Is Directory Link Building Still Worth It? We Checked 41 Directories
Not for rankings. Google lists "low-quality directory or bookmark site links" as link spam. Join a directory when your customers use it, not for the backlink.
Still worth it: business listings and niche directories your buyers browse.
Skip: general web directories and paid "featured links".
We checked 41 web directories that ranking "directory link building" guides still recommend. 12 were dead, parked or turned into something else. The 27 that worked had a median Ahrefs DR of 39.
Checked 9 October 2026. Method at the end.
We checked 41 web directories still being recommended
We took the general web directories named by guides ranking for "web directory link building" and "business listing backlink" (loclweb's list of 18, the web directories in bizzbuzzcreations' list of 50+, plus Jasmine Directory, BOTW and Blogarama), opened each homepage and looked up its Ahrefs DR.
| Status on 9 Oct 2026 | Directories |
|---|---|
| Working directory | 27 |
| No response | 4 |
| Parked or for sale | 5 |
| Redirects to a slot gambling site | 1 |
| "Coming soon" page | 1 |
| Now an unrelated site | 1 |
| Could not check (bot block, script redirect) | 2 |
The 27 working ones ranged from DR 0 to 73: six at DR 60 or higher, eight below 30. DR measures a directory's own backlinks, not whether Google trusts links anyone can submit.
What Google says about directory links
Google's spam policies define link spam as "creating links to or from a site primarily for the purpose of manipulating search rankings" and list "low-quality directory or bookmark site links" as an example. A pattern of them can lead to an unnatural links warning.
Paid links are allowed "as long as they are qualified with a rel="nofollow" or rel="sponsored" attribute", and then they pass no ranking credit (do nofollow links help SEO?).
Which directories are still worth joining
- Business listings your customers search, like Google Business Profile, Bing Places and Yelp. See citation building packages and Google Business Profile backlinks.
- Niche directories your buyers browse. For software: SaaS directories and AI tool directories.
A quick test: would you still list there if the link were nofollow? If not, the link is the only reason you're there.
Should you pay for a directory listing?
Some charge. Jasmine Directory charges a review fee with annual or one-time plans, 247 Web Directory a one-time fee for a faster review, and 10 Directory sells featured spots. Directory Critic advertises "featured links" on other directories from $19.95.
The pitch reaches publishers' inboxes too: 41% of the senders who mentioned a directory in a reply to MentionAgent outreach also mentioned a price, fee or payment. Pay only for a listing that sends customers, and expect it to be nofollow or sponsored.
Get links from sites people actually read
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- Directories: 41 general web directories named by pages in Google's US top 10 for "web directory link building" and "business listing backlink" on 9 October 2026; local listing sites and classifieds left out. Each homepage fetched once and read by hand; a site counted as working if it loaded as a directory with categories or a submit page. DR from Ahrefs' free lookup the same day.
- Inbox: inbound replies to MentionAgent link-building outreach, 1 June to 9 October 2026, excluding our own sales outreach. Counted once per sending domain whose reply text mentioned a directory, and again if it also mentioned a price, fee, payment or currency.
Frequently asked questions
Is directory submission still useful for SEO?
Not for ranking links: Google lists low-quality directory links as link spam. Business listings and niche directories are still useful for reaching customers.
Are web directories still relevant?
Many of the old ones aren't. Of 41 web directories still recommended by ranking guides, 12 were dead, parked or repurposed in October 2026.
Should I pay for a directory listing?
Only if it sends you customers. Paid links that pass ranking credit break Google's policy, so a paid listing should be nofollow or sponsored.