Paid Directory Listings - making directory links worthwhile and whats it worth?

Most of my paid directory submissions are showing up as backlinks in all three SEs. I'd say that is worth it, considering the time spent on submitting to free directories that may never get picked up.

 

I guess I did forget to include one other reason why some directories only charge a buck: Spam Blocking. Many spammers are much less likely to spend any money on submitting their site to a directory. $1 is a very reasonable amount to keep out the casual spammers.

 

No one makes a search in Directories but Directories help you to be found by their SEO Feature.

 

And how much do you guys spend on link building for a directory site?

 

actually I've no idea of directory submit before.

it seems necessary after reading all your experiences.

 

Maybe not necessary, but it can be a good start to getting your site noticed in the search engines.

 

I'd have to say that if you paid $10 or less for a regular submission into a paid directory and every time you did a back-link check that link was still there for a year or more, then that was $10 well spent. Spending $50 to $90 a year for a listing into a paid directory is just not for me, that $10 link is going to be just as valuable as a $90/yr link a year or two down the road.

 

There are certain criteria to take in such as the following:

Directories that are found by search engines, especially Google
New directories that show potential, research them even if they have lesser pagerank
Directories that are not stuffed with crap sites
Good design and navigation
Price of link and placement
Is it permanent link - always good
Is it yearly subscription, in which case does the directory get high traffic
How many pages of the site are indexed in Google and Yahoo of the site

I take all of the above into consideration when making a submission.

 

I think Return On Investment (ROI) is a constant practice for anyone purchasing any type of traffic. See Calculate Return On Investment (ROI) For Link Exchange at my Bungeebones.com blog

That is true even if you buy newsprint ads (yuck!)

 

I have heard that link from paid directories gain a very bad reputation so I avoid all those paid directory wensites.