Directory submissions are one of the most popular SEO services to be implemented in any webmaster forum I have joined. But the question is, there are some rumors that directory submissions are not recommended at all? Why?

I understand that directory submissions are very legitimate as there are over thousands of directories existed in the internet right now, just to submit links and increase their backlinks and web traffic. I really don't know why some of them thinks that submitting your links to any web directory is not recommended.

Is it possible that directory submissions are a complete blackhat SEO method? Or is it against the terms of Google. Probably not, because most of the clients right now are looking for service providers who offer manual web directory submissions, and it's part of the link building process.

We'll, speaking of manual....it is legitimate than automatic. Why? If you use automatic softwares like Fast Directory Submitter, it will not guarantee you to build backlinks and might reject your sight for using the software as detected by their servers. Sometimes, they call it as blackhat SEO method, because they are using software for fast filling up of forms in any web directory site.

I have tested a demo from a service provider months ago that he will submit my site to 1,000 web directories, and the report was really professional. I was being notified by e-mails which my link has been submitted by all of them are waiting for approvals. So far, 90% of them approved my site but the rest are still crawling.

Who says that directory submissions are not recommended at all for link building? It's really worth for us to gain and build some momentum in earning hundreds or thousands of hits from them. If you have nothing to prove that you are getting up to the search engine ranking pages (SERPS), you still gain visitors and traffic in your website.