8. Directories

Directories, just like search engines, are used by people when searching for information/websites on the internet.

These directories (Yahoo and The Open Directory being the most important) work quite differently to search engines however. Whereas search engines use crawlers to traverse the internet and find copies of websites and web pages to put into their databases, directories require a specific submission process in order to gain a listing in their databases. The addition of your website into the directory might be automatic or it might require the actual inspection of your website for relevancy and content by a real human being prior to inclusion in the database.

Are Directories Important?

There is absolutely no doubt that search engines will deliver much more traffic to your website than any directory, even Yahoo or The Open Directory. Having said that, there are 2 areas where they can be stunningly important.

1. Niche Directories
2. Link Popularity

1. Niche Directories With over 10 billion web pages out there many people have decided to put together directories of information/companies/websites for their own, sometimes very niche, specialities. These directories can of course be of great help to people working in these fields as it dramatically cuts down errors in looking for appropriate information. If your website is listed in such a directory it may not therefore gain a high volume of visitors clicking from it. However, as a rule, the quality of visitor is much greater, and hence, if you are selling something, the probability of making a sale is much greater.

2. Link Popularity Over recent years search engines having placed increasing importance on link popularity when it comes to scoring your website or web page in order to get higher page ranking in the search engine's results pages (SERPs). There are two major factors that contribute to this link popularity a. Quantity of Links. As you would expect the more websites that link to your website would tend to suggest that your website is seen as important and therefore should be treated as such by the search engines. b. Quality of Links. Quite clearly all websites are not equal and therefore all links from websites are not equal. If you have a link from a website that the search engines deem to be of great importance then it will therefore place far greater importance on that link to you. Likewise a link from a small unimportant website might br deemed to be almost irrelevant.   As a rule search engines see directories as being particularly important websites in that these websites are very much experts in their field thus, gaining a link from such a directory can add to the link popularity of your website quite considerably.

Word of Caution

When you are submitting to a directory there are a number of factors you need to bear in mind such as the reputation of the directory; the cost of getting listed (they are not always free) and the length of time it can take to be actually listed.

The Quality of the Directory: There was a subtantial growth in such directories in recent years and not all of them were particularly discerning in their inclusion process. As a result these directories became less valuable as sources of information. Search engines therefore downvalued these directories accordingly.

The Cost of Getting Listed: Many directories are free - no problem. However some directories require a one off fee, or even an annually recurring fee. You obviously need to reach a judgement as to whether this fee is appropriate.

Time Taken to become Listed: The most powerful directory is The Open Directory, and a listing here is of considerable importance to your website. The good news is that it is free. The bad news is that it can take many months, and there are examples of it taking up to a year, quite simply because every addition to their database is first checked out by a human being, and that human being is a volunteer.

In summation, the long term succcessful marketing of your website is critically depedent on the quality and quantity of incoming links, and directories can play a massive role in this success.