Google Not Penalizing for Inbound Links - what about Directories?

Oct 5, 2007 - 1:17 pm 3 by

Recently Barry covered a subject that comes up every once in a while: can competitors do something to damage your rankings in Google? In Google Says Spam Links Can't Hurt You, Again, more “proof” is presented that Google will not hold linking against you. The problem is that while they are saying that, they are also saying that you should be careful which directories you use, as covered by Tamar in May when she wrote Matt Cutts Tells Us Which Web Directories Can Impact Your Search Rankings.

In his statement, Matt provides “a few rules of thumb to think about when looking at a directory. When considering submitting to a directory…” He is not clear if submitting to the “spammy” directories that he describes could cause some sort of penalty, or if they would just be ignored.

A question posed recently at Search Engine Watch Forums asks about some directories that the user found in his backlinks that he did not submit to. He feels like others that the directory probably just added his site in order to help fill out their category index. Yet if the directory falls under the definition of “spammy,” can this hurt him?

I would hope that the answer is that they will simply ignore it, otherwise this is a specific way that someone could harm your rankings. I know this is sort of a circular argument, but it would help to clarify if penalties are involved on the directory front or if it is just devalued.

Please share your thoughts at the SEW forums.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Search Video Recaps

 
- YouTube
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: July 11, 2025

Jul 11, 2025 - 10:00 am
Search Video Recaps

Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Helpful Content Recoveries With Core Update, AI Mode Expands, Hidden Ad Terms & Fewer Ad Clicks

Jul 11, 2025 - 8:01 am
Google Maps

Google Local & Business Profiles Drops June 25th - Reporting Glitch?

Jul 11, 2025 - 7:51 am
Google

Google Tests Zoom Effect In On Images Within Search Results

Jul 11, 2025 - 7:41 am
Bing Search

Bing Search Image Box Tests Explore Image & Visual Search Buttons

Jul 11, 2025 - 7:31 am
Bing Search

Microsoft Bing Tests Delivery Truck Icon In Search Ads

Jul 11, 2025 - 7:21 am
Previous Story: Turning Off Ads in Yahoo Search Marketing Content Networks: How?