Is it OK to disavow directory submissions?
-
I'm currently working on a website that has had a load of spammy links built in the past.
From what I can see, it would be most efficient and effective to disavow everything that's there as all work performed previously is low quality, except for some local directory submissions.
These local directory submissions are likely "no follow" and therefore, I'm wondering is it OK to disavow everything including these local directory submissions, seeing they are no follow anyway?
-
Hi,
As everyone else has mentioned, nofollowed links are not passing PageRank and therefore should not be influencing search visibility as assessed by the Google Algorithm. If there is no manual action in place then there should be no reason to disavow them.
However, I look very differently at nofollowed links in the backlink profile of a site that has a manual action in place. In that case I ask two questions:
-
Is the site one that is in any way undesirable?
-
Are the nofollowed links part of an obvious large-scale manipulative effort?
If the answer to either or both of these questions is yes, then I choose to both attempt to get the links removed and also disavow. The reason for this: of course I don't want links from dubious sites which even though not passing PageRank could be doing damage to my brand and reputation and; when asking for reconsideration (judged by a real human being conducting a manual review) I believe that ignoring links that were obviously placed with the intention of manipulating search rankings simply because it didn't work, hardly shows a commitment to the "good faith effort" expected by the Webspam team. So, I go to the extra effort to try to remove and also disavow.
Marie is quite correct in suggesting that there are cases where links on some pages are followed and on other pages nofollowed - in fact we see instances at rmoov where URLs that contain multiple links to a site are actually a mix of followed and nofollowed links as well. As suggested ...you have no control over those links at all, so once you have decided which ones really need to be dealt with disavowing is the safest option available unless you can actually get them removed.
Again, I think the point has been fairly well made above ...Local directories are not all bad. Check for compliance with the Webmaster Quality Guidelines (which for paid directories includes a clear statement in their terms of service which indicates that you are paying for a site review and not for inclusion). The most relevant Guideline is the one about what Google views as "Link Schemes"
Hope that helps,
Sha
-
-
There is no need to disavow nofollowed links as they are not passing pagerank. However, there is no harm in doing this if you want to be sure. It is in theory possible that a site has nofollowed links on one page and followed on another. Or, in some cases, they could decide to change their structure and follow their links. But, in general I ignore nofollowed links when it comes to doing an audit.
-
To stay ahead of any future Google algorithm changes, I would disavow any links now that could seem questionable and hurt you in the future. But what is "questionable" is a complicated question. I would ask yourself these questions for every directory link you have gained:
1. Would I want this link if Google did not exist? (i.e., would the link send me valuable referred traffic anyway?)
2. Is this link curated by a human who is an expert in the field and who does not accept each and every submission?
3. If this link is being paid for, does it not pass PageRank (i.e., is it a no-follow link that adheres to Google's guidelines as such)?
If the answer is "yes" to all three questions, the link is usually safe. Since this is not the case with nearly all generic directories, I would likely want to disavow nearly all of them.
Note: You say that the links are no-follow, but that tag is still under the control of the directory websites and could change in the future (though likely it won't). I'd still disavow them just to be safe because you have no control over those links or what those sites may do in the future. However, this is a low priority since the links are no-follow -- I'd focus first on disavowing worse backlinks or doing your own positive online-marketing work to build your site further.
-
Unless you know you have had a penalty, or suspect you have, then I would be tempted not to disavow.
You say a lot of the links are low quality - what are you using to determine what quality the links are? As Chris said, directories aren't all bad, and some can be a real plus, so evaluate what you have before just removing them via disavow.
Tread a little carefully as I have seen sites get disavow-happy and kill all links, with a resulting drop from the SERPs.
-Andy
-
Hiya Gavo,
When you disavow you're essentially turning any links into no follow links so there isn't much point in disavowing no following links as it just makes more effort. You can however disavow as much or as little as you want but if you've not had a penalty it's best not to get too merry with that disavow list as you may find your position will drop (unless you counter it as you disavow).
Remember Directories are not all evil sometime they are okay, e.g yahoo & yell etc. if your niche finds you through a directory then in fact its good. Its the spammy directories Google's not keen on, so bare that in mind if people are finding you through the local listing.
So the things you want to ask your self is:
Do I have a penalty?
If I do what's caused it?
If I don't can I prevent one by removing links?
Am I getting referrals from these links, would be be better to keep the links and no-follow them ?
Best of Luck.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Are directory websites still worth considering?
