Directories Yes or No in 2014?

[Aiden Roberts]

I've been trawling through the posts to get a feel for the current benefit or not of using a directory in 2014.

Some say they're really bad as seen as spammy; others say done properly still valid in 2014 as a viable option to build out a relevant domain!

What are your thoughts and why?

My feeling is done properly they can still be useful resource for the public and a viable option for developer.

Thanks

 

[Murray]

My feeling is done properly they can still be useful resource for the public and a viable option for developer.

Generally submitting to directories is at best a total waste of time and money (should there be a listing fee) & at worst it turns into a big inconvenience in the future when you get a penalty and have to go back and try and get these links removed

Any links you're obviously adding yourself, forget it.

As for running a directory I don't know, I can't imagine it's too lucrative nowadays, defo not something I would waste a good domain name on.

 

[Aiden Roberts]

Generally submitting to directories is at best a total waste of time and money (should there be a listing fee) & at worst it turns into a big inconvenience in the future when you get a penalty and have to go back and try and get these links removed

Any links you're obviously adding yourself, forget it.

As for running a directory I don't know, I can't imagine it's too lucrative nowadays, defo not something I would waste a good domain name on.

Thanks Murray interesting points.

I'm not disagreeing with you but can you substantiate "when you get a penalty" as this sounds like a forgone conclusion?

I think the free listings model is what created the bad press as they were/are inundated with irrelevant/spammy listings and I would imagine a nightmare to control.

In relation to "lucrative" I suppose it's effort vs return. Unlikely to be megabucks but rather than a domain sitting there doing nothing I wonder whether a niche directory would be a better ROI?

I appreciate you responding and sharing your thoughts.

Rob

 

[DaveP]

Type in any [service] in [wherever] into Google, that should tell you why I think directories are a big fat no nowadays..

 

[Aiden Roberts]

Type in any [service] in [wherever] into Google, that should tell you why I think directories are a big fat no nowadays..

Do you mean because they are not there on first page?

Assumed penalized into oblivion?

 

[DaveP]

Do you mean because they are not there on first page?

Assumed penalized into oblivion?

I mean Google has it's own business listings and usually the top spot(s) dominated by yell.com or groupon.com or something. Since you'd expect yell and Google to get a very large majority of the click through rate then what you're left with in terms of SEO traffic is the crumbs.

 

[Skinner]

I think dave is referring first up the monsters like ratedpeople, then gumtree then the real threat which is effectively googles own directory where you get name, website, address, phone number and ratings right there in the search engine.

 

[Murray]

I'm not disagreeing with you but can you substantiate "when you get a penalty" as this sounds like a forgone conclusion?

If you're someone in 2014 still using directories (link farms) then you're going down an obvious path to a penalty.

By the time you get enough of these kind of links to get any rankings it's the same time you're crossing the threshold into penalties

In relation to "lucrative" I suppose it's effort vs return. Unlikely to be megabucks but rather than a domain sitting there doing nothing I wonder whether a niche directory would be a better ROI?

I suppose it depends if you have plans to sell the domains or not, might hurt selling them down the line.

I used to have a small niche directory related to the events industry in 2012, I had about 7 listings in a year, £35 per listing, I made sure it had good pagerank though, PR4 on the inner pages

SEOs would find it and want a listing via looking at their competitions link profiles rather than finding it on google.

I suppose that type of thing would still bring a few listing in, you would just need to make sure the domain has good pagerank on the homepage as well as the inner pages, but saying that google seems to be taking their sweet time updating visible pagerank, no more once every 4 months.. so kind of kills the idea a bit.

 

[Aiden Roberts]

Sorry, I understand now!

So a niche directory would struggle in search engines but obviously there's social traffic so possibly all is not lost. I know it's ideal on page one of G but virtually any business model will struggle these days unless it's heavily funded and promoted.

I'm not disagreeing and all comments are useful.

Just asked the other half as she's recently been looking at holiday lets, she summarised by saying most of these sites don't work, full of crap and waste of time!!

 

[DaveP]

Just asked the other half as she's recently been looking at holiday lets, she summarised by saying most of these sites don't work, full of crap and waste of time!!

