What Is A Web Directory?

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.

Website directories are simply directories that focus on compiling links to other websites and then categorizing them. There are thousands of web directories on the Web that will allow you as a website owner to submit your website information and link to have included in the web directory. Then, a human will review the submission to approve it for the web directory. Then, your site will have a new one way link in the web directory that will help you reach more people and ultimately get more traffic.

And since major search engines uses human-edited Web directory listings in their page ranking criteria, submitting in one will practically give you an edge in search engine results. Also, Web directories are manually listed by human editors and encoders, you site are exposed to many Web crawlers, thus increasing your popularity and recognized by many prominent individuals around the Internet.

A web directory is a compilation of sites organized by category or topic. Most web directories have multiple levels of categories, progressing from general to highly specific. In addition, a web directory editor will likely have to approve your site, lending it at a certain degree of credibility. Being listed in a web directory ensures that if a web surfer finds their way into a specific category, they don't just see your competitors, they see you! And, if they can see your link, they can click it, producing traffic to your site.

No reciprocal link. There are many directories out there who require a reciprocal link from your site. The reason for this is obvious: advertising! Don't submit your web site to these directories, it won't help you. Google won't "like" your web site very much because according to Google's algorithm, a web site is ranked higher if it has more One-Way links.

If a web directory becomes a random collection of links, it quickly loses value for visitors and submitters alike. With strict editorial control, the value goes up for everyone. There's no point in building a web directory that stays low in the value chain when you can spend the time and do it right. All submissions must be reviewed to ensure they meet quality guidelines and the actual description and title must be edited for accuracy and readability.

There are various types of web directories. Depending on the subjects they cover, they can be either general directories or specialized directories. The general directories cover any theme, and they have broad thematic coverage. In other words, any site can make a submission to these directories, as long as it doesnt interfere with the policies (for instance, there are directories which dont accept adult or gambling sites, but there are some which accept them).

Websites are categorized using hundreds of modes. The most common of them all are location, language and specialization. These, along with other modes like age and gender, are explicit categorization criteria. With the growing importance to search engine rankings and traffic rankings, the focus has shifted towards keywords too. Few internet directories have started categorizing the websites based on keywords and have started using tags to fetch website results based on keywords.