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| What is a Web Directory |
| Posted: 23-03-2006 | Views: 143 |
| Author: paul smith |
A web directory in it's simplest
form can be thought of as a human indexed search engine.
Humans can visit a directory website and make resource
suggestions through an online form. A human editor will
review the suggestion and add it to the directory provided
it meets the submission guidelines for the directory.
General vs Niche Directories
There are two major types of web directories on the internet,
general and niche. A general web directory will have it's
resources sorted into a large number of categories covering
a wide range of topics. Niche web directories tend to
focus on one subject with resources sorted into a smaller
number of highly related categories.
Purpose of Web Directories
The major purpose of a web directory is to provide directory
users with a categorized list of high quality websites
from a chosen field or industry. With the advent of search
engines as the preferred method for finding internet resources
the importance of directories as information provider's
has diminished. But, as search engine technology and the
field of search engine optimization have evolved, a new
use for web directories has materialized.
Directories and Link Popularity
Current search engine ranking algorithms place a huge
importance on back links to a website as an indicator
of it's importance on the internet (known as link popularity).
Search engine's value links to websites from web directories
because these directories have human editors. Having your
website listed in a respected web directory is an indicator
to the search engines that your website has met a certain
standard for quality and is a site worth linking to.
Search engine's also tend to serve up category pages from
trusted web directories near the top of their search results
so having your website listed in as many high quality
web directories as you can should be part of any website
marketing plan, especially when your website is new.
Getting your website listed in a web directory is also
an excellent way to build high quality, search engine
friendly back links to your website and gain targeted
web traffic from both directory users and the boost to
your search engine rankings from the increased link popularity
of your website.
Please note, it is worth taking the time to carefully
review a directory prior to making a submission. Not all
directories are search engine friendly or provide traffic
to their listings so it is up to the submitter to gather
as much information about the web directory submission
guidelines, linking structure and reputation prior to
submitting a resource for inclusion.
Michael Lawrence offers professional seo services and
is the webmaster for the Cobrasurf SEO Directory.
This article is free for republishing
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/ |
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