2014 Predictions for the directory market

Obviously you do have a reading disability ... I rest my case.

 

The word "Resurgence" sticks in my head as someone said in this thread. More than that however, a "REINVENTION" of existing directories is what I see.

I also see a class action lawsuit coming against google for conspiring to blackball entire networks and site owners businesses as well as their directories. This will likely usher in an anti-trust suit at the federal level based on Googles imposed oligopoly status in the search industry.

 

I can definitely see a large lawsuit coming towards google. im not sure if it will be this year or the next though

 

Who is going to sue Google and for what? It's their search engine and they are free to do as they want with it. That's how a free market works, but free markets tend to have checks and balances that Google mysteriously can avoid. Instead, the focus should be on the FTC for negligence. It is the FTC that failed to intervene and allowed Google to become a monopoly that can shift entire markets and kill competition with a keystroke. Directories are competitors of Google just like any website that links to other websites because that bypasses Google's search engine.

My guess is the FTC is under orders to leave Google alone. Besides search, Google has been getting involved in many other areas such as artificial intelligence, robotics and even smart home appliances. All of these areas could provide Google with much more data to analyze and also give the NSA more snooping power. Since the government can't directly spy on their citizens because it would be unconstitutional, the government can use Google as a proxy to get the information they want while avoiding the whole constitutional debate. There you have a theory - Government stays out of Google's way providing that Google hands over data at their every request. What else would explain why a government would allow one company to hold so much power over all markets?

 

I think it will remain the same, all the respected high authority directories like DMOZ.org will remain to be the same within 2014. Nothing will change also for other directories that are just used to get money to include what ever link which have no value in search engine.

 

Out of sheer curiosity is DMOZ still actively being updated?

 

That's a good question ?

The body on the front page is 600px wide.. When is the last time someone designed a 600px wide body..? 1996 ?

 

If you don't want to be another so-called web directory, you have to select and edit the submitted listing, otherwise there is no value at all. If every web directory owner can do that, we have hope for the web directory market in the future.

 

Yes, Of course it's still updated. There is human editors whom keep checking suggested sites for approval. However the processes of accepting a suggested website can take a long time.

 

Sure, nothing will change with DMOZ, approval takes ages!

 

How to make these directories useful should be the major concern i believe...

Directories should be made for usage, not just for submission !!!!

 

I seriously question that. I can point out several categories that have not been updated in over a decade. Many contain dead links, outdated links, and web sites that have long since existed in their previous form. The bulk of these h ave remained this way for some time now.. years...

 

Don't know why people always asking same question, there is no prediction for anything if you doing right. you can even submit your link on high quality directories and high quality article directories etc. Google don't like spamming that's the reason saying don't put same title and description on every directory , use different for different directories.

 

Yeah, who's going to sue a public company like Microsoft... It's their operating system and browser and they are free to do as they want with it.

The FTC is tasked with ensuring that there is free trade and competition. When you have oligopoly, they step in. Where the law suits come from is if one can prove that that entity used their oligopoly to manipulate and or take an unfair advantage of not only their perceived competition, but their customers and those in their employ. In this case, advertisers and publishers.

 

or $100 sent to a Paypal acct.

 

All the details are useful... but i thought there is no more directories in future

 

No, not "directories", generally speaking, killed your website, but your unawareness about what's good and bad. When you pay $50 to a "professional seo company" with "guaranteed results" to blast your website to a gazillion of free web directories, it's like you suicide.

Don't tell me a link in Yahoo's dir, or DMOZ, or business.com and a few other reputable directories will make Google slap your website.

 

I have yet to see any conclusive proof that a link in a directory has caused any one single web site to get "slapped" by Google.

 

^ X2.

I do a lot of backlink research on competitor sites some of the highest ranking most successful ones I study have enormous amounts of paid directory links. Most of them are from a couple of years ago when that was a big SEO tactic, but they are still there in massive amounts and the sites still rank strong in very competitive categories.

 

Could have fooled me. There really does not appear to be anyone actively investigating web sites that have long since died or simply become irrelevant.