1. – Role of Directories
When I visit webmaster forums like Digital Point, it pains me to find some old timers still holding the old views about directories. These gentlemen still think that the primary role of a good directory is to provide website information to the end users/surfers! They still hold that directories are just like “Local Telephone Indexes” or “Yellow Pages” on the web.
The Truth:
While this point of view was true during older days when search engines were not as developed and sophisticated as those of today and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) as a concept was still in its infant stage, things have come a long way with the birth of Google and introduction of backlink/anchor-text based search algorithm. The new technology by Google totally changed the web culture and brought about a revolutionary change in the way people were making their websites. Soon Google was the most dominant search engine on the web and every advertiser or webmaster longed for a slice of Google’s pie. 
The introduction of revenue sharing through Ad Sense changed the dimension of thinking among those who wanted to make websites. This also gave birth to other niche industries in the form of SEO and SEM.
So long, people made websites out of necessity for their businesses, organizations or hobbies and interests. So, quality about these sites was never an issue.
But – with Google came money and with money came greed. Quality took a backseat, numbers took over. Greater number of websites you make, greater number of visitors you receive, greater Page Rank you achieve, greater Search Engine Ranking Position (SERP) you achieve- greater amount of $$$ are put into your bank account. All that count is numbers! These factors led to the rapid growth and development of high quality SEO techniques coupled with other SPAM schemes to manipulate Google SERPs.
In this backdrop, the role of directories has also changed drastically. From information provider, their primary role have turned into that of assisting and feeding search engines bots ( read Google) with new sites for better and quicker indexing. Since bots need links pointing to a particular site for finding them and indexing – directories became the most basic source for that all important backlink.
Important point to note: Here, I am not blaming Google for this phenomenon, rather stating the obvious. In fact, Google has been trying to rein in on unscrupulous link schemes – but here we are talking about quality directories – which are not link schemes by any stream of imaginations.
Also, Google encourages linking with relevant sites. But the problem is – will you give a link to a competitor knowing very well that – it might soon replace you in SERPs and hurt you business in future? Ask Yourself – you know the answer very well!
Misconception No. 2—Traffic To/From Directories
I also find many people/webmasters complaining that directories do not send traffic to sites listed on them! This point is totally ture! No single directory can send the expected amount of traffic to any directory.
So if they do not send traffic – why should I list in them?
Many webmasters always ask this question.
The answer lies in my above illustration. I have clearly stated that, the web culture or habit of surfers has changed over time.
Background:
Frankly, with so many state of the earth search engines dominating the internet, who is going to visit a web directory and look for information? Just to think of it is DUMB. One just has to type in a word or phrase on the search bar remotely related to his/her desired information- and- VOILA! The searcher gets all his/her information under a fraction of a second. So why should they spend a long time looking in a directory?
Another important point to note here is- how many surfers are actually aware of the existence of web directories? If I am forced to offer my honest opinion on it- I would say only about 3-4% of normal people who use internet (excluding webmasters, SEO/SEM or web marketing professionals) may be aware of the existence of web directories. The exponential growth of internet penetration over the last few years has exposed the information explosion on the web to millions of people all over the world. Most of them know little about the internet and use it as a means of gathering necessary information. Search Engines are enough to feed their needs.
Hard Truth About Directories and Traffic:
So do directory owners lie when they say majority of their visitors are organic –i.e. from search engines?
The answer is – NO-HELL – THEY DO NOT LIE! IT IS THE ULTIMATE TRUTH!
How Come?
Well, the nature of search engine algorithms and the quality of the directory can bring a listing on top of search results for a certain keyword/phrase that the listed site has been trying to optimize. This brings in the organic visitor to that particular directory and redirects the visitor to the main site. I used to get (before Google penalty on BIRD) most of my organic visitors that way who then visit the listed links.
So that is the way a directory works for the benefit of listed sites. Directories are all about search engine optimization of listed sites– not to be mistaken for heavy traffic source – or otherwise.
Let me illustrate with examples –
Assumption – I have made a quality site following all in the Google webmasters guidelines and with on-page SEO at optimum level. So – I am sure that it will pass all editorial standards except of course DMOZ where I am not ready to bribe an editor to get listed.
I pick up 50 quality directories (will come to this topic next) to submit my site and do all submissions myself to maximize optimizations with anchor-texts and descriptions –
After all directories approve my listings- and search engines index them –
I should wait 2 months to get the effect.
