We have talked with three companies over the last few weeks who are all focused on creating or leveraging their directories. Although directories are nothing new, these companies are focused on capturing and aggressively maintaining position for the terms in the industries that they serve.

Specifically, they are generating content, using solid, white hat SEO practices. This gives them the ability to essentially sell (or rent, as John Rasco says) their high ranking position to companies who either need the position quickly or could not afford the time and expense for real SEO.

I see this tactic as being somewhere between PPC and SEO. The rankings are in the natural search results, but you have to buy this position from these intermediary companies… and you lose this listing as soon as you stop paying. Sounds like PPC to me.

Another big disadvantage for clients of these services is that these results are for the directory sites. Client sites are not building authority. Companies offering this service seem to have their own angle on this approach. I can certainly see the advantages of this for some companies, but it is certainly not a good long term organic SEO strategy.

I think these types of sites will become more and more prevalent, unless Google starts filtering them out.