Over the past few months there has been a new feature popping up on general directories which has been available on bidding directories for some time. The instant approval directory is a directory that relies on the submitter to write a quality description, title and anchor text which is not reviewed prior to acceptance, but instead instantly activated after submission.
This has and continues to be a very common practice among bidding directories which is part of the reason they have been criticized for in the past. There are bidding directories available that do use a review process with submissions, I am just saying that a higher percentage of them do not at this time.
Now there is a trend developing where this feature is being seen in general directories. Let me tell you right now instant approval is not a feature you will ever see on the Authority Directory.
The problem with these types of directories is that directories get a good amount of spam submissions. If you have a blog you know what I mean as you get the same thing in the form of comment spam. Some of the other problems with submissions include;
- Duplicate descriptions submitted
- Poor grammar
- Keyword spam
- Linking to bad neighborhoods
- Choosing the incorrect category
- Spam sites
Which is really just scratching the surface of the issues found even in submissions from quality sites.
Many of these “instant approval” sites will say that all submissions are reviewed after the fact. I am telling you that in most cases this does not happen.
When improper submissions are accepted to a directory due to the review process being omitted entirely there can be no quality.
In my opinion any directory which accepts sites automatically and without review is no more than a link farm. If you read posted guidelines for search engines you really want no part of a directory that instantly approves submissions.
In those same guidelines it also tells you to submit your site to quality directories so it is clear that directories are very useful tools when promoting websites online, but make sure that you pay attention to the where you are submitting your site.
You can get more information on ways to tell a good quality directory from my post on the Distinctive Traits of a Quality Directory.
*** I have specifically chosen not to link to any instant approval directories as examples of these kinds of sites. I frankly don’t want to encourage their use. Most instant approval directories actually market themselves as such and will be easy to spot when you arrive on site or read through their guidelines.
June 10th, 2008 at 8:05 am
[...] it over and over again. This mistake is Auto Approve added in the directories, or you can call it Instant Approval like Bruce of Authority Directory calls [...]
August 20th, 2008 at 10:24 am
However I love the instant approval directories
I think it’s a vehicle of spam because of the people . . . I’m not a spammer so I submitted quality content into an instant approval directory.
August 20th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
I understand how you feel. It is enticing to submit to a directory where you get to see your link instantly approved.
As a directory owner I see all the spam that gets submitted and understand what it does to the credibility of a directory if the spam is not weeded out.
You may not be a spammer, but by submitting your site to an instant approval directory you are associating your site with the spammers that make use of them to get listings that would not be allowed in a directory that has proper editing in place.
November 9th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
I have two bidding directories and we verfi very site because of the spam mabe we don’t get as many links as one that has
instant approval but i feel that we are getting better site that way