“Real” Real Estate Directories
By Mert on Jul 24, 2007 in Directories, Real Estate SEO
There are over 100 real estate directories But only a few niche real estate directories fit the definition of “real” directories and they might not be what you expected as most of the bigger sites did not make the cut. I welcome comments and suggestions to this list but please make sure to read the definition of the “real” directory before making a suggestion.
- Agent Search - $180 annually
- Realtors on the Web - Starting at $49 annually
- Real Estate Agent Map -29.95 initial fee- 29.95 per modification.
Update: Feb 28, 2008
While 36 Towns was part of the original list, their featured listings (example in the link) do not fit to the above guidelines anymore due to the paying client being allowed to choose own anchor text without a nofollow tag.
Google sees backlinks from all directories but most of their value has been extremely diminished in terms of page rank since this post was originally written. I do not sponsor any of the directories above. The above are simply a guideline for directories to follow and the advice carries its value even to this day. I believe there is a benefit to submitting all directories where Google can cache the page your submission goes to (which means no “NOFOLLOW” tags, no robots text trick, javascript wrapped links etc.). Unless you have money to waste, I personally do not believe that money spent on directories are really worth it. But of course that is my two cents.
14 Comment(s)
By Trump on Jul 31, 2007 | Reply
Just as an FYI 36Towns in charging $20.
By 36Towns on Oct 15, 2007 | Reply
Thank you for including our directory in your list. We are working hard on developing 36Towns into a real estate information portal including a website directory like it is right now.
You are welcome to submit your real estate websites and use a coupon code “metroseo” to get a 50% discount off featured links!
Thank you!
By SpanishProperty on Oct 20, 2007 | Reply
Directories seem to be a waste of time, I have submitted my site to hundreds and hundreds of directories, not to be found but for back links and after checks I don’t think that I have found one that has been of any use to me.
Do you think that the major SE’s have turned a blind eye towards directories?
By 36Towns on Oct 26, 2007 | Reply
There are many scamers and fly-by-night directories out there these days. When selecting a directory to submit to, check its age, page rank and link popularity just to get a general idea of how its run and who runs it.
Search Engine optimized pages also play a huge role, search engines need to find the page your listing is on, so submit to those directories that are SEOd.
By Clackamas Real Estate Guy on Dec 22, 2007 | Reply
I’ll do directories but its seems like the only use from that is for a click. I’m not sure how much value search engines really give directories. But then again if its related to the category of your site it might be good.
By Team Aguilar on Jan 27, 2008 | Reply
Some of your directories have too many links per page.
By Mike Brown on Jan 29, 2008 | Reply
Most directories are nothing more than spam themselves are they not, which prey on the weak and uneducated, built with the intent of either making money for the creator or building link popularity for their own evil purposes;)
Would the world even notice if all directories went away overnight?
By Mert on Jan 29, 2008 | Reply
“Would the world even notice if all directories went away overnight?”
Probably the best line I heard in a while Mike.
By huntsville pr on Feb 24, 2008 | Reply
Please check out my directory realout.com and tell me what you think
By Petra Hinterschied on Feb 28, 2008 | Reply
So are you saying the 4 directories listed at the top of this page are valid and useful directories to link from. Does google see these back links?
By Mert on Feb 28, 2008 | Reply
I have updated the article to answer your question Petra.
By 36Towns on Feb 29, 2008 | Reply
Although we do allow custom link anchors for our featured advertisers, we do maintain high level of quality for all types of listings.
Lets take the listing that the author referred to as an example, and take a look at its inbound links in Google http://www.google.com/search?q=link:www.suburbanvillagerealty.com&hl=en&start=10&sa=N
As you can see, on the second page 36Towns is showing a backlink for that site. So to answer your question Petra, yes, Google does count niche directory listings as backlinks… or at least we know that for 36Towns it does…
By Petra Hinterschied on Feb 29, 2008 | Reply
Have you heard of a company called lazyurl.com that does seo. Do you think their services are ethical and effective?
By Mert on Feb 29, 2008 | Reply
36 Towns,
I have great respect for your enthusiasm and promotion of the site. I was not trying to demean the work you do. The article was not written initially to promote certain directories but to help directories achieve certain quality guidelines. Advice is free and you actually follow most of those guidelines better than most other directories in the real estate market. Everyone has a business model to make money, so does Google. That is all I am saying.
Petra,
In terms of lazyurl.com, I have not dealt with them before but looking at their website, all I can say is
#1) They are outsourcing their work to India (which any one can do)
#2) They still defend link exchange as a viable option that will not harm your site. That is wrong.
#3) They claim to create viral videos. If I were you I would ask for examples and benefits in terms of how many links those virals brought to them.