Link Directory: A Link Directory is a collection of links to other websites.
Reasons to have a Link Directory:
- To provide links to whomever wants their site listed in your link directory.
- To provide links to related sites (may be a very tiny link directory).
- To publish one's own version of a search engine.
- To fulfill a reciprocal link requirement.
Commentary on the above reasons:
- Often this actually the end result from using software without good administrative controls.
- This can be helpful to your visitors when the linked sites futher expand your subject matter or are on related subjects.
- This situation is often found on Google Adsence sites.
- Read more about adding your site to other link directories.
Other people's Link Directories can also be a poor man's* avenue of advertising. Professional web developers have a wide range in individual viewpoints regarding Link Directories. These viewpoints range from "heaps of praise" to "utter disgust". So why bring this up here in features and not in That SEO Stuff? Because the discussion about having a Link Directory is not complete without discussing about using Link Directories.
"A Link Directory is a collection of links to other websites" does not tell the whole truth about Link Directories. The story goes something like this... Search Engines follow links from one site to another. Some Search Engines began counting links to sites and then ranked sites based upon the number of links to them. "Free For All" Link Directories were a response to the search engine ranking methods and for awhile would produce superior results. Abuse by the Black Hat web developer community led to the search engines devising ways to override this link ranking manipulation. Reciprocal Link Directories evolved to combat abuse by the Black Hat web developer community and as a way to guarantee links from other sites. Three Way Link Directories were created to fraudulently attempt to show search engines one way links while still requiring a reciprocal link (but to a third party who in turn links to another party). Search engines and link directories have been through many stages of development.
We studied link directories by reading materials obtained from the search engine websites, by reading a wide range of authors in the web development field and by conducting experiments on non-customer "trial" sites.
The most common and generally accepted usage is that of "link building". This is a concept based upon the search engines counting the number of links to your site and where "better" sites have greater effect on your ranking. Search Engines follow this practice today.
Having or using Link Directories is not a bad thing according to the search engines. Avoid excessive reciprocal links or excessive link exchanging. Don't buy or sell links to pass PageRank
The best place to list one's site is on a site with related content.
Avoid listing your site on a link directory with
- links to web spammers or in bad neighborhoods,
- links to sites with viruses or other malevolent features.
If you have a Link Directory then you want to prevent:
- links to web spammers or in bad neighborhoods,
- links to sites with viruses or other malevolent features.
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