The Importance of Web Directories

Directories are lists of websites organised into categories containing just a basic site description (max usually 250 characters), which you normally supply and a link.

The most popular directory, until 2004 was Yahoo, until Yahoo moved from directory driven engine to a spider driven search engine model. The yahoo directory still exists and is still regarded as important, but whether it is worth paying for inclusion depends on your circumstances.

Because the popular directories like Yahoo and DMOZ are edited by real people they tend to be of high quality, but it also means that they can become out of date. However most search engines will give more weight to a website if it is listed in a quality directory.

So if a search engine thinks two sites are equally valid but one is in a major directory, and the other isn’t the site with the directory listing would normally be listed first.

So in a very competitive niche a directory listing can be critical.

Directories as a Source of Links

Many search engines use links pointing to your website/ web page (inbound links) as a vote for that page. The more links pointing to the page the more important the search engines think it is.

However not all links are created equal some are worth much more than others. A link from a respected directory is a very valuable link and hence directories should be high on your linking strategy.

Directory Models

You will encounter three directory models:

Free Inclusion- Here you submit your site and it is added to the directory, either automatically or manually.
Paid Inclusion-Here you need to pay and then submit your site and it is added to the directory, either automatically or manually. Some directories (Yahoo in particular) don’t guarantee inclusion even though you have paid. Therefore always check the terms and conditions.
Reciprocal Links- These directories will let you have a free listing but you must also link back to them.

Local Directories

I believe that these will eventually replace the local yellow pages that have ruled the telephone world over the last 20 years or so. There will however be many more directories , some will be stand alone and others will provided as part of local Portal sites.

These directories will become very important for local businesses as more and more people use the Internet for locating local businesses and services.

Niche Directories

These don’t exist in the offline world (at least not for the general public). They are organised around a theme (e.g. Golfing) rather than a place. They are particularly important for websites/businesses that have a wide geographical appeal but focus on an identifiable market niche.

Finding Directories

You can find directories by searching at Google/Yahoo but the search query tends to be a little on the complex side. Here is a search query for UK/Shropshire directories and the results.

+”shropshire” +”uk” +directory +search +(submit OR sponsor OR categories OR “add a site” OR “add URL” OR listing)