Directory Guidelines & Verification Standards

Welcome to the Laughing Professor Link Building Directory! This page explains our submission guidelines, quality standards, and what our verification badge means.

Definitions of Link Opportunity Types

To keep our directory transparent and useful, here's what each type of link opportunity means, along with how Google views them. This ensures businesses know what they are offering, and subscribers know what they are accessing.

Guest Posts / Guest Blogging

Definition: Writing an article for another website in exchange for a backlink (usually in the bio or content).

Google's view: Acceptable when genuine and relevant. Risky if mass-produced, spun, or used only for SEO.

Backlink Exchange

Definition: Reciprocal linking: "I'll link to you if you link to me."

Google's view: Okay in moderation when natural. Excessive or systematic link swapping is considered a link scheme and can be penalized.

Resource Page Inclusion

Definition: Your site is listed on another site"s "Resources" or "Recommended Tools" page.

Google's view: Safe and valuable when the page is curated and relevant. Spammy or bulk resource pages can be devalued.

Expert Roundups

Definition: A site collects tips, insights, or quotes from multiple experts and links back to contributors.

Google's view: Acceptable if contributions are real and useful. Thin or link-only roundups carry less weight.

Product Reviews

Definition: A blogger or site reviews your product/service and includes a backlink. May be free, gifted, or paid.

Google's view: Natural reviews are fine. Paid or gifted product reviews must use rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow". FTC disclosure rules also apply.

Sponsored Content

Definition: Paying a site to publish your article or mention/link (advertorial).

Google's view: Must use rel="sponsored" (or nofollow). Dofollow paid links are against guidelines.

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Reminder: All listings in this directory must comply with Google's Webmaster Guidelines. We do not guarantee link placements - listings provide opportunities for outreach, not purchased links.

Submission Guidelines

We Accept Sites That:

• Have real, original content - Not thin pages, scraped content, or auto-generated text
• Are actively maintained - Updated within the last 90 days with fresh content
• Have a working contact method - Email, contact form, or clear submission guidelines
• Are honest about their offerings - Clear about what types of content/links they accept
• Are relevant to their category - Properly categorized, not trying to game the system
• Provide value to visitors - Real businesses, blogs, or publications (not link farms)

We Reject Sites That:

• Are spam or low-quality - Thin content, excessive ads, poor user experience
• Are deceptive - Misleading claims, fake traffic stats, dishonest practices
• Are part of link schemes - Private blog networks (PBNs), link farms, manipulative networks
• Contain harmful content - Malware, phishing, adult content, illegal services
• Are abandoned or broken - Site doesn't load, domain expired, contact methods don't work
• Violate Google's guidelines - We won't list sites that could harm our users' SEO

What Does "Verified" Mean? VERIFIED

To Earn Verification, Sites Must:

1. Pass Manual Review
   • We visit your site and confirm it loads properly
   • Check that content is original, valuable, and up-to-date
   • Verify your site matches the category you selected
2. Have a Working Contact Method
   • We test your contact form or email address
   • Confirm you respond to legitimate inquiries
   • Verify submission guidelines are clear (if applicable)
3. Meet Quality Standards
   • Site has substantial, original content
   • Professional appearance and user experience
   • No excessive ads or deceptive elements
   • Mobile-friendly and loads quickly
4. Commit to Link Longevity (Optional but Recommended)
   • Agree to keep approved guest posts live for minimum 12 months
   • Notify contributors before removing content
   • Don't switch approved dofollow links to nofollow without notice
5. NAP Verification (For Local Businesses Only)
   • We cross-check your business address, phone, and hours
   • Verify your business appears on Google Maps
   • Confirm information matches your website

Verification Timeline

Standard Review: 24-48 hours for most submissions
Local Business (NAP) Review: 48-72 hours (requires additional verification steps)
Complex Cases: Up to 5 business days if manual research is needed

Verified vs. Unverified Listings

Feature	Unverified Listing	Verified Listing
Listed in Directory	Yes	Yes
Backlink Type	Nofollow (rel="nofollow ugc")	Dofollow (passes SEO value)
Search Priority	Standard placement	Featured first in results
Verification Badge	No badge	Verified badge displayed
Trust Signals	Basic listing only	Quality-checked by our team
Local Schema Markup	Not available	Added if NAP provided
Featured in Blog Posts	Rarely	Often featured in roundups
Social Media Mentions	Standard	Priority promotion

Our Link Attribution Policy

We believe in transparency about how we handle links:

Unverified Listings:

• Links marked with rel="nofollow ugc"
• Indicates user-generated content we haven't fully vetted
• Doesn't pass PageRank but still drives referral traffic
• Complies with Google's webmaster guidelines

Verified Listings:

• Standard dofollow links (no rel attribute)
• Represents our editorial endorsement
• We've personally reviewed and approved these sites
• Passes SEO value as a quality citation

Why this matters: This hybrid approach protects our directory from spam while rewarding quality sites with real SEO value.

Listing Removal & Updates

You Can Request:

• Listing Updates: Change category, description, or contact info anytime
• Immediate Removal: We'll remove your listing within 24 hours, no questions asked
• Temporary Suspension: If you're not accepting submissions temporarily

We May Remove Listings If:

• Site becomes unavailable or domain expires
• Content quality significantly declines
• We receive multiple spam/abuse reports from users
• Site starts violating Google's guidelines
• Contact methods stop working

Contact: [The Professor's Contact Form] for any listing changes or removal requests.

Community Standards

Our directory works because of mutual respect between link builders and publishers. We expect:

From Link Seekers (Directory Users):

• Read each site's submission guidelines before reaching out
• Send personalized, relevant pitches (no spam templates)
• Respect rejection - not every site is a fit
• Don't abuse the directory to harvest emails for spam
• Leave honest reviews/ratings after working with sites

From Publishers (Listed Sites):

• Respond to legitimate inquiries within a reasonable timeframe
• Be transparent about your content guidelines and requirements
• Honor commitments (if you say 12-month minimum, keep it)
• Don't bait-and-switch (accepting post then demanding payment)
• Update your listing if your policies change

Terms & Conditions

Free Service

Listing your site in our directory is and will always be 100% free. We will never charge for:

• Basic directory inclusion
• The verification review process
• Local business schema markup
• Listing updates or changes

No Guarantees

While we work hard to drive quality traffic to listed sites, we make no guarantees about:

• Amount of referral traffic you'll receive
• Number of link building inquiries
• SEO improvements from our backlink
• Approval timeline (though we target 24-48 hours)

Data Usage

Information you provide (NAP data, descriptions, etc.) will be:

• Displayed publicly in our directory
• Used to generate schema markup (if applicable)
• Potentially featured in our blog posts or social media
• Never sold to third parties
• Your email is never displayed publicly - used only for verification

Liability

We are not responsible for:

• Quality of link building inquiries you receive
• Disputes between publishers and link seekers
• Outdated or incorrect information in listings
• Third-party websites listed in our directory

Questions or Concerns?

If you have questions about:

• Whether your site qualifies for verification
• Our review process or timeline
• How to improve your listing
• Reporting spam or abuse
• Anything else related to the directory

Contact us: [The Professor's Contact Form]

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