Directory link building has been used widely by all SEO companies since the start of the SEO boom but how do you know if a directory link will pass domain authority and link juice to your site. Most companies will use this method as it’s the cheapest way to build links to their clients sites, the main point is don’t get caught short wasting time on links that won’t help your rankings.
Our team have put together the process we use to understand whether our clients will benefit from a directory link.
Is the site human edited?
Most directories are not human edited allowing any old website to place a link, this of course degrades the directory and in-turn the power the link will pass to you. When a directory asks for a payment this is not for the placement but for the time a human editor has to take to review you site for acceptance in their directory, this ensures the quality of their directory stays high.
Will the link pass any power?
Check the page your link will be placed on using
www.opensiteexplorer.org, this will show you how much domain and page authority will be passed, even if a site is strong the link will be devalued if the pages points out to hundreds of other sites, ideally the page should have less than 25 out bound links on the page.
Does Google even like the directory?
Checking when the site last got indexed is a great indicator of how much Google likes the site, if the site is not indexed within the last thirty days this will mean Google don’t really like the site and the link will take a long time to propagate
The directories link popularity
Using
www.opensiteexplorer.org will show you how many links the directory has, if the site itself has no link juice pumping in it will not pass any back out.
How does the site look?
Google has started to downgrade sites with hundreds of Adverts, if the directory is just pumped full of banners, Google ads and other advertising links it is a sure thing the directory will be downgraded.
In Summary
Directory link building can be a great way to build up numbers of mid-level quality links that will help you grow a natural looking profile, just make sure you run through the checks first!
We hope our little guide helps you on your way to some increased Google rankings, for more information about
directory link building contact our team via the form on the contact page.