Yes it does work. But it all depends on how you manage submissions. Dont submit to directories in a rush. It should be contineous and smooth process.
There is a difference between a high PR directory home page and the actual PR of the page your link will appear. Usually for free directories your link will appear on a low PR page but will still count towards your SEO efforts, with little effect on your PR. A paid directory may provide you with PR juice to your site.
Submition in directory is complex for your website. Increase page rank, increase position of your keywords and increase PR and keyword position to second level links. But there is thousands of good SEO strategy, not only directory submition.
Free directory links wont probably increase your PR but they are still good for SEO PR pages links are good for SEO but are harder to find and most probably not free !!!
What do you mean when you say PR is good for SEO? PR has little, if any impact on a sites serp's and as far as I am aware, its just a marketing aid that has no relevance outside of the industry.
Many directories run on adsense support and most of them drive zero traffic, It won't worth unless you consider directories that has reasonable traffic and impressive listing that do follow links.
So PR is good for PR and you generally have to pay through the nose for something thats nothing more than window dressing thats is intended to catch the unwary. Whereas free directory links are still good for SEO, although, in my experience, they have a limited shelf life. Where do you find directories offering back links that do have long term value? How do you value a back link? What is meant by a "good SEO practise"?
Wrong, i had a site of mine lose one pr point, while still promoting it well and maintaining its backlinks, the result is it when from hovering between postion 9 - 12 to page 3 of google serps. pr and serps do go together, not solely, but it does play a part. And ive watched and maintained the particular site of mine for long enough to see how it affects it.
How do explain PR0 sites out ranking PR3 sites? There are so many variables in this game the only certainty is that there is a good chance that you are wrong and that what you thought was given, is actually a variable. Unfortunately PR has been pumped up out of all proportion to its true value and if all things are considered, its a mugs call.
Exactly, i cant explain it, as you say, so many variables. Still i say pr plays its part, otherwise it would be scrapped completely. With other sites of mine i see completely different outcomes from my explanation above.
Sometimes you can lose a PR rank as my company has found out by submitting to directories. But the truth is submitting to directories does work. They do bring you traffic. It's becoming a day where PR doesn't mean anything except to the people that care about them. Directories bring you traffic, visitors, clicks, and sales; bottom line. They do work to make your website money, that's what we are all here for right? It's not the only step you should take in your SEO campaign, but it never hurts the pocket
But how does one idenitify a 'good authority directory'? By its PR? By the $100 a year it charges to re-review your site? Or by virtue of the fact that its stuffed full of links litter and informational spam? How does one put a value on a link?
Quite right John. PR plays an important part in SERPs, else it wouldn't exist. Read the Google webmaster guides etc, it's mentioned in there and in their patents.
You need to check if the directory is giving you a seo friendly url - if not just do not submit is useless