Are Directory Links a Good Source of Branded Links?

[rise1]

I am trying to increase the number of branded links for a few of my sites since the links are too heavily weighted on anchor text.  If so, would you recommend a service like Directory Maximizer?

[RyanKent]

Under no conditions would I ever use any service which submitted links to my site to various directories. The only reason a site owner would do such is an attempt to manipulate search engine ranking, which is the definition of black hat SEO. You are likely to incur a penalty at some point with such a tactic.

[KevinBudzynski]

I would stay away as well. The best way to get links is to earn them and links that are "given" away typically do not carry much weight as anyone could get them.

[ufmedia]

I'd keep my distance.  Google has been clamping down on paid directories, and any sort of automated service like what you're describing would be awfully risky.

[SEOTGT]

nope

[tfbpa]

Good quality directories are indeed a perfect fit for your needs, but I would not use that company or any company at all.

Do your own research for quality directories in your niche and/or locale/country/state, which will take a while, but IS worth it. Try not to use general directories, as there are so many directories out there it is hardly necessary. Do not use any kind of list made available anywhere, just check for "your niche directory" and if you find some high quality ones, do a related:domain.com search, both to check for new opportunities and to check what Google thinks of that directory. If related:domain.com doesn't return any results or returns websites that are not about that niche or locale, I would not submit to that one.

Then check if the exact page your link will be on is indexed in Bing, if it is, then it is pretty likely of good enough quality to carry some weight as Bing only seems to index high quality pages and leaves all the low quality out of the index, in stark contract to Google which indexes every crappy page their bot sees.

This way I find it still safe and functional to use directories, as Google sees that directory as part of your niche/locale AND Bing thinks the quality of the specific page is enough to be indexed. If both these conditions are met, the directory link will carry weight and because you can specify the anchor text, you will make your backlink profile more natural.

Many people are saying don't use directories, but don't believe everything you read, do your own research. If you do enough research you will find good ones and they will help you.