What's the main benefit of a directory listing?

is it the links from copy-cat directories?

[Jakes Redding]

Hello,

Regarding the usefulness of directories, such as the DMOZ or Yahoo Directory, I can't imagine many people actually using them for search. So what is their main benefit today, especially if you choose to spend the $299 anually to be included?

I have seen some of my competitors with links from what look like replicas or copies of these directories. Is this one of the main benefits, getting the additional links? I'm trying to figure out if I can justify the cost. Thanks for any input.

[Jakes Redding]

Just to clarify my meaning, it seems people have created directory sites that consist of content (listings) taken from the DMOZ. Perhaps whole sections of certain categories. And they make their sites available to the AdWords Network and such. So, if you’re not in the DMOZ, you won’t get links from these other directories, which increases the penalty of not being in the DMOZ. Unfortunately, not all of us have sites that were established before the turn of the century when it was easier (and free) to get in the DMOZ. I’m not looking for any traffic, just the links.

Wondering if anyone else sees it this way and found it enough reason to spend the $299.

[leo11877]

Hi
I spent $299 on Yahoo in Dec. Its no use becuase my site is buried on Page 2 which has no pagerank in Google. Also no visitor reaches page 2. On top of that many sites on page 1 are old and not updated since a long time but Yahoo doesnt bother to clean them up.

So if this doesnt bother you go ahead and pay the 299.

Thanks
Leo

[centime]

Directories will alway contribute a trickle of traffic to your site,

However, the primary reason for getting listed in directories , nowadays, is to be found by the search engines.

You are aware that Google recommends listing in directories such as Yahoo and Dmoz

To get listed , your site would be interrogated by very capable editors and getting approved would be like receiving a stamp of quality, electronically, good for electronic SE spiders heh :)

And you get that prized high value ;ink

Off course , the more directories you're in, the better, cause the spiders find you quicker

[Jakes Redding]

Hello, thanks for the input. I'm indexed in the search engines but only rank well for a few long-tail keywords, which work well when people search that way, which isn't enough (that's why I'm here). I see in my logs that the google and yahoo bots visit regularly.

Over the past couple months, have also submitted to the dmoz in 4-5 different categories (a no-no), all of which are relevant, but no luck. (Operating on the principle of the asynchronous randomity of the dmoz approval process.)

Are the listings in the yahoo directory actually different than the dmoz? Or maybe yahoo takes the dmoz results and supplements it with their paid inclusions, but those paid inclusions don't propagate back to the dmoz? Does anyone know?

I thought they were the same, at least when I look at my competitors. There might be 120 listings in my category, but doing a Yahoo Directory Search on my keywords, I'd be first page (no worse than 4-7). It seems paying the money is my own way in. Any more advice?