Member Avatar for rohanferns

Hi there,
Please advise if It's worth doing directory submission on websites having PR 0, and on websites whose PR is n/a.

Thanks.

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Dani AI

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Short answer: don’t pick directories by an old “PR 0 / n/a” label and don’t do mass submissions. The public PageRank/toolbar number was retired and is no longer a reliable selection metric; modern link evaluation is done by Google’s systems, not the toolbar score. Search Engine Watch — PageRank toolbar retired. (searchenginewatch.com)

Why: Google treats large-scale, manipulative link programs as “link spam” and has been actively neutralizing those signals (SpamBrain / link-spam updates). Paid or scaled directory-link schemes can be ignored or penalised; paid placements should be treated as advertising (rel="sponsored"/nofollow). Also, rel="nofollow", rel="ugc" and rel="sponsored" are now hints Google uses to understand link intent. [Google: December 2022 link-spam update] (https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2022/12/december-22-link-spam-update) · Evolving nofollow (2019). (developers.google.com)

What still helps (practical, measurable choices): focus on a few curated targets — major local platforms and niche editorial directories that send real users and keep accurate info. Local citations (Google Business Profile, Yelp, Apple Maps, industry sites) matter for local visibility and referrals; a clean listing + reviews often outperforms dozens of low-quality backlinks. Use analytics to judge value (referrals, leads), not just link metrics. BrightLocal — local citations primer · . (brightlocal.com)

Quick, practical checklist (apply before submitting):

  • Prefer manual/edited directories with obvious editorial review.
  • Open a sample category page: check traffic, ad-to-content ratio, and whether listings are auto-generated.
  • View source to see link rel (nofollow/sponsored/ugc) and any noindex directives.
  • Check a directory’s backlink profile and spam signals — many are junk (see industry writeups).
  • Measure results in Analytics within 90 days; stop submissions that drive no traffic or leads.
    (See a modern assessment of directory value.) (cognitiveseo.com)

Notes tied back to earlier posts: ’s instinct to inspect sites was right — extend it to traffic, editorial process and link attributes. The old “PR 5+ only” rule from / is outdated; use signals above and measure ROI.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for Lorel

If you're talking about the home page having PR 0, check the site command in Google to see if their pages are indexed (site:domain.com). Look for spammy ads above the content, and look to see if they are linking to bad neighborhoods. Also check the whois of the site to see if they are not a new site. If they are an older spammy site promoting bad content then I would ignore them as they might have been penalized. However, if they look like they have quality content, and are a new site then I would go ahead and submit because their PR might rise in the future at which time they will likely start charging for reviews.

If you're talking about PR on the link page it is rare to see any directory these days with PR on the link pages due to Google removing PR from all directories a few years ago. Those directories that have PR on their link pages usually have No-follow on each link.

Member Avatar for irish luck

the higher the PR the more link juice .... i would only recommend going for sites with pr5 +

Member Avatar for alaricsaltzman

Making backlinks on higher PR websites will definitely increase your PR. My site id on PR 3. I am Trying to improve its PR.

Edited by Dani because: Plug snipped
Member Avatar for barbra_999

submitting the directory in high page rank is always better than submitting in low page rank pages... thank you

Member Avatar for android45

I think you need to submit your site on high page rank & dofollow directory sites instead of submitting to low ranking site to get quality backlinks to your website.

Member Avatar for sheikhali449

PR matters alot high PR obviously has pivotal effect...

Member Avatar for getmused

I think it would be wise if you're only submit your URL to authoritative directories like Yahoo, aboutus.org and Joe Ant.

Member Avatar for siyajoshi

Yes,there is no use of submit your URL to zero PR directory.This will be wastage of time if you do so.While Submiiting your url to high PR directory firstly you have to choose a relevant category after that you can submit your Url to that one..:)

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