Glossary
What is directory traffic?
Directory traffic is the number of visits a directory gets, usually estimated per month by tools such as Similarweb or Ahrefs. It is the best single signal of whether a listing can send you visitors. In our catalog the median directory gets about 7.6K visits a month, and a few get millions.
How uneven it is
Across 352 directories we checked, the median gets about 7.6K visits a month. 58 get more than 100,000 and 149 get fewer than 5,000. The top few get more visits than the whole long tail combined.
Traffic vs Domain Rating
A high Domain Rating doesn't mean visitors. In our data, DR and the log of traffic correlate at only 0.36, and 15 of 71 directories with DR 70+ had under 10,000 monthly visits. Some directories earned links long ago and kept the authority after the visitors left. Look at both numbers. See why DR isn't rising after backlinks for the other side.
How it's estimated
Tools model traffic from panels, clickstream data and search rankings. Estimates for small sites can be off by a lot, so treat them as an order of magnitude. Directory media kits and public analytics are more precise when available.
What reaches you
Only a sliver of a directory's traffic reaches any one listing. Track the real number with UTM parameters or your analytics referral traffic report; our guide on measuring directory traffic shows how.
Example
Two AI directories both have DR 72. One gets 300,000 visits a month and sends a new listing 150 visits in its first month; the other gets 6,000 and sends 4.
FAQ
How much traffic does a directory listing send?
Usually a tiny share of the directory's total, concentrated in the first days after approval. Big directories can send hundreds of visits; small ones a handful.
Is high DR enough to choose a directory?
No. Check traffic too; many high-DR directories get few visits.
Where do traffic numbers come from?
Estimates from tools like Similarweb and Ahrefs, which can be far off for small sites.