Using Directories on the Internet
There are several differences between the directories and the search engines of the Internet. Here are a few:
- A directory generally organizes sites by categories and subcategories. You choose the category for your listing. Search engines have no categories or organizational structure.
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When submitting to a directory, you suggest your site to a human operator. The operator may or may not enter your site to the directory. Search engines use an automatic submission, finding your site from links to it from other sites.
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With a directory, you only submit your site once. You may be able to edit it later, but there is a lot of emphasis on getting it right the first time. With a search engine. your site is entered as soon as the engines see a link to it and the listing is continuously updated.
Does a Directory Listing Help You?
What good does a directory listing do you? Since when have you used a directory to find what you wanted on the Internet? People don’t. Then what use is getting listing in a directory? In most cases they give you very little direct traffic.
A directory listing is important for most people with web sites, however. The reason is that a link from a major directory to your site is considered a trusted link. A trusted link helps your position in the search engines. So a listing in a directory generally draws little traffic in itself; but by being considered as trusted it moves you up in the search engines and improves your web traffic to your site from the search engines.
For more, see:
http://www.netadventures.biz/searchenginedirectories.htm.