Yahoo Directory pages have lost their Google PageRank (Google Toolbar PageRank that is) and are now showing a greyed out PageRank box.
Example, the Yahoo Directory page for Entertainment currently has no PageRank :
Has the Yahoo Directory lost its PageRank?
Being a link building cornerstone of the Internet’s solid foundation, I find it highly unlikely and fairly ridiculous that Google would slap a PankRank penalty on the Yahoo Directory for selling links, especially when it sells the time it takes for professional editorial review.
Google’s Matt Cutts himself laid down the paid directory law on his blog last April :
I’ll try to give a few rules of thumb to think about when looking at a directory. When considering submitting to a directory, I’d ask questions like:
- Does the directory reject urls? If every url passes a review, the directory gets closer to just a list of links or a free-for-all link site.
- What is the quality of urls in the directory? Suppose a site rejects 25% of submissions, but the urls that are accepted/listed are still quite low-quality or spammy. That doesn’t speak well to the quality of the directory.
- If there is a fee, what’s the purpose of the fee? For a high-quality directory, the fee is primarily for the time/effort for someone to do a genuine evaluation of a url or site.
I’d say that Yahoo passes all tests.
If this is a penalty from Google, it would seem like a slap in the face to Yahoo and search itself, as the Yahoo Directory was the original web navigation vision that eventually led to defining quality and human edited web search. I mean, this isn’t some phpLinks spam directory selling links on DigitalPoint, this is the original Yahoo! :)
Hopefully we’ll have some word from Google on what’s going on here.
Update : Google confirms that there has been no loss of PageRank going on for the Yahoo Directory (please see comment below).
Comments
18 responses so far ↓
Barry Schwartz on Jun 5, 2008 at 12:48 pm
ahem
Matt Cutts on Jun 5, 2008 at 1:15 pm
I see PR8 on dir.yahoo.com at all our datacenters. I left a comment on the original WMW thread, but I wouldn’t jump to conclusions, because the Yahoo Directory certainly has PageRank in our internal systems.
Loren Baker, Editor on Jun 5, 2008 at 1:18 pm
@Matt Cutts : Thanks :)
FYI, there was some Twittering going on about this earlier, where I first found out about the issue, may want to drop Patrick a line : http://twitter.com/patrickaltoft/statuses/827782052
Jonathan Dingman on Jun 5, 2008 at 2:19 pm
@Barry: I’m amazed at such deep insight! Please, please, go on, tell us more! ;)
Martin Hegelund on Jun 5, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Never trust the toolbar Page Rank…
Gidseo on Jun 5, 2008 at 3:01 pm
So Matt
Whilst you’re here - may I ask why Google doesn’t consider the annual charge as payment for the link?
It strikes me that it’s one rule for a big company and if smaller companies do it they’re penalised…
Mendy Ouzillou on Jun 6, 2008 at 5:09 am
OK, I’m a simpleton and realizing I can’t trust the toolbar page rank, here is what I found and what was in fact originally reported.
The main dir.yahoo.com page has a PR8 rating. Any internal page has a PR of Zero.
Please someone explain how is this not an issue …
WebSite Design Orange County on Jun 6, 2008 at 10:37 am
I think by now we all know that PR doesn’t hold the same value it once did. With that being said PR, these days, can only be used as an indicator.
And even as an indicator it isn’t entirely accurate as it relates to the SERPs. There are many PR 3 pages that will rank above PR 4 or PR 5 pages.
Milos on Jun 7, 2008 at 7:23 am
It might be something temporarily. For example, while I’m typing this, search status Firefox Addon shows that SEJ is unranked. ;)
.... on Jun 7, 2008 at 7:28 am
W h a t e v e r
I’m thinking of ignoring Google at all, first they wanted us to stop selling links (lots of webmasters mail income (killing their online business and lives), now Google Adsense requires to add privacy on our sites.
OK, so what the? Now when G is “BIG”, they act like all of the sites belong to them, G says add this, all webmasters does to avoid bans, G says do that, they do.
F**k that.
.... on Jun 7, 2008 at 7:28 am
mail - main.
zakenlinks on Jun 7, 2008 at 9:25 am
I can’t seem to find the exceptions section in the paid links statement ?
So i just have to review a paid link to keep a clean nose ?
James on Jun 8, 2008 at 2:19 am
a site:dir.yahoo.com/Entertainment/ search indicates that there are only 51,000+ links to the internal page. What kind of PR would you expect with so few links? :-)
I was thinking of running some linking reports but I don’t have the time, there are a lot of links to run to the main page.
Honestly, the PR bar isn’t always correct, a directory link from yahoo is valuable. yahoo.com has always had a PR of 9…Google.com has always had a PR of 10, this indicates a system that is flawed, a system that can’t be trusted fully.
Dave on Jun 8, 2008 at 2:27 am
test
Dave on Jun 8, 2008 at 2:30 am
sorry for my previous post but my post couldn’t go through..Perhaps of the 2 yahoo links inside.
Let’s do it without url’s than. It looks like they do have a duplicate content problem. Check their computers & internet category. In their url, Computers and Internet does start with a capital letter. The page doesn’t have any PR and it’s not even cached
Now take the capital letter away and type computers and internet and you will see a PR5..
Dave
Indian Wedding Website on Jul 25, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Still no pr on the subpages, is it worth paying $299.
Debt Harmony on Jul 26, 2008 at 2:21 am
looking to submit soon in yahoo for $299, is it really worth it, please advice.
Trezora - Fashion Jewelry, Art Glass on Jul 26, 2008 at 10:18 am
I would spend the money elsewhere. Quick search of DMOZ showed you are not listed there. Getting listed in DMOZ is free and critical.
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