Are paid directory listings worth it?

Paid directory listings are sometimes worth it — but for narrower reasons than the sales pitch suggests. What you're actually buying varies: placement (appearing above better products — valuable to you, corrosive to the directory's trust), leads (G2/Capterra-style pay-per-click or per-lead, which can work but gets expensive fast), or a backlink (only worth anything if the directory itself has real authority; most paid-listing farms don't).

Questions to ask before paying: does the directory get real traffic for your category (ask for numbers)? Is the link dofollow? Would your product rank there on merit anyway?

The uncomfortable truth: on directories where ranking is bought, savvy buyers discount the rankings — so you're paying to impress the least-informed segment of your market. directree's model is the opposite: submission is free and placement can't be purchased at any price.