Why content is still king for web directories? With Proof

Two months back when I started my first web directory, I had lot of questions and dug deep into it. Had asked so many questions in this forum and few members like YMC and Dan were very much helpful in addressing them.

In one such thread, there was heated arguments on whether to edit the content or not. While every one insisted to do quality editing to surface out, one had an alternate point. He argued and proved that good content has nothing to with web directories. You can read that thread for more intriguing and heated arguments. Moreover that person claimed to have 30+ directories which are not edited for free submissions. Which means the directory accepted garbage content (Usually submitted content is nothing but duplicate content) and the person claimed to do quality edition. I managed to find 16 directories of that person and had on my list to do evaluation later.

After 2 months now I casually analyzed them back. To my surprise 14 out of 16 directories were de-indexed from Google. Exactly why Google hates duplicate content and why directories with no editing will be slammed sooner or later.

I don't want to embarrass that person, but want to show you guys few directories to analyze for yourself.

Do a search with "site:above-website.com". This will yield nothing.

So, directory owners... Wake Up... Do quality editing and don't allow duplicate content in your directories. You will be slapped sooner or later

 

How are you doing with your own directory? (which I assume is very well edited)

 

Yes, it is well edited. Not even one description is duplicate content. We re-write every description to make it perfectly unique.

Hence the directory is doing absolutely great. Any link submitted in the directory gets crawled (Link details page) in less two hours! Which means Google simply can't resist itself visiting the directory every now and then

 

16 you'r so lazy grrr

[TABLE="width: 269"]
[TR]
[TD]technetgr.com[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]aydinhedef.com[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]romgchamber.org[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]wwrf26.org[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]tagsf.com[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]pxfy.org[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]agcmedia.com[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]ethio2k.com[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]chiostimes.com[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]winastepup.org[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]zsjyw.com[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]sitesmaster.net[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]leahgiesler.com[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]grjm.net[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]mantsopa.com[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]sagenevada.org[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]lebloggers.org[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]tapcdd.org[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]bikehelmetsnow.org[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]chattanoogadoorrepair.com[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]mp3locator.com[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]worldpeaceandprayerday.org[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]fundraiserfinder.com[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]gaokk.com[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]idsoc.org[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]makecva.com[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]tri-statehomeperformance.com[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]futurtech.org[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]ebglive.com[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]npsflnation.com[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]nmb48.net[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]sqwosh.com[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]


More 2come

 

^ Those are all general directories?

I get the whole idea of using a dropped domain but worldpeaceandprayerday.org, bikehelmetsnow.org, and chattanoogadoorrepair.com?

I wonder how much the disconnect between the domain name and the site purpose was factored in.

Sadly, I suspect he still made a profit. He'll just find some new domains, rinse, and repeat.

 

It's a shame to see all that time, energy, and money wasted for nothing.

What does Chattanooga means, i cant find it in my dictionary .

 

Lol

The problem is people buy such PR domains, create a directory and don't do editing. They do this in large scale.... I heard some one having 250+ directories.How in the world one can manage it!

I am not against creating a directory on an expired domain (Of course name has to be decent enough). If they are doing quality editing it would surface. If not they are just mafia groups who attract people in the name of PR domain and run away with their money.

 

It's not because of content, they were de-indexed because they are dropped.
Why would someone submit to mp3locator.com ? It's so obvious that if you start a web directory you don't call it like this.
So people who submit are stupid, not the one who created them.

 

Nope. Your judgement is not correct. These are not dropped domains. Here is the difference.

Dropped: Domains that were not renewed by original owners and come to public registry. Then they are re-registered by some other people. This is called dropped. When a domain is dropped it is recorded and can be seen in whois public record.
Expired: These are expired domains. Expired domains are being auctioned by registrars before they get dropped and come to public register. People bid on it and buy these domains. Any page rank domain (PR 2+) don't get dropped because there is a huge demand. People buy them off in auction. When such things happen the registrar (Like Godaddy) transfers the domain from existing owner to the new owner who bought it on Auction. They don't have dropped status and search engines don't see them as dropped.

In this particular case they are de-indexed because of content. If they are to be de-indexed because of expired domain status it would have happened few months back. Google wont have the website for 6 months in its index and then de-index because they were expired.

The point here is not dropped or expired but it is content, content and content

 

If the sites are not indexed, it may be the duplicate content but it is more likely the fact that the directories have sitewide links to their network (interlinked sites). Google sees this as a means of manipulating their search results.

 

The above "web directories" you highlighted i think they are just import the database in phpmyadmin.
the content is almost same.

 

I didn't check the content itself but the 3 I looked at all had 30,000 plus submissions. If I had to guess, he imported a database on the first directory. It got a few new listings and when he set up the second one he imported that new database. And so on.

BTW, Chattanooga is a city in Tennessee.

 

It could be a combination of things, since that particular directory owner hasn't done just one thing wrong, he's done them all wrong.

One fact that hasn't been mentioned was that the directory owner openly admitted to selling PR. There's your reason for de-indexation right there. Openly selling PR, on an interlinked directory network of 30+ directories, with duplicated unvetted content.

 

There's a known ring of dup directories with throw away domains with BS PR and its a person who's also a member here. Directories like this as very easy to spot. Don't be fooled by those promising a PR boost, or claiming to be something they are not. As others have indicated here, when you see a domain like "alligatorskinbootsfromtexas.com" masquerading as a "General Directory", with a PR9 and hidden incoming links from a .gov or .edu, it's fairly obvious its total BS!

There is nothing to gain, nor is there even a short term boost in SERPS with fraudulent directories like this. And the owner of these sites knows that.

 

Where do you get your alligator boots from then?

Good point BTW.

 

I personally stopped submitting to directory

1) If the domain name looks ugly or bad .. It is just waste of time.
2) If they use Free Script. (Most free scripts, it is hard to control spam) + I don't believe they have the dedication.
3) .info domains -- Not all are the same (kind of think twice on this one)

In the case that we are discussing here:
If that guy just imported the links - He did not spend much time.. People who paid him are at fault + they are the real looser as well.
some of them may have taken a Google penalty as well..

Real problem is people like that make the Directory Owners look bad..

 

These are good indicators of the weaker end of the spectrum. If an owner has no love for what they are running or has invested no time/money into it, then it will have no value to them. If it has no value to them, then when it makes no money it becomes something that is very easy to discard.

All of the other factors (like traffic, linking, seo benefits) become null and void when you realise that the directory is a "fly by nighter". Something that is here today and gone tomorrow will never hold any value.

It is why the age of the directory really holds one of the most significant values of the directory. Who cares about PR, it changes with the wind. The age is the one true constant factor. The best directories are 5+ years old. They've established a strong catalogue of vetted content. New directories can get there, but they don't do it overnight. You can't start a directory and it be one of the best within a few weeks or months, it takes long term dedication.