Assessing Directory Links

[BlueHorseshoe]

I'm just starting out with link building for a new site, and want to include a few directory links.

 

Although I know most directory links are pretty worthless nowadays, I have read somewhere on this forum in the past that a handful of links from the right type of directories are worth having. In fact, here's Mike mentioning using them last year:

 

http://spartanmarketingacademy.com/forums/topic/536-reputation-management-trick/

 

I'm assuming that relevance is important here, and that if I'm selling shampoo then a directory site for bathing products is going to provide a far more beneficial backlink than some sprawling 90s covers-everything type directory - correct?

 

Any advice from anyone about how to identify "good" directories would be much appreciated . . .

 

Cheers.

[mki]

I'm just starting out with link building for a new site, and want to include a few directory links.

 

Although I know most directory links are pretty worthless nowadays, I have read somewhere on this forum in the past that a handful of links from the right type of directories are worth having. In fact, here's Mike mentioning using them last year:

 

http://spartanmarketingacademy.com/forums/topic/536-reputation-management-trick/

 

I'm assuming that relevance is important here, and that if I'm selling shampoo then a directory site for bathing products is going to provide a far more beneficial backlink than some sprawling 90s covers-everything type directory - correct?

 

Any advice from anyone about how to identify "good" directories would be much appreciated . . .

 

Cheers.

 

http://www.directorycritic.com/

 

In my opinion and experience, directory links do not rank sites. They provide a small benefit.

 

I think you understand the concept as far as them being good. If you can find relevant directories, there will be more benefit then say a random directory.

 

They're all bad in the sense that their out going authority is highly diluted because there is just so many links on the site.

 

I personally use them to build up brand/url links to "thin" out my backlink profile. Which they do a great job at that, since it costs nothing and you can submit to 50 off DC in about an hour or two and be done with it.

 

Tip would be to change the way you fill the submissions out every 5 or 10 sites.

 

I actually have a stalled project where I was going to try to do a whitehat authority site and decided I'm going to keep the site up and work on it later.

 

It got accepted into about 12.

 

As you can see: it did basically nothing.

 

[BlueHorseshoe]

http://www.directorycritic.com/

 

In my opinion and experience, directory links do not rank sites. They provide a small benefit.

 

Thanks for the really helpful response MKI. And the link to DirectoryCritic, which I didn't know about and seems a useful aggregator resource.

 

I'll start slowly adding relevant directory links alongside the other linkbuilding that I'm doing, and see what happens...