That is why this was a win win situation. Thank you everyone for your participation. I have listed the top 3 pages of Google results here http://www.directorycontest.com/forums/showthread.php/top-3-pages-34.html There are about 100 PMs I will go thru to check up on some of the entries. Were there too many rules? Maybe. But then again, I am the one stuck with having to deal with it now. Once again, this has been fun. I will do my best to announce the final winner within a couple of days. Maybe less, maybe more. Sponsors, hit me up in the private section of my forum. - Mike
Congrats Ask! You know justice prevails! I shameless went down to 91 - 100 anyway there always next time.(wishfulthinking)
http://www.directorycontest.com/ has 125 Back Links in google. I think winner should be selected from list of directories providing a back link. A directory is useless if it can not provide a Back Link. Just my 2 cents.
Since when is a directory used for a backlink? I am sorry, but if all I get from a directory is a backlink, then it is not worth the time of submitting!! A directory is suppose to be something useful for its visitors. By visitors, I do NOT mean webmasters looking for PR love and backlinks. Sure, they are a great way to gain some extra search engine attention, but shouldn't a directory be built to suit an average visitor looking for a quality site listed within it?
No one is paying $10 to $100 in most of paid directories for visitors to those directories. Biggest use of directories imo is to give back link and there by help in SERP's. Thanks.
Comon, now. I think you know as well as everyone else that most people do not use directories for seaching for the lastest products or services on the net, that is what google is for. Directories have always been about backlinks and even google recommends that you get backlinks from directories to help with your search engine placement http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=35769. IMO if a directory can not at the very least provide me with a solid backlink then what is the point of getting a listing there. Can you define a quality backlink for us. And how do you know if a directory provides a backlink or not.
I never said a directory should be used for searching for anything at all. I said, a directory should be something that is found in search engines by people searching for a site listed in it. If I am searching Google for political blogs, I would love to find a directory that has a whole section of them listed. However, if I am searching Google for political blogs, I would hate to have to search through all of the spammy results that come up, just because some unscrupulous webmaster decided to optimize for those words. The difference between a QUALITY directory, and just more clutter on the net is that a QUALITY directory is found in search results, whether it is Google, or any other search engine. That QUALITY directory can then funnel traffic through those results to the sites listed in it. I have said it before, and I am not afraid to say it again. The ONLY directories worth paying for are those that will send you traffic. If it does not send me traffic, I would rather have a backlink come from some sort of contextual placement in an article or a relative site. If you ever want to run a truly successful directory, build it to be found by normal people, and not by webmasters. It is so easy to get sites listed in a directory, but far more difficult to make the directory worth more than "Just a backlink".
Ok, I agree with you when you put it that way. Directories that rank do have a chance to send traffic. But my take is this, what if you are trying to rank your own directory for certain search terms, does it not make sense to list in other directories to help with your own rankings? Forget about pr, I know alot of people look at that when it comes to submitting, but for rankings directories are a great place to start. I have clients who rank very well just from directory submissions alone, so in my view even if a directory does not send my own site traffic it does not matter, I just want to rank well and so do my clients. Therefore, if used in the right manner directories can be very powerful, how do you think the directories that finished as high as they did in this contest did it. Most of those links are coming from other directories and alot of them are low pr directories. So I truly believe that directories have alot more value that what people give them credit for.
I agree that they do help boost PR. There is no doubt about that. For proof, just look at the official directorycontest.com site. Look at the PR it received, just from the backlinks that directories gave it, and with almost zero content. However, that site will probably never gain SERP rankings for anything worth having. So, although submitting to directories may gain PR for a site, I do not think they necessarily help boost a site for certain keywords, as much as many directory owners like to think. if you want to get higher SERP rankings for keywords, money is better spent in developing something for your OWN site that visitors can use or view. In turn, they will give you completely natural backlinks, which will definitely work better in the long run. Do I submit to directories? Absolutely, but I am very particular about the ones I submit to. This contest will give people a great idea of just which of those directories they should use. Personally, I will not be submitting to directories, like a few of the top ones and others, that had to resort to other tactics to get their listings to show up first. I will look for directories that give honestly good SERP results for my keywords, without anything other than simply listing in them.
I disagree, directories are the only legitimate way for a normal commercial business to get anchor text links, small to medium sized business websites normally struggle to get people to link to them for free no matter how cool the sites are and getting them listed in quality directories is the best way to get them anchor text links and the best way to get them to rank, you need to use the search phrases in the titles for best ranking benefit, but even if you don't: Good PageRank + Good On-Page SEO = Good Rankings
This is a very interesting view, and I agree with you. Directories are almost the only way that small and new sites can get links.
Although the winners have not been revealed yet. I would like to give props to all the directories that had the heart to compete in this competion and those that have made a great showing in this contest as well. Some entered only to try to win the prize, but I can honestly say that alot of the entries did so to prove that they are serious about having a quality directory for others to submit to. I'm sure some will have something negitive to say about this, but I am not a directory hater like some around here, and therefore I will give credit were credit is due. Those that finished at the top have done a fine job at making a good showing and have worked hard to improve there directories. May the serps and rankings continue to be with all that have entered
My site was on 3rd page till day before yesterday,, disappeared yesterday and now its back today... F### - why did it happen on the day of results only ? F### google Can you please consider it again today bestfreewebdirectory )
You said "worked hard to improve there directories" IMHO during this competition they have done nothing except get backlinks to the directorycontent.com link page ... that's all .... Do you honestly think they would treat every link in their directories the same way? I doubt that very much. This competition does not prove anything except shows which directories have worked hardest to get quality backlinks to the directorycontent.com link page in their directories ... that's it ..... nothing more. Just my two cents worth.
It's not reasonable to make such assumptions. Ofc owners keep working hard on their directories like any day - contest or not. This contest is just some fun and a nice diversion for many of us in the daily review/recode/bugfix/improvement state we are in. People getting backlinks is only to expect as the rules allow it, so no one can really be blamed for doing that. I have hears rumours of some have bought backlinks, and that make me chuckle a little to.
I totally agree with you and congratulations to all the winners, it is an achievement. But that’s not to say that their directories are any better or any worse than anyone else’s. It just means they have put in the extra effort needed to win this competition.
Same here. Amazing to see SEO tunnel vision again and again. There is a difference between what directories are and what they have turned out to be due to search engine benefits. Really sad actually. Anyways, back to you guys´ PMs regarding who broke the rules ...