Paid directory links have been on the hit list for some time now, but no one expected so many to just disappear without any notice from Google, informing them that they were being penalised.
Whilst this may just be a temporary glitch in a new algorithm, it certainly does seem to be the materialisation of Google’s ever-growing threat to start ousting paid directory links, in a bid to improve rankings according to actual content relevancy.
People may think that paid links are a legitimate form of getting their name out there and improving their rankings, but it can effectively be used as a manipulation of Google’s algorithm, so it should come as no surprise that Google dismisses them.
If a business is looking to add their company information to a directory then, by all means, they should not get penalised for it. That said, there are ways (like making the link no-follow) that can show Google that you aren’t just there for the link.
Whilst it does seem odd that Google is favouring some directories over others, these are a few of the directories still on Google’s safe list:
- AdBrite
- Quigo
- IndustryBrains
- Microsoft AdCenter
- Yahoo! Publisher Network
- Any site that doesn't pass PageRank