Hi Mozzers, What are people's opinions on directory website? As standard, we would always attempt to get our clients listed on reputable generic directories such as Google My Business and Yelp, and then directories that are relevant to the industry in which a company operates. Do you think this is the right approach to take?
Link Building | | A_Q0 -
Backlinks From Press Releases - Should I Disavow Them?
About 2 months ago, I published a press release through PRWEB with a link back to my website of course. Now it must have been one of those morning where the coffee wasn't strong enough as my website already has a Penguin penalty I'm trying to get lifted. The intent wasn't to spam the web but rather to gain some traction in the business hosting world. Like I've said, the coffee must've been too weak that morning as it didn't even cross my mind to see if I could "nofollow" the links in the press release. I just hit the submit button... As I'm in the process of submitting a disavow links request to Google, I'm wondering if I should include the URLs to copies of those press releases? I mean, there's no way I can find all those links as it was submitted not long ago. Google and link tools will keep discovering other copies of the PR for months to come probably.
Link Building | | sbrault740 -
Worth paying for directory listings?
I'm going through the recommended SEO directory list but I notice that most of them are paid listings. I have been told that it is not worth spending any money on this, so why are there so many recommended in this list?
Link Building | | BridalHotspot0 -
To disavow or not?!
Hi, I've been rooting around my GWT account and noticed two what may be dodgy links, they look like a blog network - no contact details on the site and basically just blog posts about various subjects that all contain keyword rich links. The two that are pointing at me are two seperate articles on two sites that both contain around 3 keyword links to our website. I have no idea why these are linking to me as I have not requested them, so not too sure if someone has done this on purpose on what! Looked on the sites in question and there is no way of contacting the person responsible for the sites. Not had any warnings yet (touch wood) in GWT, how you you go about trying to get shut of links when there is no contact info on the sites? Bit wary of using the Disavow thing in Google as some people say go for it while others say avoid? Any hints/tips would be welcomed as this has got me a bit worried! Cheers Ted
Link Building | | Jon-C0 -
Article submission to multiple directories
We know the general consensus among the crowd here is to avoid free article submission directories. But we have to do this as part of our overall deliverables and have hit a roadblock. A couple of our agencies are insisting that we submit one article to multiple sites - which we contend would trigger duplicate content issue and render all links useless. Any feedback on submitting one article to multiple article sites?
Link Building | | eBrandz0 -
Has anyone done any real research about paid directories?
Hi Guys Im doing a little link building and in the industry Im working in there are quite a few directories....most offer free inclusion as long as you link back to them. This process can be slow due to the number of people trying to get listed. Also most offer a "express service" whereby you can get your site reviewed and uploaded faster if you pay a nominal fee circa £15. I'm not refering to any old directories these are directories which are industry specific and related to my site, however they are not confined to the country I am in (UK) but extend world wide So that got me thinking has anyone actually done any conclusive research which suggests that either A) you will not get any benefit from being included in such a directory or B) that you get penalised if you do so or C) none of the above and there is some benefit. I have been using open site explore and I can see these sites are giving link juice to my competition (as far as I can tell ofcourse) I found a site with almost all of its back links from these types of directories ranking on the first page for a very competitive term (67% using Keyword Difficulty tool) Would be interested to hear your thoughts / experiences
Link Building | | RankStealer0 -
Should I abandon directories?
To say I'm new to SEO would be an understatement. I am heading up marketing for a firm and they have zero web presence. I've used Alexa.com to check out our competition and one site in particular has about 150 sites linking to it. I dove in deeper and created a spreadsheet. The majority of these links are sketchy, paid directory listings (or what look sketchy to me). The confusing part is, they rank first on Google when I search for industry keywords. Is it because of these directories? Should I follow them or avoid them completely? I'm planning on creating content and pushing that out to reputable industry sites. I figured getting links/mentions from these would help SEO. Should I only target these high value sites or would submitting articles to the directories with "article" sections offer any assistance? It seems as though my SEO knowledge is limited to less-than admirable tactics, although not by choice. I am planning to dive into paid search in the coming weeks but wanted to know of any "ground work" I could do aside from pushing content and paid search. It seems like there are 1,000's of these paid directory sites and I find it hard to believe they will offer me a benefit...it's just the competition is on them and something is working. Sorry this is so remedial, but I need to figure out where to go!
Link Building | | InfabCorporation0 -
Where do I find directories for Aerospace?
My company sells aircraft parts. We are trying to find web directories for aerospace and Latin America, where do I go?
Link Building | | yntgmz0