Oh LOTS of people do.  I just don't see the point these days.  I mean I'll admit I have one directory that I paid for years ago that gives some juice but I don't think everyone just gave up on directories by any means.  Haven't you gotten the annoying emails and calls about how some company is going to make your site appear high up on Google only to find they create a subdomain on their site of your page which they already have a gazillion victims fallen for it, and then they proudly state, we'lll get you into 100 directories.

The thing is, anyone can make a directory with a domain name and a cheap or even free hosting account with the click of a button.  Most shared hosts have directory software.  I guess the thing is how you define directory.   Is it a site that is just dedicated to links of all categories that anyone can submit and get into?  The free ones that allow any site are awful.  We are long past the days of directories.  Thats why we have search engines.  I learned the hard way myself and would hate to see someone else spend time and money  on directory links.

Google has shown time and time again that  an engaging, well-built site with fantastic content and natural links are the key to success. Do you ever go to random directories to find a site?  Now if its a directory for a specific topic and the owner chooses who they accept, and they don't have a ton of outgoing links, then thats a different story.  I think of those as more of just a page on a site with some links that are relevant.

I don't think I've ever used a directory to find a site...only to find places for links.  Sure I had some success, but eventually they all were deindexed or had very low PR/DA/PA/MOZTrust and had to remove them.  There are a handful of expensive ones but seriously why would anyone use them?  I've never gotten any traffic from these directories.  I do think there is one left but its very small and relevant.  http://siliconshire.org/  It's a very nice looking tiny site for a tiny city featuring the handfull of computer repair places in Eugene, Oregon and Springfield, Oregon which has a low population.  (Was number one in 3 months for all my desired keyterms, thats how small), but moved away.  THat's useful because Google doesn't have a list of specific businesses for a small town like that.  Plus it looks cool.   I just found a second one and the title is "The not so evil directory, but when you go to it its nothing but apache errors." lol

I think its all in how one defines a directory.  There are spam directories that are after money or worse yet require a backlink to get in and sometimes also money, and there are directories that are small and serve a purpose that a search engine doesn't do.  I snagged an awesome domain recently waiting in the wee hours and planning on turning it into somethlng similar.  A small site that is dynamic for ONE business category in a small city (hair salons / barber shops).   Mine also will have reviews and an algorithm and not cost a dime to get in.  I plan on doing it Google style and having a clearly marked 3 link only box at the top that is highlighted and marked  they are paid for ads space.  I'll only allow 3 though and if someone wants in they have to outbid that business and the business only can buy 3 months at a time if others are waiting to pay.  I find that ethical because its marked, not overdone, and eventually I plan on selling the domain most likely.  I also have options to sort by price or by review.

I know its a service I'd use as Google places shows only a handful of businesses and most reviews are faked. (it appears that way anyways.)  But I think thats more like a review site then a spam directory site only after money, and users only after PR/PA/DA/MT.

Or if you consider review sites like Yelp a directory in the same ballpark which I personally don't. I consider it a review site that is unethical that needs some serious work, I had someone attack me on Yelp with totally fake accusations which took almost a year to clear up.  Yelp then would take my REAL reviews that I didn't even ask clients to do or mention and put them in the filtered section.  But in a way Yelp sticks to one category...businesses and it has something different than most traditional directories...reviews.   FINALLY after they noticed both reviews were written exactly the same grammar and even used my personal name they removed them, but still kept the real reviews hidden. Regardless it's still a vital site for marketing but when someone says that I took their money in two posts written the same way and I had to get a lawyer and a year of time to clear it up thats just wrong.  You can read online hundreds of people complain that once they paid Yelp their real reviews that were good of course came out of filtered state.  That's so wrong and not cool.

Sorry went on a tangent.

Directories I think are totally useless as well.  Although some of my best backlinks are from high quality diretories that are relevant, but those are difficult to find.  For example I plan on making a directory in a city I lived in that would be just like Yelp but have ideas on how to make it more legit and it's for a specific topic for a specific city.  I'll have a tiny Ad box up top just how google does that is clearly labeled for those that pay, but the rest is based on reviews and my own algorithm.   It lets people find out where the best place to cut their hair is and they can also sort by price and location.

