Google's Matt Cutts New Comment about Directories

Matt Cutts has made a new statement about how much value Google puts on links from directories. You can see it here:

http://groups.google.com/group/Google_Webmaster_Help/web/q-a-from-the-3rd-live-chat-oct-2008

 

Hello...

Rather then scroll threw that mess of questions i found and added here....


Marjy, Boca Raton FL:

Recently, you removed this suggestion: "Submit your site to relevant directories such as the Open Directory Project and Yahoo!" from your guidelines. Is there any chance that you will be discounting these kinds of links for ranking value in future?

Matt Cutts:

Hey Marjy . There's always the chance that we'll discount directory links in the future. What we were seeing was quite a few novice people would see the "directory" recommendation and go out and just try to submit to a ton of directories, even if some of the directories were lower-quality or even fly-by-night directories that weren't great for users. Right now we haven't changed how we're weighting directory links--we've only removed the directory suggestion from the webmaster guidelines.

And there you have it...

Fly by night?...... = QBC

laterz
malcolm

 

so they havent change in weighting directory links.. means.. submitting to directories still wont affect ranking or PR????


zrhder

 

it means submitting site to directories still useful right now,
but in future only quality directories will not be devalued by Google.

 

But most quality directories ask for a listing fee.. Doesn't that go against the no paid links policy? I do understand that some directories are spam fests tho. And devaluing directories like the odp excite and all it's copycats does give the lil ones that can't get into them for various (sometimes unfair) reasons, a chance.

 

This article helped me a lot thanks

 

directory is not directory before this.. but it's just same like advertising or marketing portal.. but on this day, to many people wrong with that...

why not you asking yahoo, why we need to pay them for review?

 

Matt himself is confused about google's policies. speaks 2 ways.

 

Well at least it does clear the air a little on where Google stands on this....but its only a temporary reprieve.

 

Well, I think we always knew that weight of directory links has not gone to 'zero' (though I think it has gone down).

Matt cutts has made a statement and taken it back about other things earlier. But I think this time it's not a mistake.

 

It's good to know that Google doesn't completely ignore directory links as for now.

 

I'd recommend that anyone read the entire live chat transcript. There were a lot of answers to questions that get asked over and over again on DP and other webmaster forums!

 

people don't worry too much, just focus to work on your directories and keep improving them.

 

It's much as I had thought before reading the post, they do hold value but of course new ones hold very little value at all.

So much for all these people keep saying how directories are pointless, or even I have heard some say that submitting to directorys actaully gives a negative impact LMAO.

I think the only problem comes with directories is if your are doing mass submissions in a short period of time to lots of low quality directories, on the other hand if your submitting at a nice steady rate to higher quality directorys they are still a good way to get inbound links and of course direct traffic (Only if they are good quality though).

 

This is good news, I'm glad he finally spoke up about this, it's been a few weeks since they removed that from the guidelines if I remember correctly. Thanks!

 

I was glad to read this as well, in my mind it helps reaffirm in a double negative way that directories are still valid.

 

Google needs to improve their algorithms before dismissing links from directories. They also need directories to improve their search results. Taking in account links from quality directories, they have a human review service FOR FREE. They won't dismiss it because they aren't foolish. They can scrape and process info from directories again and again, and nobody will complain about it.

 

I think that eventually they will devalue directory links more and more, especially as they learn how to tell which directories actually mean something and which directories are there just to get links.