Hi Most paid web directories seem to rely on Page Rank to gain revenue? If Google scrapped Page Rank do you think web directories would continue to remain popular? Thanks
This question has been asked so many times its now very boring search around in this category and you will find all the answers And maybe best you read the sticky at the top here too
Well directories are like anything else on the web! the directory doesn't necessarily have to have PR to get attention, it has to do with the amount of traffic it gets! I sell several links to people becuase of the term position and traffic on PR1s and 2s !! As far as Google goes, if a site is promoting blatent term or rank manipulating than I believe that the new Algathorum that we are all waiting for will take it down but if it is managed well and is a lagit advertising site and not set up as a Goog Juice site than I think it will be business as usual! That is my opinion only!!
You edited with more points that have been answered over and over again, please refer to the Mods and think before you post points that are so repetitive, please show some respect for the forum owners and the 1,000's of members Thank you for your timely consideration
the answer to the question in my opinion PR means nothing really i am still not sure why people are attracted by it. but directories will remain popular for those people who do not submit for PR or a backlink but for the reason that someone may find their listing in a directory. after all isnt that why directories originally started ? a lot will fall by the wayside i imagine but a few will remain large directories which can charge for featured listings and provide a good means of advertising for a customer.
Thanks seo5000 This is what I thought. But people are more attracted to paid directories with a higher PR when it comes to submission. Like you mentioned above, Googles algothrim should hopefully sort this out. Thanks for your comments
This topic keeps coming up because its a genuine and real concern unlike some of the other repetitive threads that get airtime day in day out. Of course. Directories have alway been about serp's and some of us even do unique content as well.
Got point turbosatan, but it seems most of us are quite attracted to the words Page Rank. Google seem to have hypnotized us to follow, sleep and eat Page Rank
I have to say I disagree with some people posted here. Directories are mainly selling PR. Even now that the update is late, many owners are facing problems. Everyone is talking about traffic but most of people are after PR. I can see this, as my directory receives much more traffic than other, higher PR, directories, but people hesitate to submit, cause it's PR 3. (waiting for the update though). So if google continues changing the PR, or even stops it, most directories will have a problem. They will have to change, evolve into something other than link farms. They are supposed to provide an easy browsed catalogue, and drive targeted traffic to the linked sites. But last years, directories grew in number, traffic went down, very few non-webmasters use them, and traffic is very little. Directories sure have a future, but it will be a future very different from what it is now. Only very few directories will survive, and when I say few I mean 10 or 20 of them. The others will still be trying to understand what happened....
I think you are forgetting serp's. PR got all the press but the reason there are so many directories out there is because they feed the demand for better serp's.
I think the QUALITY web dir trend is on the way UP UP UP. More and more people SERIOUS about online businesses will continue to submit to help in SERP's or just go help get indexed. The days of the internet being something for nothing are passing. It's a virtual marketplace that requires a quality product and promotion now and DIR"s are a great method to aid that. The future looks bright!
Yes but the cost of getting a review will inevitably have to come down down down. We are going to see some radical changes in pricing. Just how much are web savvy markteers going to pay to get their sites listed? The only difference between one directory and other is whether they are going to stay the course or not. How much would you pay to secure for a back link which you can get along with a song and a prayer and for free?
I did a very quick unscientific survey. I went to Alive Dir and checked the counters for a few sites in the less popular categories. I saw numbers like 4 and 5. If the purpose of this directory was traffic, these results point to some very poor returns on the money for the webmasters who listed their site. It looks like the value of the directory is not the direct traffic that it generates, but rather the PR that helps drive traffic indirectly through the search engine popularity.
I think prices will be going up. People at DP are like used car salesmen at a police auction. No one here likes paying more than they need to. People that aren't on boards like this but interested in promoting a business will always pay higher. The web community is already linked in. It's people on the outside trying to promote who will become more and more and prices will reflect. Also the difference between one dir and another can be night and day. NO 2 DIRECTORIES are equal. All have slight advantages and some just totally aren't on par. Rob
Thats a matter for conjecture. No one I have spoken to can do more that cast their gaze heavens way. And without hard evidence it remains merely wishful thinking. Its possible that Google had something like this in mind when they launched PR but the link pimps put paid to that idea, didnt they? See what I mean people are still getting their PR and Serp's all muddled up. And whats going to happen when they are faced with PMS's and ultimate Authorities. Heaven forbid!
lol @ workshop....."Link Pimps" Oh how so true. You hit the nail on the head! I love that name. So we have QBC's and the rest are Link Pimps. tom