SEO Question: Directory link building, is it still worth doing?
Image from SXC.hu
This weeks SEO question is:
Is it still worth getting my company listed on standard web directories? I know that this should only form part of our overall strategy, but is it worth doing at all?
Great question and in a nutshell, I would say no.
Most web directories run off scripts, and as long as you meet the websites criteria, your link will be accepted, this in itself doesn’t sound to bad but when they are spammed and not managed correctly, that’s what makes these types of sites poor, low quality and not user friendly in Google’s eyes.
If you’re really wanting to do directory link building as a daily task, concentrate on business directory links using such sites as Yell, Scoot, Thomson Local and the like. These can help with localised search phrases.
A similar question was asked here and the response was:
“thin and unrelated links can and will hurt you, focus on strengthening your content”
Below is a great video by Matt Cutts on link building (it is quite an old video but some of the techniques mentioned are really good, i.e – social media participation) and I’d recommend that you check out this guide from KISSmetrics.
Also, don’t forget to view some of my more recent link building posts.
About the author: Dave Cain is an SEO with 10 years digital marketing experience. He can be followed on Twitter, Facebook and Google+ or you can subscribe to his RSS feed.
Enjoyed this SEO post? Share it with others
Read more related SEO posts
- SEO Question: If I have to do link building. What best ways are there besides writing good articles and paid listings?
- The beginners guide to link building (includes free list of link building directories)
- Link Building: .edu and .gov backlinks – are they still worth chasing?
- My top 5 link building blog posts from the past 12 months (includes free downloads)
- SEO Question: What is a ‘link wheel’ and do they help with link building?