I'll likely do manually unless I can get API access for free as its not a huge city_ but a great domain I managed to snag in the middle of the night. Reviews are checked for authenticity like if they are really in the location or is going to be things like how many reviews they have on other sites.  How many stars will have very little "juice" over how many.  Do they have a website and what is their Alexa ranking?  And if Moz allows API access for free (If not I'll just check manually over a slow period.  I'll use Moztrust and domain trust as main factors.  The reviews on the site of course will play a key part as well.

Wow did I go off topic, sorry but paying someone in say India to get you into 1000 directories is not only money wasted but harmful.  Yet another example of Google sticking their head in the sand about blackhat SEO coming back.  They have stated many times that buying links is very bad.   Whats to stop a competitor?

That said, always ask yourself, are people going to this site and really going to click my link in the directory?  Use links only if its useful and relevant to the user.  They are worthless if nobody clicks them and is the whole point of links in the first place...to get traffic not to trick search engines.  Everything I've seen about listing in the really expensive $400 or more directories is pointless nowadays because, when was the last time you used one?   Yelp (which I HATE) is the only example I can think of other than search engines local listings.

Don't worry so much about links.  Worry about KILLER content.  People love mascots, flat simple designs just like this site.  Focus on quality not quantity but release content on a regular basis.  I think adding one piece of good content such as an article a week (on the same day especially) is a good strategy.  Don't let people con you into guest blogging for links and a lot of the directories require you link to them to get in.

Bottom line, nobody uses directories.  If you do your keyword research first, and then write engaging content you'll get natural links.  You could also link bait by writing an INTERESTING article  / content about a really great site they might pick up on the link and link back, but I'm not a fan.   I'm more of a fan of creating a widget of some kind that you encourage users to put on their sites, but even that I think nowadays is a bit sketchy as the anchor text or alt tags will be the same.

Plenty of tests have been done to show that nothing but fantastic original content mixed with knowing how to write tags properly with the best keyterms, will get incredible rankings, even in cases where backlinks haven't come yet.  Remember SEO isn't just about ranking it's about getting relevant traffic.

I like to pretend that Google staff is always sitting behind my shoulder watching.  If you feel like they would say uhhhh "how is that useful to the user." Don't do it!   You can buy great content online as well, or what I prefer is to write / make the content and hire a quality writer to edit it that is SEO savvy.

Content is king and also you'll get social media traffic from great content as well...which in turn gets links.   Remember REAL and legit Google Plus reviews with the user hopefully also +1ing your Google plus page has shown to help a lot more than expected.  Always remind happy customers that if they have a Google account that it helps if they add you to their circle, give an HONEST review, and get the red +1 pressed helps a lot.  Of course tie your Google Plus page to your website, and make SURE to make some unique posts on the Google plus page.  I promise it helps.  There was a Google staff member that was fired a while back for  blogging how valuable Google +  is or rankings.

Facebook and other sites are useful as well.  Think content and getting relevant traffic and the links come pouring in my friend.  Best of luck.

I forgot one last thing.  A great way to find ideas for content is to use Reddit, the trends tool on this site, Google Trends, and Google News.  Reddit being my favorite.  Example if your site is about virtual reality, search Reddit for Virtual Reality and you'll see whats hot right now.  Twitter too to a lesser extent.

Why not convert the PDF to HTML yet still have a download PDF button for clients if desired?  Heck there are lots of free tools to do this, but check the code.  Or you could just use an ALT tag which aren't just for images but for objects.  Not sure if PDF's with ALT tag give much link juice, and if I HAD to keep it as a PDF, I'd convert it to a compressed JPG file and use an ALT tag so that Google knows what the object is and keyterms.

