Yeah, it sucks. I am having trouble finding other good directories also. Instead of getting results for directories I like to visit, I now get results for wiki, as if I don't know what a directory is, and results for the Environment. If I wanted to know about the Environment, I would type ENVIRONMENT, not WEB DIRECTORY.
I think google is droping some directorys or penilizing them cause i had one that droped 3 page ranks this month for no aparent reason..
curiously, hotvsnot is back though http://www.google.com/search?q=web+...f&rls=GGLJ,GGLJ:2006-27,GGLJ:en&start=10&sa=N Weird. hot vs not has been gone from google forever.
The site you question hotvsnot was "banned" (for about a year) which is very different then whats happening with the others. But ill say that it has come back with a "vengeance" as its dominating many popular terms searched by myself. thx malcolm
This is beyond weird. A Google search for "alive directory" or "aviva directory" does NOT bring up their home pages. A search for any of my 4 directories (won't name them here for fear of DP infraction; see sig) brings the home page back in first place. It really looks like Google is punishing *just* the big guys, which is totally insane. I know Google hates paid links--their Webmaster Tools site has a link for reporting them--but why go after the big guys only? The Japanese have a saying: The nail that sticks up is quickly pounded down. Something to think about.
Make no mistake that "paid links" may have a different meaning then what you think it does. Many directories and websites/blogs ext ext, that did not include themselves in the "PR chase Game" and are unscathed and actually gained better serps and that would include many off mine and fellow owners. There is no proof off course and both (Imho) are still considered worth submitting to as they are not banned otherwise they wouldnt show at all when using site:www.your-url-here.com Fact Could it be an Algo change? Dont know really... but doubtful as most directories involved had a 1-2 common traits (habit) Fact Will those involved ever come back? Some already mentioned in the list that was floatin around Have. Fact We Americans also have a saying ... If it looks like a duck ... Quakes and Flys like a duck ... then evidently its a freakin Duck! heheh
What precisely do you mean by worth? Are they still passing PR? Do their thousands upon thousands of back links help a web master in any way? Do they really pass user traffic outside this industry? What do you get for your $$$.
This has been talked about before in a few threads on this forum. There is even one discussing the said directories reemergence in the SERPs.
Well let me say this.... now i know "whom" you are as i remember the part about the "students" and your helping them understand more about directories (you PMed me at Vilesilencers forum about 6 months ago.) Whether they are "gifted students" or ???... i have no clue but i sense that you have told them to "look up too" or at "alive" and aviva and other leaders for suggestions and recommendations on how to grow a "quality resource" and now are feeling "betrayed" for having faith in those you chose as reference. Let me first say that not all are the same in answering "promptly" when they know they made a mistake "somewhere" and find it even harder to reply to WHY? or "How Could You" when they have no Factual evidence to present as many might not even know what they did wrong in the first place, and the "timing" may no be the best when combined with those posting negative remarks and just attacking them with anything they say that doesnt help anyone either as their have been many off those type of actions taken by a selected few members. As for your questions... Are they still passing PR... I dont know to be honest as thiers no tool or reference to measure what googles team does in "private" and when they have selected so few directories and when considering numbers involved compared to those that weren't affected it makes no sence. Do their thousands upon thousands of back links help a web master in any way? I would say yes as i believe this to be only temporary and after they have paid whatever google deems as fair to them they will return as many have already started to come back for thier names. In theory one would suspect that being linked with any site that has that many backlinks over the 2 years in service is a very well promoted directory. Do they really pass user traffic outside this industry? Traffic and directories are NOW 2 different beasts all together. Back in the "old days" off the web and before search engines where invented directories where the "only" way (that i remember) off finding results per "categorical" method. Todays directories are more focused/geared on backlink building and indexing purposes and are slowly evolving to bring back the element of traffic that was lost when the search engine was conceived. The only way off doing this is to bring change and offer something that will keep visitors interested and new techniques to have them helping those already submitted within. A good example would be the method that Linkreferral.com has used and implemented as it forces the submitter to review others which in turn sends internal traffic. thx malcolm
i wont be really worried on that, these directories are quite famous. did u ever worry why yahoo doesnt come in google search
Cheers. But what is their worth? How would you value a link in one of their directories or in any directory for that matter? Lets leave traffic out of it for the time being as it does not really appear to be an issue in the short to medium term.
I don't imagine there are too many on the net who haven't heard of Yahoo and they certainly wouldn't go to Google to find them. While those directories are famous in the web directory world, I doubt very many others even know they exist.
true but these are doing quite good enough promotions to ensure that people go to right link, 99.99% of them finds out the way to reach them somehow.
One of the most bothersome things about Google lately is that every search I do seems to yield a Wiki link as the first result. If I wanted to find something in Wiki, I would just use Wiki.... I would have to say, that at least in the last year, the relevance of results, as well as quality if results using Google has declined 10 fold, exponentially. At the end of the day, I really doubt Google has individuals scouring internet forums, or their index looking for particular directories in an effort to pull certain directories from their index.. I think their algo does this all by itself. The best thing to do at this point is to find new ways to work around it... People are hard to manipulate. A computer algo on the other hand, can be beat.
LMAO. Another Stock Market Manipulator is what we need to crash the economy. That's easy you can ask the help of someone with an award experience on that field. Geez ! Hey Matt theres a suicide bomber in the building. Have you talked to gworld lately ?
I wonder what this means for the future of web directories that charge a fee for listing sites. Whether its being called a review fee, expedited listing fee or whatever other clever terms exist. I mean if this is the path that Google is taking, is it still worth the money to get listed in one of these directories? Will users even be able to find the directories without scrolling through to page 6 or greater of Googles results. Seems anything that does not involve the generation of unique content, is destined for some type of punishment, one way or the other.
There were reasons why these sites got picked out. Google elected to make an example of them and I don't see that there is anything to panic about unless you run a bid directory, for example. All they are saying is that its high time we cleaned up our act and that we start taking responsibility for our actions. Maybe we could look at it as the beginning of a long term future.