undefined
Skip to content
Moz logo Menu open Menu close
  • Products
    • Moz Pro
    • Moz Pro Home
    • Moz Local
    • Moz Local Home
    • STAT
    • Moz API
    • Moz API Home
    • Compare SEO Products
    • Moz Data
  • Free SEO Tools
    • Domain Analysis
    • Keyword Explorer
    • Link Explorer
    • Competitive Research
    • MozBar
    • More Free SEO Tools
  • Learn SEO
    • Beginner's Guide to SEO
    • SEO Learning Center
    • Moz Academy
    • SEO Q&A
    • Webinars, Whitepapers, & Guides
  • Blog
  • Why Moz
    • Agency Solutions
    • Enterprise Solutions
    • Small Business Solutions
    • Case Studies
    • The Moz Story
    • New Releases
  • Log in
  • Log out
  • Products
    • Moz Pro

      Your all-in-one suite of SEO essentials.

    • Moz Local

      Raise your local SEO visibility with complete local SEO management.

    • STAT

      SERP tracking and analytics for enterprise SEO experts.

    • Moz API

      Power your SEO with our index of over 44 trillion links.

    • Compare SEO Products

      See which Moz SEO solution best meets your business needs.

    • Moz Data

      Power your SEO strategy & AI models with custom data solutions.

    NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic
    Moz Pro

    NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic

    Learn more
  • Free SEO Tools
    • Domain Analysis

      Get top competitive SEO metrics like DA, top pages and more.

    • Keyword Explorer

      Find traffic-driving keywords with our 1.25 billion+ keyword index.

    • Link Explorer

      Explore over 40 trillion links for powerful backlink data.

    • Competitive Research

      Uncover valuable insights on your organic search competitors.

    • MozBar

      See top SEO metrics for free as you browse the web.

    • More Free SEO Tools

      Explore all the free SEO tools Moz has to offer.

    NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic
    Moz Pro

    NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic

    Learn more
  • Learn SEO
    • Beginner's Guide to SEO

      The #1 most popular introduction to SEO, trusted by millions.

    • SEO Learning Center

      Broaden your knowledge with SEO resources for all skill levels.

    • On-Demand Webinars

      Learn modern SEO best practices from industry experts.

    • How-To Guides

      Step-by-step guides to search success from the authority on SEO.

    • Moz Academy

      Upskill and get certified with on-demand courses & certifications.

    • MozCon

      Save on Early Bird tickets and join us in London or New York City

    Unlock flexible pricing & new endpoints
    Moz API

    Unlock flexible pricing & new endpoints

    Find your plan
  • Blog
  • Why Moz
    • Small Business Solutions

      Uncover insights to make smarter marketing decisions in less time.

    • Agency Solutions

      Earn & keep valuable clients with unparalleled data & insights.

    • Enterprise Solutions

      Gain a competitive edge in the ever-changing world of search.

    • The Moz Story

      Moz was the first & remains the most trusted SEO company.

    • Case Studies

      Explore how Moz drives ROI with a proven track record of success.

    • New Releases

      Get the scoop on the latest and greatest from Moz.

    Surface actionable competitive intel
    New Feature

    Surface actionable competitive intel

    Learn More
  • Log in
    • Moz Pro
    • Moz Local
    • Moz Local Dashboard
    • Moz API
    • Moz API Dashboard
    • Moz Academy
  • Avatar
    • Moz Home
    • Notifications
    • Account & Billing
    • Manage Users
    • Community Profile
    • My Q&A
    • My Videos
    • Log Out

The Moz Q&A Forum

  • Forum
  • Questions
  • Users
  • Ask the Community

Welcome to the Q&A Forum

Browse the forum for helpful insights and fresh discussions about all things SEO.

  1. Home
  2. SEO Tactics
  3. Link Building
  4. Which Directory Sites to Choose?

Moz Q&A is closed.

After more than 13 years, and tens of thousands of questions, Moz Q&A closed on 12th December 2024. Whilst we’re not completely removing the content - many posts will still be possible to view - we have locked both new posts and new replies. More details here.

Which Directory Sites to Choose?

Link Building
4
17
3.8k
Loading More Posts
  • Oldest to Newest
  • Newest to Oldest
  • Most Votes
Reply
  • Reply as question
Log in to reply
This topic has been deleted. Only users with question management privileges can see it.
  • seanmccauley
    seanmccauley last edited by Apr 23, 2011, 3:40 PM

    Hi All

    I am a newbie to SEO and have a quick Q.

