Top directories??? - On who's Authority exactly!

I hate the term Top Directory for a few reasons:

1. Who decides if a directory is 'Top'?
2. Too much opinion and lack of Facts involved about this
3. Many aren't good enough to hold such status


Even before setting up my web company, I spent years studying the offline directories like Yell and Thomson etc, and discovered some flaws in what these much respected publishers were doing, not just in terms of the service provided, but the user experience as well, and this troubles me to this day.

Then the web took over and we saw the new wave of directories, which I call 'Directory-Mania', and eventually the copycat mentality we have today.

Now, many threads/posts exist the world over (or Web Over) that suggest there are Quality directories, Top directories, Popular directories, but what people are saying is 'the ones they use for whatever purpose', be that for link spamming, serps positioning, link value etc - but it's usually mentioned for other reasons as well. I just found a thread on here where the question asked was about Top directories, and discovered something disturbing, all the posts were url drops, no real discussion, but blatant spamming

The spamming aside, this thread provoked in me the question of who the bloody hell, decides on what is quality? Yes, yes, we know folks say this directory is tops because it just raised their pagerank or serps postition, but this isn't what these services should be used for anyway - it's completely wrong. Now got to be that 95% of directories are General in nature, and don't offer anything but plain old links with a bit of text thrown in - hardly quality or top, wouldn't you say. So user opinion (advertiser or searcher) has a lot to do with this, so....... who has the authority to determine, call or pronounce directory status in this world, and what criteria is used.

This must extend far beyond self-promotion of directory owners, and has much to do with the user, statistics, popularity and fame. There is no official body that represents this saturated industry, as far as I know, maybe some publishing body covers directories, I dunno - but what clear cut criteria says one directory is superior over another, again webmaster opinion, users, but this isn't enough anymore and a clear benchmark is required to stop the pointless forum threads that serve self-promotion and to thrash out finally who is the best.

or maybe not just who is the best, but what directory model is the best advertising tool/resource in a particular area. I know we had the odd guide here and there, but this only served to confuse and act as a self-promotion tool for more poor quality run copycat directories - so it hindered rather than solved the problem.

A clear cut official guide is probably the answer here, and it's probably one of the top publishers in the world, that takes this on. But a clear ranking system just for directories is needed.

Any thoughts on this anyone? Lets have a decent thought provoking discussion for once without the "My directory is this one, please submit here"

 

Very interesting topic. There is a discussion about directory rate's algo for ranking directories and calling them 'top directory'

These are some of the other efforts:

http://www.directorycritic.com/
http://www.vmoptions.com/directory-list.php
http://www.directoryrate.com/free-directory-list.php
http://addurl.nu
http://info.vilesilencer.com/

I had seen some directory doctor website too.

Though I use the above lists, I have seen people looking for PR to inner pages/categories and also number of pages indexed by google.

There are other people on this forum who are also working to get a fair / accurate directory rating system. Thanks for initiating this thread.

 

here is another one

www.directorytoplist.com

we dont have a extra rate system.

 

It's funny, you try to discuss this problem and see what happens:

So that's what you're talking about?

 

Just a disclaimer.. I am not associated with any of the directory lists I posted in my thread. I just gave a couple of examples where people were employing different methods to 'rate' directories and create a 'top directory' list.

@Rezo: If you can see beyond the links, you will see that I have some text and discussion too. I endorse the topic and also gave rep to event_king for this. I would request you to stop being paranoid about spamming and url dropping.

 

But you know it won't be official - just someone's opinion again. And user opinion isn't always factual and in many cases is the wrong advice to follow period.

We need:

Name of directory
Industry served
Directory rank = 55
Blog comments
Article comments
Reviews done
Any media coverage
Est since
No of employees
Financial backers
Company info
End of year profit

etc etc something official and trusted is required here. Not the "mine has a PR of 7 crap" that's no good whatsoever, it doesn't tell the user anything.


www.directorytoplist.com

Yeah, but there's nothing in it. And it's just opinion anyway, I mean who votes for the directories listed in it, and this isn't something I will just 'find' , as a searcher I'd never find it.

This guide or whatever would need to be so famous for it to work well, I can't see it happening. The media would need to be informed first, but before that it needs to be filled with a ton of content.

 

this is a quite useless thread because :

1. from the Google's point of view, DMOZ maybe ?
2. from the dir. owner's point of view, his directory is the best, the top quality, the top of the top, etc and if it is not .. he presumes it will be "the best, the top quality, the top of the top, etc"
3. from the submitter's point of view, the preferred directories are those who are actually delivering something to the listed websites ( like for example traffic & a strong quality backlink )

At the end of the day, be happy if you have a directory that can be called a resource for the visitors, a good & respected web directory preferred by the submitters & cut the crap with the authority stuff.

just what I believe...