I am sure – the SERPs of my site will improve by leaps and bounds for the optimized terms and if competition is less- I might even come on the first page for most terms. SERPs=Traffic.
30 Unique visitors/day =900/m =10800/year.
Submitted directories being quality- my listings on them will start rocking SERPs.
SERPs = Traffic to my listings àTraffic to my site.
100 unique visitors/month =1200/year
Suppose it requires a budget of $2000 to get permanently listed on these 50 directories. So, hypothetically you get 12000 unique visitors to your site in one year.
Now buy adwords/PPC with $2000 – you get maximum 8000 visitors in a week or a month.
Calculate the conversion rates. While the PPC might send huge traffic quickly, I think the conversion rates will be really low. On the other hand – traffic that comes organically is of high quality and conversion rates also tend to be higher.
While PPC ads require constant funding, directory listing is permanent-one time expenditure.
Bottomline is Directories are not there to provide huge number of direct traffic – rather they are there to help a site boost its search engine optimization profile for better SERPs and higher number of organic traffic. This is how directories should be viewed in relation to traffic.
Mosconception No. 3.
Quality Directories – Information Providers Vs. Empty Categories:
Of late, there have been heated debates among directory owners of what features should constitute a web directory!
- One of the most common features agreed by all is that a quality directory should have a custom designed template.
What a poor joke! It is not the outer look that defines quality. Search engine bots or visitors give a DAMN if your template is custom made or sponsored. What they are bothered about is your site structure, backlinks and quality of sites listed inside.
- Some of my highly knowledged colleagues think a quality directory should not have site-wide links on home page!
Another bull-shit. Isn’t the internet all about sponsorship and advertising? From high quality open source sites like phpBB to Linux, all have sponsors/advertisers on side-bars or footer. To run high quality websites on internet is not free. One needs fund for maintaining the site and quality. Advertising is one way for compensation.
- Too many site-wide links devalue the quality of a directory!
Another bull-shit. While it was true from SEO viewpoint to some extent when those links could take away some of the PR juice, the new Google algorithm is smart enough to treat those links for traffic only and not for PR/SEOing.
Am I bluffing?
NO- just type in your domain on Google bar (www.example.com) and check how many of those links from high PR sites are showing on the results. NONE! I am glad that Google has finally been able to detect and deal with them.
One very serious thing to note though is that- one must only list advertising to those sites that are not spammy and have some sort of relevancy to directories.
- The most heated point of discussion about quality directories is that –Directories with empty categories VS. Directories that editorially add quality resource in each and every categories.
There are many directories that have high Page Rank, and many categories/sub-categories which are empty – i.e. no listing in those categories.
A group of directory owners led by my own close friend, has took it upon on himself to reform the whole industry by way of criticizing other directory owners because their directories have majority of the categories EMPTY. According to him and his disciples- those directories SUCK –as they are not useful to the end user!
*(One must know now the role of modern web directories from my above points)
I must confess that- I was also a pioneer of this theory of quality, as I and my friend have discussed a lot on how listing quality sites could improve the normal and SERP profile of a directory! But time changes everything- and it has definitely changed my views!
As far as I know, out of all directories that have been editorially adding quality websites to provide categorical information- 3 PR 6 directories have been penalized by Google –viz. ewebpages, Aviva and my own BIRD. Dang-Google! (Sorry Creed & Jeff for dragging you here. But I want to really make people, especially directory owners understand what constitute true quality – if you feel offended- please feel free- I’ll gladly remove you ). I have definitely benefited from listing quality sites as those listings improved my SERPs scope and brought me large organic traffic.
So it is not the empty categories or filled in categories that define a quality directory- that’s for sure. That brings me to think of what Matt Cutts said –
“What is the quality of urls in the directory? Suppose a site rejects 25% of submissions, but the urls that are accepted/listed are still quite low-quality or spammy. That doesn’t speak well to the quality of the directory.…”
It is not the number or amounts of sites listed in your directory/categories that matters – but it is the quality of those listings that matters to Google bots.
Certainly we listed on quality sites – but most probably we overdid it – instead of giving editorial votes to 2/3 sites per day – we added 30/40/50 or more sites per day that made Google suspicious towards our sites!
** My friend although your directory has not been penalized (I’ll discuss about penalty later on) – you know it is in serous problem of trust as I mentioned. Another very important thing to note—
While I still think it is an added and long-term benefit to provide quality information to the end users, over-doing it to artificially inflate the profile of my directory is tantamount to SPAM Google and its bots.
