Are niche directories still helpful as good links to have to help ranking in the serps?

[Ron10]

Are niche directories still helpful as good links to have to help ranking in the serps or has Google discounted directories?  The Niche directories that i would be using are not spammy at all and are quality sources of info.

Thanks mozzers!

[RobertFisher]

Ron,

To me the most terrifying word in SEO is directory. OK, slightly kidding. I would be very careful of any directories on a lot of levels. First, when you say niche, I have to ask what niche? Then, is it yet one more that lists 1000's of sites with no purpose other than listing thousands of sites? Can you give a couple of examples?

At the end of the day, I look at them this way: Is it, for example, a website for an organization that lists its members? To that I say fine, use it. Is it a website that is a directory of businesses with no cogent organization to it or without any type of central theme - I say run. Most of the time, I say run.

We have a client who someone signed up for a directory back in March of 2013, they became our client on 4/1 and we discovered the first set of new links on 4/17 when they went from 4800 links to about 6,000. By mid May, that directory was responsible for having added over 20,000 links to the site. It was a "networking" directory.

Hope this helps a little,

Robert

[Ron10]

I play in a band and here are a couple samples of the directories i was looking at to list my band in:

http://www.indiemusic.com/

http://www.pureindierock.com/

Let me know what you think. Thanks for your input!

[RobertFisher]

Very Good Examples Ron10

The first one I absolutely hate with a passion. (there is no rhyme or reason other than listing something)

The second one I love and think you should. It is more than a directory and that is the point. There is a reason for it to exist.

A friend of mine, Rom Ryan, has a band called Moodafaruka that does quite well on the indie scene. The music is a mix, but likely pigeon holed as alternative. If you do a search on the band (or on the band and add one of their songs like Man Without Hat), then look at all the results, you will have an excellent list of places to use instead of directories and they are exactly where your band should be. (Check out the music as it is really good.) They have done quite well selling their music online and at their venues.

So, what's the genre you prefer? What's your instrument?

Hope this helps,

Robert

[Ron10]

Awesome, thanks so much for the advice.  I did the search on the band and that's exactly the kind of places that i was looking for to list in and am already listed on some of these sites that came up.  My band is more pop rock and I'm a lead vocalist and lead guitarist.

Thanks again for input!

Ron

[RobertFisher]

I am really glad it was helpful, keep on playing.

Best

[George.Fanucci]

If you are looking for directories, this is a good resource:

vilesilencer.com

http://info.vilesilencer.com/niche

Where there is good page rank and relevance, a few directory links may not hurt, use with caution.