Web Directory F.A.Q - Last Updated 16/11/2011
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What is an SEO friendly directory?
How do I identify an SEO friendly directory?
Why should I make my directory SEO friendly?
What is the difference between a directory and a link farm?
How do I know if a directory is really a link farm?
Is submitting to web directories still useful for link building?
What is Editing?
Where can I learn more about Directory Editing?
What is Editorial Integrity? NEW
How does active editing improve my directory?
Who am I to decide how someone's site is described?
Can I add non-submitted sites to my directory?
What constitutes a spam/garbage/junk listing?
Are there any submissions I should refuse?
Is it ok to refuse all submissions from certain countries or seo services without reviewing them?
Do legitimate hydraulic websites and flower shops exist? What are the hydraulic test and the flower test?
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What is an SEO friendly directory?
An SEO friendly directory is one whose listed website links can be indexed by the search engines. They are optimised so that site links/listings included in their submissions will be crawled and indexed by the search engines.
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How do I identify an SEO friendly directory?
An
SEO friendly directory is one that meets
ALL of the following criteria:
- Direct and static outbound links for listed websites.
- NO blocking of the search engine robots in the robots.txt file or meta tags.
- NO use of rel=nofollow on the outbound links.
- NO internal links, jumplinks or redirects for outbounds.
- The keyword anchor is part of the link (this is normally the Site Title but can also be embedded in the Description).
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Why should I make my directory SEO friendly?
This is simple. A directory that is not SEO friendly, competes with the listed website for the
keywords/keyphrases that are listed in the link anchor. This means that the directory itself gains the ranking benefit in the search engines, not the listed website, and as such it is a negative for that website rather than a positive.
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What is the difference between a directory and a link farm?
A
directory collates website listings into appropriate categories based on industry/topic/region, and has an editorial process whereby submissions are manually adjusted by humans so that the content is unique, free of spam and accurately defines the listed websites purpose.
A
link farm can have categories and list websites, but has no editing policy, does not combat spam and lists website submissions "as is" creating problems with duplicated content.
NB: There are many more link farms around than directories. On the surface they are difficult to spot, because they use directory scripts, and masquerade as directories, however they are not the same as a real directory and should be avoided at all costs.
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How do I know if a directory is really a link farm?
We use a couple of simple tests to identify
link farms, which are based around searching for popular spam keyword/keyphrases on a *directory* and then analysing the results returned to see what sort of listings are within that directory. More often than not, spam results are returned and one can conclude that the directory is in fact a link farm.
One of these is the
Hydraulic Test. We simply search for the word
hydraulic on a directory and analyse the results returned.
A result like this indicates: keyword spam; incorrect punctuation; poorly worded descriptions; duplicate content...
Quote:
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Originally Posted by hydraulic test results
UTB 650, Tractor, Tractor Parts, UTB Romania, Universal 650, UTB Tractor, Tractorul utb spares, UTB-650 parts - utbparts.com
Manufacturer and Exporter of UTB-650 Romania spare parts, Engine parts, Transmission parts, Hydraulic Parts, Body Parts, Electrical Parts. We are supplier of complete range of Tractorul UTB 650 Romania.
hydraulic pumps,lub oil pump,steering pump,duplex pump,manufacturer,supplier - hydraulicpumps.in
Manufacturer and supplier of hydraulic pumps, lubricating oil pump, steering pump, Pompe hydraulique, duplex pump, steering jack, master cylinder, brake master cylinder, hyd pump for UTB
Fiat,Tractor Parts,Fiat Tractor,fiat spare parts,Fiat,Tractor,parts,Tractor part - fiattractorparts.com
Manufacturer and Exporter of fiat-445 tractor spare parts, Engine part, automotive, Transmission parts, Hydraulic Parts
Fiat,Tractor Parts,Fiat Tractor,fiat spare parts,Fiat,Tractor,parts,Tractor part - fiattractorparts.com
Manufacturer and Exporter of fiat-445 tractor spare parts, Engine part, automotive, Transmission parts, Hydraulic Parts
Supplier Of Oil Seals,Rubber Seal Manufacturer,Oil Seal,Hydraulic Seal,Exporter - oilsealindia.com
Manufacturer and supplier of oil seals, rubber seals, hydraulic seals, oil-seals, rubber parts, automotive rubber components. We are exporter of rubber components, rubber parts, automotive rubber components.
