Dilemma

[Paul78]

Hope you can help me out.

We have hired a company to help us gain higher SERPs for a few keywords, the dilemma is they have came back to me with list of websites they are going to contact in getting backlinks, however these websites are directory websites, is this what I should be expecting of an SEO company to come back with, a list of potential directories? somehow I expected the SEO company to comeback with potential backlinks with a bit more quality.

Kind Regards

[seoroyal]

No not at all...A good linkbuilder will get you high quality links. I dont know what directories the are going to add you but if the only thing what they going to do is add you to some directories then my suggestion is stop paying them and start looking for an other company.

Before hiring i would suggest that you look into the different kind of linkbuilding for yourself so you can deside wich companie to use. There are some great blogs on the site here and elsewhere on the internet .

Hope this helps a little if you have any questions feel free to ask.

[eTundra]

The most effective way to build quality links is through topical, well-written, captivating content, so unless you are hiring a company that promises to write good content in order to gain links a red flag should always go up when they say "link building" and don't mention content in the same breath.

Unless you have some significant on-page optimization and technical SEO issues you should be looking for a good copywriter rather than an SEO firm.

[Paul78]

Hi seoroyal/ the back burner,

Yes, my own personal experience with SEO over the years is topical, well-written content as you pointed out in your feedback and from this posting it on blogs has helped my SERPs over the years, so this is always something I stick to.

However I got introduced to this SEO company to help me out with some keywords, it's all a bit political to be honest, the chats I had with them seemed quite strange to start, there first strategy was to put a web page on our website called /links display a companies details on that page, then contact that company, saying "hey we've got a link from our website to yours, how about putting a link on your website to ours?" I just did not feel comfortable with this at all, am I over reacting? They then gave a presentation expressing how good well written content just as you mentioned above was best practice which I agreed, but then came back with a list of these potential directories, I was very confused.

Not sure what to do, as its all a bit political, things might get a little messy.

Sorry for the long winded rant, just wondering if one of you guys have came across something similiar

[seoroyal]

The link page what you have to put up is because they are going to run a link exchange program. That is even wurser then i thought. The  directories they place them in are directories that will add you when you place a link back to them.

I really think that the links they are going to place wont have much if not any weight for your keywords. What they are doing you can also easy yourself because there are thgousends of directories like that. I wont pay them to let them do it and if you really want to do it your self.

[eTundra]

From a pure ROI standpoint, all discussion about the value (or lack thereof) of directory links aside: you can get a marketing intern to submit your site to directories for free, or at worst, minimum wage if that's what you really want to do.  I'm sure this company charges much more per hour than that.

From a "smell test" or "gut feeling" standpoint: first this company talks about link exchanges and then submitting to directories.  They are not inspiring much confidence in their grasp of up-to-date, user-focused, let's-add-value-to-this-website-while-we-improve-organic-rankings, are they?

If an SEO strategy doesn't improve the experience your customers get when they surf the web or visit your site then it doesn't pass the smell test.

[Paul78]

Thanks for your quick replies.

Yes, I totally agree with what both of you are saying.

One thing I did notice is that the are also contacting websites which have /links pages not directories which are actually relevant to the topic and a high PR of 4 and above, these type of page seem to list about 20 - 30 companies all having the keyword which is been focused, is this valuable? somehow I feel they are trying to do something as cheap as they can and charge a fortune for it, when I could get someone internally to do this.

[eTundra]

when I could get someone internally to do this.

Sounds like you answered your own question, and I agree.  Thank them for their list of companies and hand it over to someone on your team.

[seoroyal]

I think you need to hire some one who writes good articles for you and then find good heavy weight links back to them . The only thing is the prices that they will charge really depends who you hire and where they are from.

My company also does this but we hire people from cheaper countries in the world. Thats why we do it for cheaper rates. But the thing is good links take time and it good be that someone is working for an hour to get you a good link. And hours to write a good article.

You can send me a private message and i can make you an offer but still the best way to do it is yourself. There is a nice seminar on linkbuilding bij seomoz what you good watch .

[kpaulin]

As my Nanna always used to say, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is...and so it is with SEO and in particular, link building...

I'd like you to visit this page...

http://www.searchengineoptimisationworks.com.au/seo-tools-tips/choose-best-seo-company/ (link deliberatley removed by me - just copy and paste)

...and then this one...

http://www.searchengineoptimisationworks.com.au/seo-tools-tips/link-building-strategies/ (also removed - this ain't the place for gratuitous links)

The first lists some helpful questions you should have asked your SEO company before appointing them and the second lists a range of alternative link methods...a few key directories such as the ones you can find here on SEOmoz...

http://www.seomoz.org/dp/seo-directory

...can be helpful...

But yes, your "gut feel" is correct, they should be identifying unique, one-way incoming link opportunities from a small number of quality sources. SEORoyal is quite right...stop now before they do some real damage...and when you start looking for your next SEO company, use the above checklist and ask to speak to client references.

Hope that helps!

KP

[eTundra]

Those are some good resources Keith!

[Paul78]

Thanks for all your feedback, this has helped me a lot on what decision I have to make.

[kpaulin]

You are welcome - best wishes along your journey!

[Dr-Pete]

Good discussion here, but I endorsed Keith's comment because I do think you have to trust your gut. Directory links are fine, to a point (especially higher-quality ones), but they should be part of a broader, more diverse strategy. If this firm seems like a one-trick pony and you just get a bad vibe, that's important. I can't count how many times I've ignored that gut feeling with a new vendor (or client) and later regretted it.

[kpaulin]

Gosh...thanks...never had one of these before...

[Dr-Pete]

I just want to publicly say that we're really trying to do a better job of endorsing answers in Public Q&A. The amount of activity since we relaunched Q&A has been beyond our wildest expectations (short-term, at least), and we really do appreciate the time our community members have spent answering each other's questions and sharing their experiences.