    Assuming that appropriate steps would be to;

    a) Ensure all onsite matters are are correct, title tags, meta descriptions, redirects, canonical issues.

    b) Submit to Directories

    c) Build Links

    I am approaching step b)

    Which Directories are worth submitting to? For those which require payment, how can I decide which are value for money or should I just use SEOMOZ list of links and assume that theyre worth the $50 - $100 if my higher ranking competitors have links from these directories. Also, can this be looked opon as grey/black hat 'buying of links'?

    Thank you

    Sean

    www.pretavoir.co.uk

    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
    • scanlin
      scanlin @KeriMorgret last edited by Sep 28, 2011, 7:24 PM Sep 28, 2011, 7:24 PM

      Keri, that link in your post is broken. I see it as:

      http://../blog/seo-link-directory-best-practices

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • KeriMorgret
        KeriMorgret last edited by Sep 28, 2011, 7:24 PM Sep 28, 2011, 7:13 PM

        Just wanted to leave a quick note saying that SEOmoz has upgraded the Link Directory! You can view a post Cyrus wrote with more information about the directory updates and link building via directories at http://www.seomoz.org/blog/seo-link-directory-best-practices

        scanlin 1 Reply Last reply Sep 28, 2011, 7:24 PM Reply Quote 0
        • BlinkWeb
          BlinkWeb @seanmccauley last edited by Apr 25, 2011, 12:59 PM Apr 25, 2011, 12:44 PM

          Yeah I just feel like if SEO people put half the effort they put into tricking Google, into doing SEO the right way and creating value that they could have one hell of an SEO product.

          What you are essentially looking to do is create web spam.

          It seems like a lot of effort for something that may work for a whille but will almost surely be figured out eventually and doesn't bring any value to your clients.

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
          • seanmccauley
            seanmccauley @seanmccauley last edited by Apr 25, 2011, 3:16 PM Apr 25, 2011, 12:30 PM

            Cheers for reply Roger.

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • BlinkWeb
              BlinkWeb @seanmccauley last edited by Apr 25, 2011, 12:27 PM Apr 25, 2011, 12:27 PM

              You should put that in a new question and I'll bet it would get more eyes on it.

              I've seen it done a lot but not sure as to how effective it is. I would think its pretty easy for google to figure out. Especially if they are all new domains registered to you and hosted on one c block or even the same IP address.

              I think to do it where it wouldnt raise obvious flags would be expensive and you are still just getting links from new sites with little/no authority so not sure its worth it.

              My guess is Google would figure it out anyway.

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • seanmccauley
                seanmccauley @seanmccauley last edited by Apr 25, 2011, 3:17 PM Apr 25, 2011, 12:22 PM

                Roger

                Thanks for that advice.

                I just downloaded quite a good whitepaper from http://www.fastdirectorysubmitter.com/ which seems makes sense to me. Any of you have used this site or similar?

                Thanks

                Sean

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • BlinkWeb
                  BlinkWeb @seanmccauley last edited by Apr 25, 2011, 12:14 PM Apr 25, 2011, 12:14 PM

                  Not a chance its worth 50-100.

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • scanlin
                    scanlin @seanmccauley last edited by Apr 24, 2011, 7:27 PM Apr 24, 2011, 7:27 PM

                    I never pay directories for inclusion, nor do I pay people to do directory submission for me (unless you're just trying to get into 1000 low-value spam directories, it's not worth it). You need to do it yourself so you get the categorization of your site's listing correct (each directory is a little different) and optimize/maximize the characters that each one gives you to write a description of your site (and/or add tags/keywords). It's a high-touch operation for human-moderated directories that are actually valuable.

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • seanmccauley
                      seanmccauley @seanmccauley last edited by Apr 24, 2011, 7:22 PM Apr 24, 2011, 7:22 PM

                      Mike

                      Thanks for taking the time to give your advice. I think you make good points.

                      One last thought is; Is it worth paying 50-100 $ pa?

                      Thanks

                      Sean

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • scanlin
                        scanlin @seanmccauley last edited by Apr 24, 2011, 1:40 PM Apr 24, 2011, 1:40 PM

                        Directory submission is a background task and subject to time management constraints and other things you need to get done. I would do all of the relevant non-weak directories first. Then, when you have time, get around to the relevant weak directories. Every do-follow inbound link you get has some value. Especially if it's on a different C-class IP address, or from a trusted source (human moderated directory). I wouldn't obsess about directory submissions, but I would put it on the list of things to do for when you have a few minutes (do a few per day or else you'll get burned out on it if you do them all at once).