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Is submitting to web directories still useful for link building??
Let's let Google have the first word...
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Official Google Webmaster Blog - June 21st, 2010
Directory entries are often mentioned as another way to promote young sites in the Google index. There are great, topical directories that add value to the Internet. But there are not many of them in proportion to those of lower quality. If you decide to submit your site to a directory, make sure it's on topic, moderated, and well structured. Mass submissions, which are sometimes offered as a quick work-around SEO method, are mostly useless and not likely to serve your purposes.
Source: Official Google Webmaster Blog |
The point to note here is that you should focus on
quality, and
topical relevance. Avoid massive lists of directories, because they contain all that lower quality junk that you are trying to avoid. Don't think that more is better, because it quite simply isn't, and Google has
officially told you so.
People that
rely solely on directory submissions to promote their online standings are
planning to fail. Directories are just one of many promotional tools in your toolbox
Think about this in a
bricks 'n' mortar business sense. You wouldn't rely solely on business cards to promote your business at the expense of ignoring every other promotional method would you? (you would employ a balance of other methods like cold calling, local newspaper advertising, taking advantage of your window space, word of mouth, flyers/handouts, etc). However, on the flip side, you
wouldn't ignore using business cards to promote your business
just because you can't get amazing results with them as a sole promotional tool.
People *need* to think of directories the same way and take a
balanced approach when deciding on a directory submission campaign. Invest time in them, but do not neglect the other promotional methods that you have available to you. How much time and money you invest in them depends on your budget and time constraints and the proportion of those that you have dedicated to those other promotional tools at your disposal.
Gaining a listing on a
high quality directory is one of the best backlinks to gain, simply because your site will be required to pass an
editorial listing standard or review. By listing your site the editor is effectively saying "the internet needs to know about this website". No other promotional method has that standard (not twitter/facebook, not social media, not blogs, and not forum signatures and profiles). It is why
editorial standards are the
key to directory quality.
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What is Editing?
Editing is one of the most important concepts in operating a directory. As a directory owner you need to make sure that bad websites are rejected; that badly written titles & descriptions are either edited (changed) or rejected; that websites are in the most suitable category. If you fail to do this on a large scale then your website will be considered a
link farm rather than a directory.
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Where can I learn more about Directory Editing?
Editing a directory is a skill that can be learned from others or through volunteering your time on established directories, under the watchful eye of an experienced editorial team that will correct your mistakes.
Four directories that accept volunteer editors are:
BOTW,
Skaffe,
JoeAnt and
DMOZ.
Knowledge on editing can also be gained by
reading and
joining in the discussion on directory-specific forums with a good moderation team such as
Info Vilesilencer and
V7 Network. Be wary of unmoderated forums as they tend to provide misinformation that leads to poor directories being created.
* Credit for the volunteerism response goes to Swedal from V7N, an experienced directory editor and commentator with a respected directory.
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What is Editorial Integrity?
Integrity is an ethical quality, that translates as the unwillingness to compromise your principles for anything.
In terms of directories this means that you will treat every submission, and every website, with the same strict guidelines that you treat any other no matter how much you are paid, or how many favours you owe. i.e. During the editing process, where you have control over what to accept, reject and modify, your integrity and principles will not be swayed and that you will stick to a strict standard.
Integrity can also be displayed by listing non-profit organisations and charities for the common good. A directory owner/editor can demonstrate their quality of character by seeking out these philanthropic websites on their own time, and adding them for free to their directories. This shows a desire to use your resource, as a vehicle for more than just profit, by generating goodwill.
