Stuntdubl on Directories

We (along with everyone else, it seems) have gone back and forth on directories in the past six months: acknowledging that links from many of them are not as useful as they used to be, while proposing that listings in those of higher quality are still a valid, helpful link building method. A few prominent figures have been proclaiming the "death" of all directories, but this is certainly exaggerated (and wrong). Stuntdubl gives a more balanced view in Mr. Ploppyâs Monday Tool List - Volume XXVI - Directory Tools.

I still like many directories. When theyâre not built for the SOLE purpose of manipulating PR, they can be a very good addition to a siteâs backlinks. I donât think the directory model will ever completely die, but it does have itâs flaws. As a final note, donât go over board with getting ALL the directories in one sitting.

There's a lot more there, go read it.

You Can't Buy Everything

Rand Fishkin over at SEOmoz has posted a cracking article on how to get links when money won't suffice.

What do you do when money doesn't appeal to your link targets. This happens to me all the time - sometimes because they're an educational institution, a non-profit or simply a webmaster who doesn't want to "compromise". If purchasing "advertising" links becomes impossible, there are some great ways around it that I've used successfully.

His ideas are link junkie required reading.

Legal Linking Goodness

I just finished writing a rather long post at Threadwatch about the legality of linking. If you're too lazy to read my rather encyclopedic rant, here is a two-point summary:

A hyperlink is basically a reference. A reference, whether in your kid's term paper or on your homepage, is (in and of itself) legal.Any reference, including a hyperlink, is bound by 'normal' laws which govern speech--e.g., you can't slander someone, you can't steal someone's content, etc.

For a concise breakdown of what the average webmaster needs to know, I suggest Linking Legalities...What You Need to Know by Eric Ward.

SEOBook: 'Legal Donations Accepted'

Unless you live under a rock, I'm sure you're aware of the (almost hilariousm, but not quite) Traffic Power lawsuit against Aaron Wall.

He is now accepting donations for his legal team.