How Google handles with paid directories?

[joeko]

Are paid directories held to the same standards as paid links? Is it going to get penalized my website if I submit website to paid directory?

[ske11]

Hi Jozef

Not necessarily, not all directories are the same, some that you pay for are great and others are not good at all.

The Yahoo directory for example has a pay to be considered for inclusion system but it is one of the best directories to be listed in.

There are  a lot of factors that go into deciding if you should be paying to be in a directory including, what are the other sites like in the directory, does it relate to your niche? are the sites good quality or can anyone get in?

The question I always ask myself is, if this directory had no SEO benefit would I still pay to get listed in it? if the answer is yes and you have checked the quality of the site then go for it if the answer is no then do not do it.

I hope that helps

Sean

[gfiorelli1]

Actually it is quite easy for Google to understand if a directory is still a reliable and valuable source of information and what is simply another easy (paid) tactic for ranking.

SEO Directories are easy to be discovered, as they declares quite easily their nature ("insert your site for better rankings..."), they offer link back as "paying option", they don't have usually incoming traffic (aka: users don't use them) and don't send traffic to the sites present in the directory. Also their cheapness can be taken as an alarm signal: 5 € is not really a sign of a real editorial control, revision and maintenance by the directory.

Instead directories like Yahoo! still have a value, and - apart from having the trust factor of being Yahoo - it has a real editorial control and never mention rankings as one of the advantages of paying for being present in their directory.