Are article directories useless?

There's so much confusion in your post above that it isn't easy to know where to start.

I'll try to be brief, and then give you a link to another post to read, which contains a lot of information that will answer all your questions.

"Article marketing" works brilliantly - better than ever: Google's recent algorithm changes did it a big favor.

"Article directory marketing" doesn't work much, for most people, and hasn't done for a long time. (And that's what your friend's actually talking about).

Whether article directories are beneficial depends on whether you use them for the purpose for which they're there (that still works very well indeed, in fact better than ever) or by trying to use them for their own traffic and/or their own backlinks (typically a real waste of time).

Some article directories are indexed in Google (not that that's very relevant to "article marketing" at all!). Article directories to which people mass-submit, using software, are often not indexed at all - your friend may be right about that part. But he doesn't understand what "article marketing" means, and what article directories exist for, and is obviously trying to use them for the wrong purpose(s).

http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post5068872

Clearly, your friend is very confused as to the true purpose of article directories, such as Ezine Articles. They are intended as repositories for articles, where web masters can pick them up for including in their own blogs, website, newsletters, ezines, etc.

Article directories have never been intended as traffic sources. Maybe you should spend some time reading these earlier threads:

How Do Article Directories Work?

What Is the Best Site For Posting Articles?

Is Syndication the BEST Way To Build Links? You decide

There also many additional informative threads that you will find referenced in those above.

Rajni, your friend is making two classic mistakes.

"His" articles may not be appearing in Google. That does not mean that "no" articles on "any" directory are appearing on Google. That's classic mistake number one - extending one data point to the entire population.

The other classic mistake is assuming that article directories in combination with Google are the best way to attract visitors. The original purpose of any article directory was to provide a sort of marketplace or gathering place where authors and publishers could come together, and the publishers could 'buy' content for their sites and newsletters with links back to the authors.

Then some clever individual noticed that some of these directories' articles showed up on the first page of the search results. They got the idea of placing large numbers of articles on these directories, both for the search traffic they could generate and for the SEO benefits to their own sites. The directories were making so much money from Adsense and other advertising that turned a blind eye to the ever-lowering quality of the article submissions.

Seeing the expanding ad revenue, more clever individuals decided they would like their own directories, so that they could collect the ad revenue without having to create anything of value themselves. And article directory sites multiplied like germs in a Petri dish.

Then, Google took note of rising complaints from both searchers and advertisers. Seems the 'article directory marketers' had forgotten or ignored one small thing that gave the directories their favored status in the first place.

Authors seeking to please publishers put some of their very best writing on the article directories.

When this was replaced by bulk submissions, the directories became bloated with digital manure. Eventually, the electronic stink got so bad that Google had to crack down or risk losing their market dominance, both in search and contextual advertising. And they did indeed crack down.

So, in a sense, your friend was right. Submitting massive numbers of keyword loaded garbage articles to anyplace that will take them doesn't work very well anymore.

On the other hand, submitting high-quality articles to the handful of directories that publishers actually use can be the start of putting your message in front of thousands of highly targeted eyeballs. Search around this forum for threads on article syndication for more info than I could reasonably pack into one forum post...

Any tactic works as long as you use it correctly. I have yet to find a single type of link that's worthless.

Article directories will work and should work forever, the major change post panda is you cannot just post articles, you have to throw in article backlinks to directories, as well web 2.0 backlinking and social media interaction. In fact the weightage is more on social media {as much 70 -75 % according to peter gerety who came up with some awesome Wso's in the recent past on backlinking and how to do it the right way}with FB , Twitter and gand gaining HUGE importance , and hence google + following suite. Hope it helps

Wow...
u guys are awesome!
thnx a ton

I still rank stuff weekly with article marketing. Post your articles on ezinearticles.com goarticles.com and high pr sites like that and then spin your article and put those spun articles on other sites with backlinks to your original articles.

Do your research on the keywords you choose and you will rank.

Hope this helps!

Jonathan Burke

Hi Rajni

Article marketing is sure not dead, i use ezinearticles.com, and get regular traffic from there, just make sure you give good content and things will be fine.

Good luck with your online adventure, and remember...don't let other people steal your dreams.

Kevin

i believe and i succeed with ezine articles, social bookmarking and High pr backlinks which usualy bring my websites to page one of google in a short time