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What is a directory and why should you care!
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between search
engines and directories? If you don’t know the difference,
then your site may be excluded from major sources of web traffic.
If your site is listed in Internet directories, then it can
also have a higher ranking on search engines, for example
Google prefers web sites that are listed in the Open Directory
Project (dmoz.org).
If your web site is listed in industry specific and regional
directories, then it can gain a higher link popularity score
which can improve your rankings on other search engines. In
addition, directories bring targeted traffic to your web site.
So what is the difference between search engines and directories?
- Search engines use software programs to index your
web pages, often called robots or spiders. They are programmed
to constantly crawl the web in search of new or updated
pages. They will go from one page to another until they
have visited every web site on the Internet.
Every search engine employs different criteria to determine
if your web site should be indexed and how well your site
should be ranked. The most popular search engines today
are Google, AltaVista and AllTheWeb.
- Internet directories don't use software programs.
They are compiled by humans who organize web sites by subject
into categories. If you submit your web site to an Internet
directory, your web site will be visited by real people
who can decide whether they include your web site or not.
The most popular directories are Yahoo and Open Directory
Project.
If someone searches on a search engine site, the query must
match the words on your web page. If someone searches on a
directory site, the query must match the words in the description
of your web site in the directory.
A listing in all important Internet directories will have
a very positive effect on your web site. If you want best
results for your site, you should make sure that your site
is listed in all relevant Internet directories.
Next week, we'll tell you how to get listed in Internet directories
and which errors you should avoid when submitting to search
engines. We'll also tell you where to find the most important
directories that are relevant to your web site.
We recommend using IBP
3 to submit your web site to search engines and directories.
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