The Truth About Web directories and SEO

For many years a popular strategy amongst website owners was to simply submit their sites to as many web directories as possible. This was a quick and easy way of getting links.

The intention here was to improve search engine visibility and potentially boost rankings.

This method was popular for many reasons, with the main ones being –

It was low cost
It worked
It was easy to do
It didn’t involve a great deal of work

After some time, Google decided enough was enough and started devaluing links from directories, removing directories from their index, and in some cases where the submissions were so poor, sending site owners unnatural link warnings and applying penalties.

As a rule of thumb, you should avoid using software or paid services to submit your site to directories. Although, this might seem like an easy way out, it’s rarely worth it. From what we have seen, a lot of organisations offering directory submissions like this, will end up submitting your site to all sorts of junk sites that are not in slightest bit relevant to your business or location. You need to ensure that your contact details are correct, and that you’re easily able to login later if you need to, to update them. Don’t try to cut corners using services or automated software. Do it right.