Once in a while someone asks me “are directories still helpful for SEO?” My answer is always the same: “it depends. If you’re talking about low-quality directories (a.k.a. link farms), don’t waste your time with them. However, there are still some great directories out there.”
What Makes These Directories So Special?
- Because the directories I’m about to mention aren’t free, 95% of the webmasters stay away from them. That makes these directories a lot more exclusive and links from these sites a lot more valuable to you.
- The other reason these directories are so good is that real humans review the submissions they get and approve/decline requests manually, based on the quality of the sites they review. Because they only add quality sites to their indexes, links from these directories are worth A LOT more than links from spammy directories.
- Not only are these directories good for SEO, but they can also drive very qualified traffic to your site.
Show Me the List!
OK, here it goes:
- Yahoo! Directory - $299/year
- DMOZ - This is the only free directory on the list. Submit your site to it and move on. They can take months (if ever) to approve your listing.
- Business.com - $299/year
- Best of the Web - $149.95/year
- Best of the Web Blogs - $75/year
- Gimpsy - $49, one-time fee
- Skaffe - $44.99, one-time fee
- WOW Directory - $43, one-time fee
- Aviva - $49.95/year
- GoGuides - $69.95, one-time fee
- Starting Point - $99/year
- Web Beacon - $39.99, one-time fee
- JoeAnt - $39.99, one-time fee
