Any how many of those actually exist? In the UK I could easily count those on the fingers of one hand.
Thats my point as well. If you are serious about building links and traffic, go for those, not only will you get link, but also real traffic from real searchers.
I think Anghus is saying right as there are some directories which ahve really good traffic as people are able to find better websites from there google is also not against selling links in case you have admitted it in your webpages and make google and users aware of it. read whole post here http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/how-to-report-paid-links/
The simple question to ask is: How does the directory in question put your 25$ to a use in order to drive visitors your way? A directory on itself is a "I scratch your back by providing content, you scratch mine by aggregating visitos and linking back to me" thing. In other words. If the directory asks any more then content from you, e.g. a backlink or even money, it should also provide also provide a little bit more, then merely listing you. Most directories, requesting money don't. They are just hoping to rip clueless website owners off, which are desperate for traffic and afraid of their competition making them eat dust. Simple questions: a) If the listing pages don't have any page rank, why do you assume, they'd push yours (often enough, I see directories using "rel=nofollow" even)? b) How do you actually expect the directory pages to gain any page rank? Nobody (except maybe the directory itself) links to those. If someone likes your product, he links directly to you c) So your competition paid dozens of directory links, ey? Everytime they do, they are a couple of bucks down. So, when would you expect a ROI of a couple of hundred bucks?
Guys, when you are looking for good directories, just think as if you are buying a banner ad or similar. Where would you like to put your banner? a random site with no real visitors, or in front of CNN/ Digg with shit loads of visitors? The same rules for choosing a directory as well!!! Frankly speaking, I'm a bit fed up by people saying "Why pay for it when you got 17K free directories". Here is why. If you are looking for quantity - go for mass submitting to crappy and spammy so called SEO friendly directories (Google has worked hard with removing link value from these directories). Just try to understand why people who used to have tons of links before, now are crying that their back links has dropped. Or you can place a link on a really good directory that are visited by shit loads of people. <--- Sure this will costs a lot, but than again, it will bring in real people who are searching for information within your niche. Again, for me link building is same as normal advertisement, I'm not willing to add my clients link on spammy sites. What you decide to do if up for your self.
First, paid links and Google don't mix. With that said.. A link will have no value to your site if it is not inplace for 6 months; has Page Rank on that link page; and that there is a small amount of other outbound links on it. You therefore must keep paying for that link for 1 year for it to have value. The minute you stop, the link is gone. To get it back means starting over. Or if the link is moved to a new pages = start over. For a new site with the money to buy links, I would recommend buying only high value link (PR6+) that will display the SEOed anchor text for the site link. Pay for this for ~ 9 months while you obtain other links normally. Of the 4,400 links (from Google Webmaster Tools), only 4 of these are above PR4, most are 1 or 0. As we looked into this on other sites, the same pattern held. So if I was Google, any new site (under 1 year old) with a PR 7 link would get a human looking at it. The only real PR4 or above links obtained were thru SEO tactics or inside contacts with the high PR sites. So, after 7 years in SEO, I havn't purchased a link and don't recommend that anyone does. Any site that has a high PR link has obtained it over time (3+ years) where the linking site has grown in PR value. Currently, I link with "Noob" sites and help them get started, show them the tools, get them indexed and PRed. In exchange, I hope to get a permanent PR0 link from the early that will become a PR1 or 2 link in a few years.
If you have the money then its still not worth it, theres dozens of pr 7 n pr 6 free links you can link to that will apply to any niche. The secret it getting them links and no its spamming lol
Of course paid directories are worth it if you submit to the right ones, anyone who tells you otherwise does not know head or tail of what is a directory in the first place.
paid directory not wroth,but directory have the pr well ,so u submit your site in better pr paid directory.otherwise it is useless.
I think paid directories can help much on our site. Maybe on your traffic especially if your site was featured.