Can a website be banned for submitting to certain directories ?

[smita]

Hello All,

I was advised that I could get blacklisted from Google by putting listings on certain directories...Is that true ? If YES can someone give me an idea about what are these certain directories...

ALSO, Can a company providing manual submission services get my website blacklisted by such submissions ? i.e. can i risk my website by giving it to a professional submission service company and sleep well not thinking that they will get my website blacklisted by submitting to certain directories ?

I would like to move ahead with the services BUT can someone clear out my confusion :(

Hoping to hear from you soon..

Regards
Smita

[aristotle]

I've never heard of any particular directories that cause a site to get banned. Google's guidelines say that you shouldn't buy or sell links, and in the past some directories appear to have been de-indexed for selling listings, but I don't know of any definite case of that happening for buying a listing.

Over the past five years I've submitted four different sites to hundreds of free directories, and none of the sites has ever been penalized. In fact, contrary to what some people will tell you, my own experience shows that free directory listings can help rankings. I've seen specific rankings improvements several times when I changed to a new anchor text. There was a clear cause and effect.

But I do my directory submissions gradually. If you submit a site to just one directory a day, after a year you will have more than three hundred listings. I also only submit to free directories, although some of them later became paid directories after my site was already listed.

I can think of a couple of possible risks:

1. A case in which almost all of your backlinks are from directory listings. THis is not a natural backlink profile, so you need to balance it by getting other types of links.

2. A case in which you acquire hundreds of directory listings within a short time period. Again, this wouldn't look natural.

I would advise against using a directory submission service. To do it properly you need to vary the anchor text and descriptions, and you also need to avoid networks of directories. This might not happen with a submission service.

[FranticFish]

If Google bowling was THAT easy, everyone would be doing it.

I used to use the free directories (SEO friendly) ones exclusively as part of a factory-line SEO package and they worked up to a point. Changed my methods after I found that they only get you SO far, now I avoid them and have really found that less is more when it comes to links.

From what I've seen, the danger with blacklisting comes if the same anchor text is over-used. If you have a weak profile then a chunk of crap directory links with the same anchor text can kill your rankings for that term.

I still see sites ranking with crap directory links in their profiles but I think two factors are at work here

- other good links are legitimising the overall profile so the crap links are being ignored, or

- there is enough quality in the profile that the crap links actually help for the anchor text score

Not sure which though.

[tangor]

Short answer: Yes.

Answer you seek: No.

Google is not transparent. We are all in the dark in that regard.

[aristotle]

I know some people say that free directories are worthless crap and do more harm than good. I've seen such statements many times. But as I said, I've been submitting to free directories regularly for five years, and have had only positive results. In my experience it's the most efficient and reliable way to get dofollow backlinks, and I see no reason to stop.

[buckworks]

Every new site has to start somewhere, and submitting to directories where your site would be relevant makes sense as one tool in your toolbox. Just don't let it be the only thing you do to promote your site!

Keep a close eye on relevance when you're submitting to directories. Some directories have so many off-topic feature links plastered all over the place that they are certain to be sending confused messages to the search engines. Those are likely not useful places to get your own site listed.

On the other hand, a directory which is logically organized and whose category pages stay tightly on theme is probably a good place to get listed no matter what its traffic levels.

[tedster]

I've seen some websites that call themselves a "directory", when in reality they are the front for a link farm. One give-away is that they require you to link to them in order to get listed.

No honest directory should require a link back, and participating in link farms can cause your site trouble. But that's the only way I can see trouble from a directory submission. Some might do you no good, especially (as others have mentioned) if that's the only kind of link you are getting - but not helping is far from hurting or causing a ban.

[buckworks]

No honest directory should require a link back

That's a pretty sweeping generalization, Ted.

One could equally well say that no honest webmaster should expect to get listed on someone else's site for free.

[tedster]

Point taken. Let's just say if a directory requires a link in order to be listed, then before you submit, take a very close look at their quality and the quality of their listed websites.

[walkman]

I have heard many such stories, so I believe you can win a ban by adding yourself to too many directories.

Stay away from these services, add it yourself to 4-5 directories and that's it. Especially avoid the automated services that link to 100's of link farms, masked as directories.

[CainIV]

My experience is that as long as you do not link to them, then you are not giving them a vote if they are a bad neighborhood or link farm, which many are.

If a link directory requires a link back, and the directory is very valuable, consider premium advertising instead. Only link to the 'best of the best' websites and you will be fine, even if you submit to lousy directories.

[FranticFish]

I've been submitting to free directories regularly for five years, and have had only positive results

I used them for three years and agree, but only up to a point. For bigger terms I haven't seen them work - at least not on their own.

[Reno]

Everything depends on the quality of the directory, and that requires that you take the time to look deeply at what they are doing. Will they link to anyone under the sun that gives them the link back? or are there criteria/standards that everyone is expected to follow? Is there anything other than the link -- for example, is there a written description of the website which is being linked to? Do they make an attempt to organize the content into logical and relevant categories? Or are the links simply stacked one on top the other, with no regard to context? How long has this directory been around? Does it serve a genuine purpose other than link trading?

It seems to me that a well organized directory that is focused on a specific subject and takes the time to actually consider those it will include can be very valuable, especially now that Google is adopting various features that is pushing regular websites down in the SERPs. You gotta' get traffic somehow, and as it is being said in another thread, if you're depending only on free traffic from Google, then your days are likely numbered.

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[smita]

Thank you all for so many explanations :)

But what happens if i Give it to a trusted provider for lending such services ?

In case I have more than 5 websites...and many other stuffs to control..I may not get time to handle each of the website submission personally... Then what shall i do...Please advise...

Thanks in advance...answers are highly appreciated...

Regards
Smita

[tedster]

If this provider is "trusted" you need to have a good reason to give that trust, correct? Show them this thread and ask what they think about it.

[smita]

Sure Ted...Will definitely do so... :)

Thanks for all of your suggestions...

Regards
Smita