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Okay. Let's say there's a directory with 100 sites indexed. Now, in order for your site to be listed in this directory, you have to host the directory script on your website as its own page and link to it from your main page. The directory script would automatically feed any changes/additions to the directory to said script via some type of feed. In essence, you host a pre-made directory in exchange for having your own site listed within that directory.
My question is, would Google penalize this? Since every site would have to host the directory and link to it in order to be listed, you'd have a giant cross-linking network; each site would point to every other site. Also, since you'd have 100 (or whatever amount) sites that automatically update (via the feed) to include you in their directory, it'd effect your PR by giving you a jolt of 100 links.
Now, I've read that Google penalizes networks. I've also read that there's no actual proof of this. Also, keep in mind that this would be a legitimate directory; just the way it's setup seems like it could have some severe repurcussions.
Anyways, please let me know your opinions. Thanks.
Lets put it this way - I wouldn´t add any of our sites to anything even remotely like what your suggesting.
The site/company/whatever that hosts the directory service automatically creates a subdomain (blahblahblah.theirsite.com) that hosts the directory script. You then link to their subdomain, which in turn links to everyone else's site (yours included). Would that give any different results?
Why would anyone including myself want to go to all this trouble just for having one lousy link from your directory back to our site and I certainly dont want any links from bad neighborhood's which is what you would be offering
The sub domain scam was jumped on by google this time last year resulting in hand removals of the sites from the google database
Now what is that telling you, put that with conor and CathyM comments and its a great big
"No do not do it"
It's really not that much trouble... You add a link to the subdomain, your site goes into the directory, and you wind up having every site listed in the directory linking to you.
I know Google penalizes large networks, but I didn't know about a "sub domain scam". What're the specifics?
>>and link to it from your main page
I personally don't want to link to anyone from my home page
>>and you wind up having every site listed in the directory linking to you
Yeah and thats what we don't want, the links wont be on topic to your site its just all and sundry linking to you
So for each site submission you will have a sub domain, over a period in time this figure could reach to 10's or even 100's of thousands of sub domains with each one linking to each other...Hmm not a good idea, might of been 5 years ago but not now.
Maybe your directory is a little different with the sub domains but when a search was carried out search type sites built a page for that search term on a sub domain and directory name stuffed with keywords, it worked very well, in fact it worked that well all you saw at the top of the serps was sub domains stuffed with keywords until they were removed from google about this time last year, and never will be listed again for that domain name.
My advice to you is keep it simple if you still want your site to be around in a few years time, google are on full red alert at the moment regarding the amount of directories which have been launched in the past 6 - 9 months anyway.
Good advices here. I am sure you don't want to be shown on a related: search carried out on Google, for one of those non-related sites linking to you, which will be the case if you have sites cross linking.
Ironically, I found my site ranked at #3 today for widget+mycountry. My site has about 120 links and all other sites in the top 10 have on an average 1500+ links. Don't chase the numbers.
Best Wishes
Mc
I have a similar problem rite now..
i wanted to add my link to one website....in the correct category relating to my website...
but in return it is asking for a link back to that page ...which has lot of other websites listed....
what i was wondering was....after reading this thread that....thr are so many websites on that page.....and to every wesbite.....that is listed on the directory page...ask for link back to the particular page whr they want their website to be listed....
can anyone please guide me...and bring to my knowledge whether this kind of thing can get my site penalized.....
if so..then i can ask for removing my website from there page...
Thanxs
KaMran
If I u'stood you correctly, that directory is asking for a link back to the same page where you will be listed, instead of a link back to the homepage.
In this case, I don't see any problem, as long as not every link you have listed on your site are linking back to you from the exact pages.
Mc
u r rite...instead of homepage they r asking the same page(where my site is listed) to be linked back from my site....
and no other site is linking to me from that page of site....then even i guess thr is no probs...
But i was thinking is thr any benefit to my site if i m doing so....
wel let see what happens...newayz thanxs once again for the reply...
KaMran
Thanks for everybody's advice and comments. Guess I'll stay far away from this thing. I'm now wondering if I should alert Google to what's going on...
Other than that, use your time to do positive work on your own sites. Google will figure it out sooner or later.
What if there were a way to exclude certain link groups? For example, let's say the main directory looked like this:
widgets
gadgets
wadgets
poodles
Let's say your site is about widgets, and all the other topics would give you unrelated crosslinks that Google wouldn't like. So, you simply exclude the other 3 unrelated topics, and you're left with only the sites from one category - the one that's related to your site. Would this achieve different results?
Would this achieve different results?
No, eventually the scheme would get spotted and all the participants would regret it.
