Forum Moderators: Robert Charlton & goodroi
What would cause a directory that lists sites with good filtering (as far as I can see they don't list adult/warez etc. sites) that has 300 - 10,000 backlinks to lose all PR?
Thanks
Mike
Do they have language relating to "links", "backlinks", etcetera?
Where are their backlinks coming from?
What is the quality of their listing titles and descriptions?
[edited by: The_Contractor at 6:47 pm (utc) on Aug. 16, 2007]
Lists of directories getting slammed makes good linkbait, which is something we have to be very wary of nowadays, rather than accepting that it's all "gospel truth."
It might help some to check the cache dates for interior category pages and hold off for a bit if there's doubt.
Also there are quite a number of "false PR0" reports right now - might these directories be caught in that Google bug?
Like I said, some of these were noted as PR0 18+ months ago and they are still showing such. What bug are you referring to?
Did these directories mention anything about their listings helping in search engine positioning/ranking?
No.
Do they have language relating to "links", "backlinks", etcetera?
Of course they mention links, they are a directory that links to people.
Of course they mention links, they are a directory that links to people.
Nope, they are a directory with "listings" of businesses, sites, etc. I have seen many very popular directories get hit that talk about "links" and with many of their backlinks coming from SEO'ish sites/pages. Say what you will but a directory should never talk about "links" at all. Many also push for their own backlinks to SEO'ish type sites/people.... think about SearchKing, but now think of a having your directory put under a microscope. I can browse many directories and can easily see what their intentions are for existence.
Say what you will but a directory should never talk about "links" at all.
...might these directories be caught in that Google bug?
There was a bug in the Toolbar back in April 2007 where a number of sites went white bar but the rankings and traffic remained the same. I'm pretty certain that's been corrected since then.
Most of the directories listed on SEO directory lists don't matter because their backlinks are very suspect. Most webmasters submitting don't care because they only look at Toolbar PageRank. That's a great example of the toolbar not telling the whole story.
Except for a handful of toolbar incidents over the years, sites with poorly developed backlinks generally experience some turbulence in one manner or another. That has nothing to do with being a directory. So my answer is no, directories are probably not being targeted.
That's absurd. Most directory listings include links to the relevant website. Why not mention this?
Why does a directory have to use the word "links"?
Is your directory full of "links" or "listings"? Do people buy a "link" or a "listing" in these directories? Would you want your directory to be known as a "link" directory to Google or a directory of "listings"? So, I'm not sure why anyone needs to use the word links at all on a directory site. I have built 100's of directories for others that never use the word "link" at all and they are fine unless the owner screws them up with editorial spam or just use them for their own sites/clients backlinks....
It's all semantics, but makes a big difference.
And yes directories started getting hit about 2 years ago that used different SEO verbage. They may not all be PR0, but they are not at their potential either.
[edited by: The_Contractor at 12:52 pm (utc) on Aug. 19, 2007]