                        As for UK vs non-UK, it may help you to have some .uk directories but regular old .com directories should help, too.

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • seanmccauley
                          seanmccauley @scanlin last edited by Apr 24, 2011, 5:02 AM Apr 24, 2011, 5:02 AM

                          Thanks Mike The seomoz contains 180 directories with some of them towards bottom of list described as weak? Why have they listed these weak links? Also, as I am in the UK a) Should it make much difference as to which directories I use? b) As I am hoping to optimise for google.co.uk in the main, is there a different approach I should take due to my location? Sean

                          scanlin seanmccauley BlinkWeb 8 Replies Last reply Apr 25, 2011, 12:44 PM Reply Quote 0
                          • scanlin
                            scanlin last edited by Apr 23, 2011, 10:55 PM Apr 23, 2011, 10:55 PM

                            SEOmoz maintains a list of directories here: http://www.seomoz.org/directories

                            seanmccauley 1 Reply Last reply Apr 24, 2011, 5:02 AM Reply Quote 1
                            • seanmccauley
                              seanmccauley @seanmccauley last edited by Apr 23, 2011, 6:10 PM Apr 23, 2011, 6:10 PM

                              Roger

                              Thanks for reply. That makes sense.

                              I will take a look at these links.

                              Sean

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • BlinkWeb
                                BlinkWeb @seanmccauley last edited by Apr 23, 2011, 5:17 PM Apr 23, 2011, 5:13 PM

                                Hi Sean,

                                I guess I am being a little black and white there. I would try and get listed in any directories that your competitors are listed in that show authority in OSE. It may or may not do you any good but it wont hurt.

                                Here is Yahoo Directory, submit link.

                                https://ecom.yahoo.com/dir/submit/intro/

                                I guess what I am saying is that I would limit my time submitting to directories and try to use that time doing something that ads value, like participating in a community. It will pay you back way more than just pure SEO value and directories just aren't a good use of time or money in any large quantity.

                                Also check these links out for more info (the fact that SEOmoz has not dedicated ANY resources to updating this list or really discussing directories at all since 2008 is a good indicator of what they think of directories.)

                                http://www.seomoz.org/directories

                                http://www.seomoz.org/blog/what-makes-a-good-web-directory-and-why-google-penalized-dozens-of-bad-ones

                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • seanmccauley
                                  seanmccauley @BlinkWeb last edited by Apr 23, 2011, 4:52 PM Apr 23, 2011, 4:52 PM

                                  Roger

                                  Thanks for you reply. The main reason I ask is that when I use Seomoz Open Site Explorer they list some of the most important links of my competitors as some directories. Our site is as you suggest almost devoid of links. I have submitted to dmoz and I assume that is just a waiting game. How do you get listed with Yahoo sites you mention?

                                  BlinkWeb seanmccauley 2 Replies Last reply Apr 23, 2011, 6:10 PM Reply Quote 0
                                  • BlinkWeb
                                    BlinkWeb last edited by Apr 23, 2011, 4:30 PM Apr 23, 2011, 4:30 PM

                                    If you can get into dmoz (impossible? maybe) and Yahoo sites they are worth while. Unless you are just have absolutely no links I think directories are pretty useless anymore.

                                    If you are looking for quick easy links, maybe spend some time in some forums answering questions related to your business. you get a signature link (for what it's worth) and if you add value as a contributer, you can see some REAL referral traffic.

                                    I would not pay for many directories.

                                    Find some good communities and participate.

                                    seanmccauley 1 Reply Last reply Apr 23, 2011, 4:52 PM Reply Quote 0
                                    • 1 / 1
                                    1 out of 17
                                    • First post
                                      1/17
                                      Last post

                                    Got a burning SEO question?

                                    Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.


                                    Start my free trial


                                    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.

                                    • See all categories

                                    Related Questions

                                    • JackBarrie

                                      Do you disavow all the links on the WhatsApp Gold site?