Thanks,
hyper

 

Yep, but this is exactly my point - who is Google to rank sites, when everyone knows their PR system is screwed. And it only gives a very broad sense of what a page is ranked for. It doesn't cover any of the above mentioned in my previous post, and thus worthless to say an advertiser looking for targeted promotion.

Google is no way to be trusted with ranking anything. Advertisers will demand more information before spending.

 

Stop putting yourself on a pedistal. Your assuming ALL of us are newcomers to the directory scene. Truth is some of us have probably forgotten more than your likely to learn, certainly with the attitude of 'I know it all already'. I'm all but a fully qualified Lawyer, is that official enough? Or are you looking for someone with 50,000 posts on here (most of which are crap) to be viewed as 'Official'.

As your aware I'm conducting a comprehensive study into how directories are being rated. I back up EVERYTHING with fact and if for example I gave a rating to a directory I'd be able to say what and qualify it to the highest level.

Your living in cuckoo land if you think people are going to disclose number of 'real' employers' and so on, we've got companies house for that.

One thing is for certain, don't ever expect your peers to rate you as business is business, I'd NEVER recommend another directory, they are competition kind of thing comes to mind.

One thing I do agree on, this PR nonsense. People are again latching onto the PR of a site, you can see it on many threads now, will they never learn?

 

EK, i have a lot of respect for your posts, but you seem to mention media have all of the answers over and above all or at least imply some importance to them, just i have never read a paper that is based on facts but rather most are based on what sells. the old story if it's in the paper it must be right. right ?

just feel it's all a little hard core with approach, what ever to just having some enjoyment with what you do, I think most here understand 90 + % is bu ll ship anyway so most are low streass with it all.

 

Well put, and as my mentor to a degree (Kudos to that) I think your spot on, posting complicated posts such as this however well intentioned is putting things above the level they need to be.

See, I am paying attention to what your saying.

 

Ah Jamie, the way i see it is simple if your running a directory as business in it's true form and in that of a business.

You can waffle all day about who, should rank directories, you can waffle all day that you need to spend xyz time, you can waffle you need this coverage and that coverage in media and the list goes on, but the only one peice of print that is important is that that comes out of the printer with you bottom line on it.

That is the only real story that cumilates all of the above and gives an accurate score card.

 

Waffling is when your talking about something you know nothing about or talking about just for the sake of talking. The only important piece of print to me is the bank statement that comes to me each month telling me I've made money or vice verca. Is that what you were referring to?

 

Whoa! Easy there, you are judging me unfairly, but believe me if I wanted to irritate someone, there are more effective ways than posting on a forum. You can think what you like, I don't care.

Wrong again, don't try and analyse me - you will be wrong often. No not all newcomers, just some and from what I've read here, I don't see any experts so far.

Your not doing yourself any favours. I'm a lot older than you and others on here by about 20 years at least, so don't talk crap.

OMG lol.

No I didn't know that, well let's hope it's decent then.

No shit

You think I haven't sussed them out yet don't you lol

At last, something without an insult attatched

 

It's the fastest way to get mass attention.

Where did I ever say the media has all the answers, but compared to spending a life link-swapping, yeah - it is way superior.

 

I cannot think of any generalized directory that is a success at this time. There are many niche travel, restaurant, city directories that are successes. None of them use the traditional "directory scripts", though all of them do share one characteristic - they provide useful information to visitors.

I am hoping that someone eventually develops a useful directory script. There really is a crying need for one. Yelp would be a good model.

Rich

 

EK - when you say publishers are you meaning Media? The same media/publishers that spin facts to present issues in an entertaining, controversial ways to improve their ratings and readership?

I don't think that is the answer if you are looking for unbiased results.

 

well, that's part of the key, but that alone will never unlock the door.

but alas it's difficult knowing which directories to pick for the best results. If one knew that, then the charlatans can be avoided and better traffic will come from the better informed choices. Much of directory selection (General ones) is pure trial and error, one mistake and your site joins a bad neighbourhood.

 

I mean whoever does the best job. There is a Media newspaper that runs a top guide, and the guide is well respected, and likely accurate with it's reviews and information.

Big companies are probably the best choices to take this on, they got the manpower, influence and cash to make it work. Not saying that some bright entrepreneur can't do it, just that it's harder without mountains of cash to work with.

 

The question may be asked the other way around...who are you to judge if a directory is "top" or not, if a directory deserves this status or not?

We live in a free world and the internet is free as well. Everyone has the right to call his website whatever he wants. At the end is not about how "top" is your directory (or not)...it is about how people see your website and how much business your directory could bring in. If Aviva would brand their directory as "the crapiest thing on earth" it will still remain one of the "top" directories.