Directory Sites - Why?

[gazoakley]

I've seen people talking a lot about directory sites before - and I've used them myself. But why are they a good idea? They don't generally seem to give much traffic - at least thats been my experience.

I've asked if its because they might be useful for PageRank - but that got shot down pretty quick last time I asked. I've seen that Google is coming down hard on pay for links (though I'm not sure how that would affect sites listed at Yahoo Directory)

So - what do you use directory sites for? Gaining traffic or PageRank? And more importantly do they work or are they a waste of time?

 

[shockie]

most directories are just for gaining pagerank, although some (like yahoo's business directory) are more likely to actually bring you traffic. whether or not they work is something that's still being debated in the seo world, but it seems to be working for me as i'm on the first page every now and then. also, they're not a waste of time if you get someone else to do it for you.

 

[FPForum]

like shockie said, don't expect to get traffic from a directory listing. They're great because they are one-way backlinks going to your site. They will help you gain pagerank and raise your rank in the SERPS but some directories may take months to get approved in (unless you buy a featured spot) so don't expect huge results right away.

 

[gargoyles]

Agreed, but they are also good in helping to get your site indexed too. Sometimes, if you need to put a site online within 72 hours this is a good avenue.

G