She is absolutely right. They are nothing unique or special. Unless you can come up with something amazing, some kind of interface or algorithm to blow all competitors out of the water there's literally no point. Without anything to captivate interest on social media nobody will use it and will instead just keep going to the monopoly that is Google.

I envision in about 50 years we will all be having our breakfast of Google coffee, in our Google powered smart mugs, looking at the time on our Google powered smart watches before we head off to work using Google's smart GPS to show us traffic jams, on the drive to work we will stop at Google smart station to quickly replace the battery in our Google wind solar powered cars, before we get into work where we configure our Google drones to do the work for us, before heading outside in the sunshine to enjoy a Google smart beer that can tell us how pissed we are.

 

[Aiden Roberts]

She is absolutely right. They are nothing unique or special. Unless you can come up with something amazing, some kind of interface or algorithm to blow all competitors out of the water there's literally no point. Without anything to captivate interest on social media nobody will use it and will instead just keep going to the monopoly that is Google.

I envision in about 50 years we will all be having our breakfast of Google coffee, in our Google powered smart mugs, looking at the time on our Google powered smart watches before we head off to work using Google's smart GPS to show us traffic jams, on the drive to work we will stop at Google smart station to quickly replace the battery in our Google wind solar powered cars, before we get into work where we configure our Google drones to do the work for us, before heading outside in the sunshine to enjoy a Google smart beer that can tell us how pissed we are.

What's your point Dave haha!

PS I'm not telling her she's right...

 

[Aiden Roberts]

Based on a not very scientific poll of 6; two thirds of participants think directories are still a viable option in 2014!

 

[DaveP]

What's your point Dave haha!

PS I'm not telling her she's right...

Point is I wish you good luck if you choose to do it.

Also you don't need to tell her, they always think they're right..

 

[DaveP]

Based on a not very scientific poll of 6; two thirds of participants think directories are still a viable option in 2014!

Well they need to come forward and explain why. (Because they aren't).

 

[Aiden Roberts]

Point is I wish you good luck if you choose to do it.

Also you don't need to tell her, they always think they're right..

 

[Aiden Roberts]

Well they need to come forward and explain why. (Because they aren't).

To be fair one of the "Done Properly" was me, now I'm wavering which suggests I wasn't convinced in the first place

 

[Simon]

I think directorys need to be directorys but then offer more now. You need to provide additional value and have a USP. For example booking.com, holidaylettings.co.uk, directorys with a booking engine and pos. Trip advisor VisitScotland etc. Having said that there is a lot of rubbish out there which would expect you pay a fee upfront and not promise you anything..

We have just started a holiday let and need to use directorys effectively to bring business to us. Most of the good ones take a percentage of the sale rather than money up front or offer a variety of options.
BTW Aiden if your other half is looking for something in the Scottish Borders let me know

I voted if done properly for the above reasons.

 

[websaway]

She is absolutely right. They are nothing unique or special. Unless you can come up with something amazing, some kind of interface or algorithm to blow all competitors out of the water there's literally no point. Without anything to captivate interest on social media nobody will use it and will instead just keep going to the monopoly that is Google.

I envision in about 50 years we will all be having our breakfast of Google coffee, in our Google powered smart mugs, looking at the time on our Google powered smart watches before we head off to work using Google's smart GPS to show us traffic jams, on the drive to work we will stop at Google smart station to quickly replace the battery in our Google wind solar powered cars, before we get into work where we configure our Google drones to do the work for us, before heading outside in the sunshine to enjoy a Google smart beer that can tell us how pissed we are.

So you are an "if done properly" then.

 

[Aiden Roberts]

So there seems to be an opinion if done properly with a usp it could work. I understand the negatives of directories and work required to achieve quality with a usp which actually has benefits for the advertisers rather than just taking money of them.

Simon I'm a coastal walker, if it's not far from the coast could be an option, let me know Note to self: Where are the Scottish bordersI really am thick!!!

This has been a very useful discussion thank you guys.

Rob

 

[Stas]

From link building point of view, I can't see Matt Cutts saying - "You have 3 links from directories in the link profile -Penalty!" If not abused, then it does sort of makes sense in the link profile to have a few links from directories and should not harm. How much benefit the links will provide might depend on how selective directory's "approving" team is