I just took a look at solicitations category for the first time in - I don't even remember when. I took a look at a few of the sites promoted there. Every single one is a dropped domain stating things like "New pr7 directory" or "New pr5 directory" - Oh and I liked this one - Submit to my New PR4 Directory - 24 Hours Guaranteed Approval. No wonder people who should be posting in solicitations are posting here in the directories category. Who can blame them for not wanting to post in solicitations among all those sites going on about their "New pr5 <dropped domain> directory with Fast <and Guaranteed> Approval". It really is almost funny. Almost. Until you think about it just a little more anyway.
I noticed you posted in the PR7 thread. I went in that category and was curious why someone was promoting a PR7 directory on here. Well it was dropped domain and will prolly go down to PR2 or lower on next update. Some people just don't know how to run a quality directory and are looking to make a few bucks fast and grab another dropped high PR domain. What's bad is some of us members or new members fall for these tactic's. Always check out the directories stat's if the PR/traffic sounds to good to be true. I use directory submission service's right now and willing to pay extra for good submission's. I've lost trust in Solicitations and hardley ever submit to directories in there.
They kinda insult the intelligence of the average person too with those types of directories. Similar to the money making advice blogs setup on blogger blogs or people offering seo services in their sig asking for seo advice. Gotta laugh at some of it. I feel like warning the dude creating about 50 link....info dirtectories a week that every last one is probably going to be banned from google, but il leave him/her to it instead.
@Swedal: Buying dropped domains and converting them to directory is not new. Submitters have to use other data like backlinks, pages indexed and wayback machine to find if PR is genuine. I wonder why Google can't reset PR to 0 after domain registrar changes, if that's too difficult and can have issues, detecting dropped domains should definitely be easier for them.
recently , I have been keeping talking abt this issue with my friends we think it is those sneaky people who made a effecitive SEO technque can't work anymore
50 a week? Wooh. Spam. Surely someone that does that knows that they're spamming, and that Google (not to mention the rest of internet) looks down on spammers.
agree with @jitendraag this is not new method.. they thought this is an easy way to make money, and this is what we call selling stupid PR backlink.. google very angry about that...
Well I never said anything about it being new. It is more just sad when the only directories being posted in the solicitations area are like that. Are there no serious people putting together a serious site anymore?
Hello... Its all they have to offer in hopes of MAYBE selling a $1-5 featured which wont happen and most if not all SEOs wont even bother with a dropped domain (no matter what the PR is) and most webmasters here wont spend as they know its dropped and really a worthless domain that will get dumped soon after google catchs the mistake... Truthfully most of the FREE birds already know the deal expect the few noobs that cant even understand english and will submit blindly then leave a 3-5 word reply... thx for the link (please approve) I myself havent even been over solicitations & announcements in months ... no need for it laterz malcolm
Would it be cruel to dampen their spirit by getting them to read this http://www.seomoz.org/blog/what-mak...y-and-why-google-penalized-dozens-of-bad-ones ? Are they even aware?
Ya know everyone of those on the list still has a PR penalty... Its not the Quality of the listings (becuase all those directory owners know whats garbage and whats good and most wouldnt just accept anything) but rather the PR penalty or extreme number of links that where built for the domains... (im sure they will come out sooner or...... later) Ok im going off topic so... thx Malcolm
That list there should now be updated with about 500+ directories, i was not privileged to be named there back then after reading that though some of my (well nearly all of my) frustration dropped because the simple bit of information there that says if what is being done appears to be for the search engines then its pretty much going to lead to a problem in the search engines. I personally never see them, my own or others being unpenalised ever. Google are slowly and steadily working their way through all directories, gradually removing the pr (even if hiding the directory) and for any really obvious ones they will probably carry on with the serps penalties. Its because directories have difficulty explaining the service that they provide without somehow falling foul of googles rules. The only ones to escape are literally the handful that are just so established that they will allow to stay.
I do submit my blog to some of the directories that are available in the section, so I wouldn't say they are totally useless.
Funny you should raise this. I have submitted sites in the solicitations and announcements section, but I wonder if my efforts are just sinking into a great black hole, with no reward. Does anyone have any "good stories" to share about links showing up in webmaster tools? . It's true, directories aren't new, but that's part of the problem. Google and the other engines are on to the game. They've figured out the "directory game". As for PR, I picked up an expired domain in June, PR4, which was supposedly indexed, only to find that the search engines had been sneaky and banned it (but allowed it to "look" unbanned and healthy). I contacted them and got reincluded everywhere, so the story has a happy ending , but there's still a lesson to be learned. The lesson is that "dropped domains aint what they used to be." What worked 3 years ago doesn't work any more. . I'm not criticising directory owners. Hey, you're just trying to make a living like the rest of us and good luck to you. I'm just saying, the business model that a lot of you are using doesn't work any more. My guess is that we'll see some big changes in what gets posted in that forum over the next year or so.
You need to rethink what you just said there. A directory cant really exist without the search engine.
I think they meant, "a diirectory that will beat the search engine's penalties and bans, and triumph." but there are plenty of directories already that are doing fine with the search engines. The best way to "beat" the search engines is to make a good directory.
so, you're saying that quality doesn't play a role? That means that the search engines have been completely gamed by the directory industry.