* Credit for building integrity by listing sites for the common good goes to CReed a highly respected Super Moderated from V7N, who is also an experienced directory editor.
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How does active editing improve my directory?
Active editing ensures two things:
1. The creation of new content; and
2. The maintenance of existing content.
Both search engines and humans thrive on content. It is the most important part of a directory, and so, keeping the content
maintained and
fresh by active editing is crucial to its survival.
An active directory will also be one that appears alive. This will improve conversions, as well as ensure that people talk about and use the directory. Directories that are inactive, quickly become stale as no new content is added and existing content isn't maintained so that dead links increase in frequency throughout the directory. Listings also become less relevant as categories become bloated, because the editor is failing to create new sub-categories to further define and refine listings to improve navigation.
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Who am I to decide how someone's site is described?
Confidence in this area comes with experience. Editing quickly grows on you such that you can write descriptions in your head for pretty much any website that will describe it accurately and fairly.
The key here is that you are an
editor and not a
dictator. The former adjusts/fixes/changes listings so that they are more descriptive, less-biased, and non-promotional. The latter just writes the entire description themselves.
When a site is submitted, sometimes only simple adjustments need to be made such that it is a suitable listing. Removing references like "we" and replacing them with "they", correcting punctuation and spelling, changing words and capitals to lowercase and removing promotional words like "best", "great", "amazing" or exclamation marks are some of the simple editing techniques that many directories undertake.
You decide, because it is your content and they are submitting to you, to request a listing. Ultimately the choice rests with the editor as to how they wish to display the information. Bad editors will leave it "as is", whilst good editors will employ some of the techniques described above.
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Can I add non-submitted sites to my directory?
Yes. For new directories this is called
seeding. The reason a directory is
seeded is to ensure that there is useful content in empty categories whilst the directory awaits submissions.
For existing directories, adding non-submitted websites to their directory is just good editorial practice. If you find a good website, then why wouldn't you want to share it with the rest of the web? Directories are, after all, a place that recommends websites in particular categories/topics.
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What constitutes a spam/garbage/junk listing?
When we talk about spam, in relation to directories, we can refer to a number of things:
(i) extremely poor submission information.
Submission information is controlled initially by the submitter. They choose how they want to define their site via it's
Site Title and
Description.
Once they have done that it is up to the directory owner/editor to decide whether the listing information is accurate and represents worthwhile content. This is where *editing* comes into play.
An example of extremely poor submission information is the following:
Quote:
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Originally Posted by poor submission information
delhi inn, delhi b&b, b&b delhi, delhi bed and breakfast, delhi bed breakfast, guest house in delhi, delhi guest house, bed & breakfast delhi, bed & breakfast new delhi, b&b new delhi -
hxxp://www.bedandbreakfastnewdelhi.com
Guest house delhi, b&b new delhi, delhi guest house, guest house new delhi, guest house in delhi, delhi bed and breakfast, bed & breakfast delhi, bed breakfast delhi, bed breakfast new delhi, bed & breakfast new delhi, new delhi bed breakfast, delhi bed breakfast, bed and breakfast new delhi, delhi b&b, b&b delhi, delhi inn - Read more
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This is the Site Title. The Site title should be no more than a few words that act as a brief explanation of what the site is about. A better title than the one above would simply be
Delhi Bed and Breakfast. The site title in the example is poor because it repeats keyword/keyphrases over and over, which is spam. Each comma delimitation refers to a new title (so there are really 10 site titles in that example)
This is the Description. The description should be a concise, unbiased and 3rd party perspective describing the listed website and what it has to offer. It should consist of 1 or 2 complete sentences (or longer in some cases). A better description than the one above would be
Offers bed and breakfast accommodation and serviced apartments located in Safdarjung Enclave and Green Park. Ten luxurious, furnished, clean, air-conditioned rooms with en-suite bathrooms are available with modern amenities. The description in the example is poor because it does not provide any detailed explanation into what the website/business has to offer, it merely repeats "bed and breakfast" keywords and "delhi" keywords over and over - this is spam, plain and simple, and just one listing like this can turn a good directory into a link farm really quickly.
