Many websites have an article directory, which may also be an essential element from a search engine optimization perspective. Our text explains what influence this has and why article directories were created.
What is an article directory?
An article directory is a collection of editorial articles that are not entered automatically, but by the users. Everyone has the option of making an entry via the web form. Wikipedia is one of the big names with such a concept. If an added value can be created, then a backlink can be generated from it, which is then useful for the Google ranking.
Article directories are the origin of the Internet
In a way, article directories are also the origin of today’s Internet, as there were no search engines in the 1990s. Relevant information was summarized in article directories. However, these became obsolete after the introduction of search engines. The reason for this was that a search engine works much more efficiently and saves time, but the article directories were still important at first, as there were not yet many websites and the article directories were always at the top positions in the search engine due to a lack of competition. It was still an important element for search engine optimization, even if it had become less and less important.
Are article directories important for SEO again?
However, article directories still exist today and not without reason. All articles are now sorted into categories according to specific topics. A user can find information on specific topics in the categories. The range of topics includes not only topics from medicine, society or politics, but also a wide variety of secondary categories. Today, it can still make sense to be active on the major platforms, as this can generate organic traffic. The prerequisite is usually that a text of at least 300 words is submitted. This is then approved and published by the editorial team after review, and there are free and many paid offers. The advantage of paid offers is that they can also be used to create DoFollow backlinks. On the other hand, the operator can also finance the platform in this way.
How effective is a backlink from a directory?
In 2012, Google published an update (Penguin) that primarily focused on quality. Google noticed that many platforms were using this opportunity to engage in link building. As a result, backlinks from many portals were devalued – in some cases, the directories were even removed from the index. Today, backlinks from these portals are hardly of any importance anymore; press portals are now considered an alternative. However, you can also get more detailed tips and advice from a professional link building agency.
