Is the web directory business already dead?

I believe that almost the whole web directory owners are facing problem for their directories because of the low submission rate for the recent months.
I also noticed that there are a certain number of web directories to lower their submission fee in order to face the current tough situation.
How do you think? Are your sites still ok profitable?

 

I think directories could be good if they are seen by final users. If they are being seen and used only by SEOs looking for links, then you don't really have much space to grow.

How many real users are you getting on your directory? You can see that by checking out what percentage of your visitors really click through a few listings.

If your reply is close to zero, then you need to get worried.

 

probably dead. for a regular internet user, they just google things when they want check something.

 

If I am a normal user, I would just Bing / Google it instead of going to a particular web directory brimming with paid and only-for-SEO links

 

This is true, but in bing/google search results you'll probably will have some results with link to web directory which will lead you to directory and if you find interesting information there you could spend some time on it.

Regards.

 

all i can say Directory business hit the bottom. ^.^

 

No issues here. Both of my directories are 7 and 8 years old and doing well.

 

People have been declaring the death of web directories since 2000, and they've been wrong every year.

Why would you limit your choices to Bing, Google, or the worst directories you can find? That doesn't even make sense. On a good directory, ninety percent or more of the links have been added for free by editors. I know, I have earned a living adding them for well over a decade now.

When you get a moment sometime, take a closer look at your search engine results and notice how many of the ones that show up on pages one and two are irrelevant to your search.

 

Agreed. Before the days of Search engines, this would make sense. its a little extra going to a standalone directory. i can see this great for local startups. that is for locally operated sites

 

General and low quality, same ip directory is note helpful for your business. but if you use good quality local directory than its very useful and you add your NAP Detail on those sites,

 

I am guessing that some of you don't realize that web directories and search engines are parallel technologies, serving different purposes, and that web directories and search engines came out at about the same time.

 

They are now only a memory of the past

 

The question wasn't whether people are using web directories. It was whether the web directory business was dead. There is a difference.

 

I have been employed by web directories for more than a decade now so no, they are not, on both counts. I have several sites and nearly twenty percent of my traffic comes from web directories, and that tends to be targeted traffic. People do use web directories, and the rumors of the industry's death are greatly exaggerated, mostly just repeated by clueless people.

 

You said it. I am still running a profitable directory business. Although the submissions have one down recently, but its far from dead.

 

Directory submission still drives traffic but not that much anymore. So there are less people who are using it now.

 

Yeah, but for a webmaster who just started a website, how is he going to get backlinks? Directories are a good way to start.

 

Directories are still quite valuable but only the ones from high PR.

 

PR is dead over year now, why so many people stuck on it, while every SEO marketer know that?

 

only google indexed pages web directory is making a good revenue not important it must be a high PR