(ii) duplicate content from similar domains.
See the image below:
Duplicate content is frowned upon by search engines and humans alike. It is considered spam, because it repeats keywords over and over in an attempt to manipulate search engines.
It also just looks completely and utterly stupid. Descriptions for each website listed in a directory
should be unique. If there are duplicated descriptions then how does someone differentiate between two sites?
The image is an all-too-common example of duplicated content within a directory. Directories who allow that sort of garbage into their listings
are link farms not directories. This is what we call the
flower test. If you conduct a search for the term
flower on a directory, and the results returned are similar to the image above, then that directory is a link farm.
(iii) duplicate designs from different websites.
(iv) submission from multiple similar sub-domains on the one domain.
e.g. hxxp://www.car-rental.com decides to submit all their state subdomains to a directory to manipulate the engines. 9 times out of 10 their submission information would be exactly the same except they replace the name of the state in the description and site titles accordingly.
alabama.car-rental.com
alaska.car-rental.com
arizona.car-rental.com
.
.
.
wisconsin.car-rental.com
wyoming.car-rental.com
Including all 50 of these is a complete mistake. Use the www, and scrap the subdomains entirely.
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Are there any submissions I should refuse?
Websites that are spam, "scraper", or MFA should be refused outright as no amount of editing can correct them.
Scrapers are websites that steal their content from other sites. At first it can be hard to pick these pages, but searching a sentence or two on an engine like Google can often confirm a scraper site. Listing them is not advised because they represent duplicate content, and will generally be covered in pay per click advertising. When the advertising on those sites fails, as it invariably does at some point in time, the site disappears and you as the directory owner are left with a dead link/listing in your directory which is bad for content.
MFA's are websites that are
Made
For
Adsense. Which means they are built purely to generate revenue for the Google Adsense system, and very rarely if ever offer any useful content to anyone.
Many scraper sites are MFA's, the two generally go hand-in-hand.
MFA's can sometimes be difficult to detect because the site owners don't put the adsense on the website till
after they have submitted to, and been accepted by, a vast number of directories.
The questions you should be asking yourself as you review a site with Google Adsense are:
- Does the site offering anything besides the adsense?
- Is the information provided on the site
really useful?
- Does the adsense compromise the content?
The last question is significant because any site owner that puts adsense placement ahead of their content is obviously more interested in raising revenue than providing good quality and useful content to their visitors. So why give them a free listing?
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Is it ok to refuse all submissions from certain countries or seo services without reviewing them?
Many submission and SEO services, particulary from certain regions, can submit the worst kind of spam to directories, so the option of banning entire countries, services or submitters outright, to reduce spam can have a high appeal.
As a directory owner accepting free submissions you choose the content of your directory. You have no obligation to accept
any website. However, if you choose to block countries/services from your directory, be aware that
you could be rejecting vital quality websites from genuine submitters. Also, if you do choose to mass reject based on presumptions, publishing this as part of your editorial guidelines can avoid confusion.
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Do legitimate hydraulic websites and flower shops exist? What are the hydraulic test and the flower test?
Yes.
We merely use the
hydraulic and
flower keywords to
test for spam because those particular keywords (the flower one especially) are large sources of spam. So when we do a search on them on a directory, the results that are returned give us a quick indication about the level of spam that a directory will include, and whether or not they are actively editing listings.
An example of the sorts of very obvious spam sites I am taking about can be found in this
flower test image above... When that sort of result is returned, obviously we can all tell that is pure spam, and none of those particular flower sites are legitimate, they are junk. But that doesn't mean there aren't good florist sites, of course there are, just be wary of those Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi ones because they normally come with about 50-100 duplicate friends
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