Hi folks, Just a quick question, I hope I'm not posting in a bad section. I've been submitting url of my website to directories for a while now, and the website has been approved in a few of them already, but each time I check on webmaster tools the links to my website, the number doesn't realy increase. Do you know if it's normal? And maybe how long we usualy have to wait to see some changes? thanks all
By some reason GWT doesn't list all backlinks. Use siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com or any other backlink checker instead.
Backlinks are having real links which is checking with Google Search Engine also with your full domain name.
it will only count as a backlink if (1) google has indexed the page that you have been listed on and (2) the page/domain that you have the link on has not been penalised by google for whatever reason
Thanks for your quick answer. I've tried it, it's reporting a few more backlinks than the webmaster tools, but that's still far from what it should be. I guess I have to be more patient I was checking the backlinks for the website in my signature. What is weird is that a few days ago webmaster tools was reporting 13 links from DP, I guess the 13 msg I posted since I've updated my signature, and today, they are all gone. Please can you explain how can that happen? Thanks
Have you check the link property of directories? Are they nofollow? If nofollow, then you will not get backlink credit.
how long since you've been approved. It might take some time for them to appear in Google Webmaster. Also like @merockysingh said...maybe they are no follow
Also, if your links are way down on for example page 50234 of the directory it probably won't ever be found by the search engines. Your links have to be on pages (not sites, the actual pages!) that are crawled often. If the page you're linking on doesn't have links to it, then you'll still be stuck.
Approval doesn't a matter, it should get indexed i Google then only it will be shown in backlinks. I think its little difficult to get backlinks from directories.
Google WMT tools is funny. It seems to lag a few weeks behind. Even though I had a bunch of inbound links to an inner page, they now disappeared, but I still rank for that page and in fact improved my ranking. Use Yahoo site explorer as a inbound links approximater.
it's normal. don't have to worry about it. keep doing what your doing, you will see results for your efforts
I don't think any of my directory listings show in webmaster tools as backlinks. I think this might be why SEO folks say that directories are no longer recognized by Google. The main reason for submitting to directories is not for links (Google doesn't like directories?) it's for direct traffic. I have to say most directories are completely pointless. There's only a select few out there that actually send traffic. People just don't use them unless it's a niche and an attractive directory with a lot to offer. And, adding a link back to a directory can go against you with Google too. Personally, I would always check as much as you can about any directory before you link to them in return for a place in their listings. Check their traffic, how many sites use them, their style and their audience. There's no point adding your site selling blue widgets to a directory where 90% of the listings are selling apples. And there's even less point even considering a directory that only has 100 visitors a day. The idea that you should just submit it to any and every directory that will have you is a complete myth IMO.
I consider only Google Webmaster Tool for back link because Google Webmaster Tool gives you exact back link for your websites.
Has anyone else had this problem, I noticed today that my backlinks I had have only got half the amount now and other people have said the same and this is checking in yahoo site explorer and also it shows the pages in there too, but they are half the amount too, can anyone throw any light onto what is going on here, or is it google up to no good again!