Definition of a Quality Web Directory:
“ A quality directory can be defined as a directory, that has a good amount of organic backlinks, has high level of editorial integrity, accepts and list only those sites that conform to standard quality guidelines in its categories arranged properly by subjects and refuse to list all those sites that look spammy, MFA and Warez” – John Rang.
Misconception no. 4.
General Directories VS. Niche Directories/Paid Directories Vs. Free Directories
I also find lots of people saying Niche directories are better than General directories and Paid directories are better than Free directories!
Ok –don’t kid me! You definitely know the answer by now.
If you are still in doubt- tell me…..
Who are SEXIER? Brazilian Girls or Other Girls?
It does not depend from where the girl is – isn’t? It depends on individual girls if they are sexy or not.
So is true with above misconceptions. While Google advises webmasters to submit to industry specific directories- so does it to DMOZ & Yahoo who are general directories.
It is the quality of the individual directory that matters –not the other way. As there are many quality general and free directories – there are many crap sites. So is true with niche and free directories.
Also one should always remember that- it is the content of the page where you are listed that matters for relevancy – not the site. Otherwise- big portal sites like rediff.com will have to build thousands of sites to make their site relevant to every individual category.
Misconception No. 5.
Directories Sell PR
Utter rubbish. Have a look at my listing on Wowdirectory– http://www.wowdirectory.com/dir/817/1/31.php
What PR does the page have? It has PR- N/A, not even PR0. So wise for those noobs.
Hypothetically- people say that pages carry the strength of the homepage. But is there any proof on that? It is mere hypothetical.
On the other hand – if someone visits the market section on any webmaster forums – they would find that most sites are selling links based on PR and you can really get listed on the said PR page (PR5/6/7). Why don’t you point fingers at them?
Important Point: Here I must note confess that there are some dishonest people who buy DROPPED domains with high PR and try to sell directory listings based on PR. But this kind of cheating is prevalent everywhere in our life. Every society has some anti-social elements. The web is more suitable for them due to its virtual nature.
Webmasters and submitters must learn how to differentiate between genuine directories and those frauds. The best way to do it is to check PR of inner-pages. If home-page has PR4 – some of its inner-pages must have some sort of PR if it is established directory. Another way to do it is go through Internet Archieve (Wayback Machine) and check the site’s history
Misconception No. 6
Directory listings devalued or Directories banned.
Many nay-sayers are rejoicing at the penalty most directories have received from Google. They say – Google is targeting directories for selling PR. Some noobs even say that directories have been banned. May God forgive them for their ignorance!
Another rubbish. Google through Matt Cutts has made it clear that it has no problem with directories and review fees charged by them.
What it has problem with is – sites buying Paid links from high PR sites for achieving higher PR and manipulating SERPs.
It is no secret that- most directories heavily buy high PR links to achieve higher PR and rank well in SERPs. One must also understand that it is not only directories which are facing the recent penalty. There are many sites in different niche with the same situation.
So it is all about buying paid links and manipulation of SERPs that is the real reason behind the current phenomenon. For example-
I achieved PR6 for this particular site with 99.99% non-paid links. I thought it was a fluke in Google algo to award me such high PR. So, out of fear of loosing PR, I rented 4 PR7 links and 1 very strong PR8 link that has many PR8/7 sub-pages. Naturally, my SERPs went through the roof in 2 months time. Now this particular directory is under penalty as it violated Google’s policy.
Pure and simple!
I have cancelled all my PR7 links and my PR8 link will expire on 28th and I’ll not renew it again.
I no longer care about PR & SERPs, I’ll be concentrating on quality development and organic links via link-baits and forums.
The less one buys high PR links- the less is the cost to maintain a directory. Less cost means less worry to generate revenues. I’ll still buy advertisements – but very selective ones as my priority would be to generate TRAFFIC.
Thanks you – hope this essay will help many.
PS: Just wanted to share one information here. My directory got penalty from 1st September onwards. As part of my routine - I check google analytics everyday. I was astonished/puzzled when I checked it on 30th and 31st. I was receiving hundreds of hits with 00 seconds stay on site from Google for keywords/phrases I never knew. When I verified those - I said –” WOW! My directory is really strong -ranking for so many……” little knowing the fact that it would get penalty the next day.
So this penalty is really manual given out by Google. I would like to hear from my fellow webmasters whose sites are under penalty and their Analytic Stats.
. To my surprise-I found that he is actually 