                                      Do you disavow all the links on the WhatsApp Gold site? https://www.watsabgold.com/

                                      Link Building | May 26, 2024, 11:00 AM | JackBarrie
                                      0
                                    • Alick300

                                      Links from coupon sites

                                      Hi All, I post coupons on coupon sites a month ago and when I checked backlinks of my website I saw approx 1000 links coming from coupon sites on my Brand Name. IMO it is quite natural please share your views. *All the big brands listed on that coupon sites e.g amazon, dell etc Thanks

                                      Link Building | Jul 9, 2015, 7:43 AM | Alick300
                                      1
                                    • Obbserv

                                      Directory Submission

                                      Is it worth of submitting our company website in directories mentioned on http://www.directorycritic.com/free-directory-list.html?sort=pr&pg=

                                      Link Building | Dec 13, 2017, 8:19 PM | Obbserv
                                      0
                                    • National-Homebuyers

                                      NoFollow & Directory Scraper Backlinks

                                      I was wondering how important it was to remove/disavow: NoFollow backlinks - many ("buy viagra" etc). Directory backlinks - many questionable/generic directories. Obviously the focus is the equity passing links but both of the above constitute a significant proportion of backlinks to the site - I've seen that "scrapers" are seen as natural and obviously NoFollow do not pass link juice - but does the sheer number have a bearing and therefore make them equally important to address? Thanks in advance for your responses. Regards

                                      Link Building | Jan 9, 2015, 2:24 PM | National-Homebuyers
                                      0
                                    • Tim_Jacquet

                                      Does Yext Directory Listings Help with Links?

                                      ​Question: Does Yext Directory Listings Help with Links? They have 53 directories and I am trying to find out if this service is going to help building our links?

                                      Link Building | Jan 24, 2014, 3:11 PM | Tim_Jacquet
                                      0
                                    • SecJobs

                                      Top 20 sites for backlinking

                                      My security jobs website was doing very well in Search engines until the penguin got hold of me.  I don't profess to be at pro at SEO however seem to have a knack of getting sites to rank well.  I think I made some basic mistakes with the original security jobs website, to many links to soon, so I have started again and will build up slowly the backlinks quality rather than quantity this time.  My questions is what are the top 20 or so sites that are good to backlink from?

                                      Link Building | Sep 17, 2012, 3:26 AM | SecJobs
                                      0
                                    • ScottBaxterWW

                                      Having a link from a foreign site

                                      I just ran an OSE on a competitor of ours that they have a few links from this website, http://www.tz-online.de/ would this not damage there site?

                                      Link Building | Apr 2, 2012, 9:45 AM | ScottBaxterWW
                                      0
                                    • SamCUK

                                      Link Directories - Good or bad?

                                      I've just done a search on open site explorer for a competitors site that has is ranked number one. Most of their highest authority backlinks are from link directories. I just read an article on here saying to stay away from directories that state things like 'seo friendly directory'. Many of my competitors links are from these kind of sites! Will it harm me to get links from such sites? It seems to be working for my competitors.... confused.com!

                                      Link Building | Nov 29, 2011, 4:00 PM | SamCUK
                                      0

                                    Get started with Moz Pro!

                                    Unlock the power of advanced SEO tools and data-driven insights.

                                    Start my free trial
                                    Products
                                    • Moz Pro
                                    • Moz Local
                                    • Moz API
                                    • Moz Data
                                    • STAT
                                    • Product Updates
                                    Moz Solutions
                                    • SMB Solutions
                                    • Agency Solutions
                                    • Enterprise Solutions
                                    Free SEO Tools
                                    • Domain Authority Checker
                                    • Link Explorer
                                    • Keyword Explorer
                                    • Competitive Research
                                    • Brand Authority Checker
                                    • Local Citation Checker
                                    • MozBar Extension
                                    • MozCast
                                    Resources
                                    • Blog
                                    • SEO Learning Center
                                    • Help Hub
                                    • Beginner's Guide to SEO
                                    • How-to Guides
                                    • Moz Academy
                                    • API Docs
                                    About Moz
                                    • About
                                    • Team
                                    • Careers
                                    • Contact
                                    Why Moz
                                    • Case Studies
                                    • Testimonials
                                    Get Involved
                                    • Become an Affiliate
                                    • MozCon
                                    • Webinars
                                    • Practical Marketer Series
                                    • MozPod
                                    Connect with us

                                    Contact the Help team

                                    Join our newsletter
                                    Moz logo
                                    © 2021 - 2025 SEOMoz, Inc., a Ziff Davis company. All rights reserved. Moz is a registered trademark of SEOMoz, Inc.
                                    • Accessibility
                                    • Terms of Use
                                    • Privacy

                                    Looks like your connection to Moz was lost, please wait while we try to reconnect.