No problem man. I'm not an expert but obsessed with internet marketing and coding. This site is fantastic once you really explore and use it, nothing beats it in my opinion.  I also really like SEO podcasts.  The best ones being "SEO Podcast Unknown Secrets of Internet Marketing" and on webmasterradio they have SEO 101 and a couple others.  I just download them all and listen while in car.

Things change on a daily basis and its a great way to keep up yo date and get ideas.  Sorry to go off topic, but I learned that Keyword research is so vital in the beginning before development.  Then it's content is king., You make killer content and the links will come naturally.  Only get backlinks if its relevant and if you think people would click it..(if you have the opportunity.)

I'm working on adding directories to my site, but modern ones with reviews and maps.  I LOVE scripting (mainly in bash) but found it all such a hassle getting API's..eventually it costs money or right from the beginning.   Sure you could scrape but that violates their terms and not a good idea.

I'm trying to figure out an algorithm myself as I want it to be legit, but will have a small Google ads-like section up top that is clearly labeled as ads.  If you figure out a good method other than manual please let me know.  I doubt Alexa cares if you view their site a few times a day through a textual browser but still...I want to do it by the book and its one of those things where its probably faster to do manually anyways I just love automation.  Wish API's werent required so darn much, but understand it thanks to stupid spammers. Ruins it for webmasters looking to get good content.

Of course, not a problem.  I was super tired and messed up some of the wording, but I think you understood what I meant.

One really important factor also is checking sites on Alexa.   Alexa is a site that has for years trying to map out the most popular websites in the world.  Please check out http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/scamanalyst.net

How popular is scamanalyst.net?

Global Rank 

414,999  (They are currently roughly the 414,999 most popular site in the world. They were a lot better and down 382,500 ranks!  (Google, Facebook, and Amazon for example are probably in the top 3)

Rank in United States 

160,626    Here is scamanalyst.net's USA rank.

Alexa Traffic Ranks
The global and country traffic ranks show how popular a site is relative to other sites.

• Learn more about Alexa's Data
• Traffic Metrics FAQs

Unique Visitors and Pageviews
The number of people who visit this site and the number of pages they view. Site owners who install the Alexa Certify Code on their website can choose to display their Certified Metrics, such as Monthly Unique Visitors and Pageviews, if they wish. Coming soon, estimated metrics will be displayed for many sites if Certified Metrics are not available.

• Learn more about Certified Metrics
• Certified Site Metrics FAQs

How engaged are visitors to scamanalyst.net?   (Results below) Meaning :

How engaged are visitors to this site?

How engaged are visitors to this site?
Engagement metrics help you understand how interested a site's visitors are with the site's content. The metrics are updated daily based on the trailing 3 months.

Bounce Rate (%)
Percentage of visits to the site that consist of a single pageview.

Daily Pageviews per Visitor
Estimated daily unique pageviews per visitor on the site.

Daily Time on Site
Estimated daily time on site (mm:ss) per visitor to the site.

Bounce Rate

81.10% 15.00%

Daily Pageviews per Visitor

1.30 11.33%

Daily Time on Site

1:19 10.00%

Just to compare to moz.com.  It's roughly the 25 most used site in the world!

How popular is moz.com?

Alexa Traffic Ranks

How is this site ranked relative to other sites?

Global Rank 

256 25

Rank in United States 

199

Alexa Traffic Ranks
The global and country traffic ranks show how popular a site is relative to other sites.

• Learn more about Alexa's Data
• Traffic Metrics FAQs

Unique Visitors and Pageviews
The number of people who visit this site and the number of pages they view. Site owners who install the Alexa Certify Code on their website can choose to display their Certified Metrics, such as Monthly Unique Visitors and Pageviews, if they wish. Coming soon, estimated metrics will be displayed for many sites if Certified Metrics are not available.

• Learn more about Certified Metrics
• Certified Site Metrics FAQs

How engaged are visitors to moz.com?

Bounce Rate

50.40% 8.00%

Daily Pageviews per Visitor

3.42 12.10%

Daily Time on Site

3:52 9.00%Oh and yep I was right, Google is number 1.  It's just one factor but does tell you a lot. You might also find this useful http://biglistofwebsites.com/list-top-websites-like-scamanalyst.net   It's a list of 100 sites that are most similar.  (Remember nothing is totally 100% accurate, but it still gives you a very good estimate.)

My bad. I misunderstood and misread.  Thanks for the update.

Yes, but how does that help him get the old data he needs? Crawlers shouldn't know your traffic unless you install the code they give you or verify some other way.  Find it to be a crawler causing the problem unlikely unless I misunderstood the problem/question.   I sure hope they have a Linux host (most are) and can just check the apache logs while Google Analytics takes a few days to update.

What webhost are you using?  Most keep analytics software enabled by default or at least lets you turn it on.  (While you wait for Google.)  Analytics are a key part to SEO so I use awstats (free), and webalizer.  With most hosts if not enabled its as easy as clicking a button.

Depending on your host, you might be able to get the raw log info, but most hosts don't have this option unless you paid for a fancy account which allows root shell access, but maybe not it differs from site to site.

Google Analytics will only show 1 visit if you are the only visitor even if you refresh the page or come pack.  It saves your IP address and hardware profile most likely is the method they use. Make sure you change Google Analytics to display as far back as possible.

scamanalyst.net Looks half decent, but I don't know  if it's the whole algorithm.  I think you'd have to pay for API's but could scrape valuable data from Google, like how often the sit-ins updated.  How old  is it and how many years are pre-bought.  How many reviews do they have on common review sites, and also factor in if they are good or bad reviews. (I'd do it as a separate variable.)

Lastly, they have sites like ripoff report.  You could write a script with their permission (and all sites mentioned), that scrapes how many listing on the site.  (The more the worse.)  I'd focus on review sites like Yelp (even though I hate them, Google, and even social media.  (How many  likes,etc.)

I think you could do a better job, but cool site.  Surprisingly accurate if that really is their whole algorithm.

Best way  to manually find out if a site is a scam is to Google the site and check its normal SERPS...then I'd search:  the site.com scam and see what comes up.  I'd also Google the site.com reviews.  I ALWAYS do this before purchasing and I always check how long they have been in business.

The site is fairly new but it's over a year so not bad.  If a site is just registered using a cheap domain extension that should set off HUGE bells and whistles.  It is a .net site which is pretty much equal to .com so you are good on that end.  Hope that was of some help.

Updated Date: 26-apr-2014

Creation Date: 24-may-2013

Expiration Date: 24-may-2015

SO they only bought the domain a little over a year ago.  That would be something I'd use in my choice for sure.  Remember that sites like ripoffreport have a lot of competitors and jerks.  Sites like the one you posted are a good tool,  but manual is always the best if possible in my opinion.

I"m actually doing a very similar project.  Is  this going to be for one of your sites?  The answer depends a lot on that.

Hi,

I've been struggling to get followers on Google Plus and Twitter, and recently stumbled upon twiends.com.

It offers an easy service that allows you to get twitter followers very quickly.  Is this considered black hating?  Even if Google doesn't consider the followers as valid, am I likely to be punished if using their service?  Even if it doesn't help rankings, it is nice to have lots of followers so that they will see my tweets which has the potential to drive more traffic to my site, and give awareness to my business.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks for the reply.  Has some very good info on press releases.    My only question is, is it a good idea for me to link to the press releases on my home page? Is it standard for businesses to link to the press releases, or do they just let clients find the press releases on Google.

Thanks again.

I just created my first press release at prlog.org using the free account, which lets you have one outgoing followed link.

Question:  Should I link to my press releases from my web site?  I made the mistake of doing link exchanges in the past, and worried Google would detect it as a link exchange.  It would be nice to link to the press releases on my site while still getting the benefits of having an incoming link from a site with PR 6.

Is prlog.org a good site for press releases?  Is there another one you recommend that is free or inexpensive?  Is there any benefits to using multiple press release sites, with different content on each site?

Thanks!!!