Directories.
Index:
How many types of directories are there?
Why submit to Web Directories?
Are Directories the same?
So, an url with query strings and session id's, are no good?
What is the story with human edited directories?
Structure: flat or tree?
What would define an optimised Directory?
Who is the oldest or first Web Directory?
A brief list of established web directories.
There are mainly two, excluding telephone directories;
1). A Web Directory.
2). An Article Directory. (covered in some detail, through this link).
- Instead of/as well as, submitting a website directly to the search engines, a site can be listed on a Web Directory.
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Such listings can become a "starting point" from where a spider can index the submitted site.
- Such listings can also be viewed as an incoming link, something of value in a page rank perspective.
- Some of a directory pagerank is passed on, and this compliments a site.
- Such a link, is also another avenue for human traffic to navigate to a site.
- This can be an important factor, where such a directory is optimised for the browsing public.
The fast answer is No!
Slowing down the process, an efficient directory must be "spiderable" to begin with.- Dynamically created urls (Uniform Resource Locator) are "read" much better than they were, but are not ideal at this time.
- While pages can be dynamically created, they can also be presented as static pages or static urls. This works just fine and does not leave search engine robots in any doubt as to the legitamacy of the url or rather the content at it.
- Assuming that a directory is fully spiderable, other considerations would typically be;
- Search Engine Optimisation knowledge.
- Experience in the directory business would help.
- Some attention to detail.
- Sometimes, a directory will require a reciprocal link, which is not the end of the world at all, but a futher consideration. There shouldn't really be an need, but that is up to the directory and the submitter.
- A growing number of sites and including both article and web directories, are taking countermeasures against their perception of being penalised. Some of these countermeasures are legitimate fears, while more may well contain elements of panic and resulting action.
Know what you are getting by checking the code post submission, or trusting the directory publishers submission terms,beforehand.
Consider where the "<rel="nofollow">" tag is used; see http://www.google.com/webmasters/bot.html#noindextags.
- Traffic may still come through direct navigation via the hyperlink, but nofollow is a code action, to help instruct a spider from both following a link, and assigning pagerank that might result from following it.
- Paid Directories.
- A fee is paid which normally distinguishes your listing from others. This is more for visual appeal than search engine appeal, and its value would be based on human traffic.
- Free Directories.
- As the name would suggest, these are free listings.
- Dual options; paid and free, submission listing. One directory can offer both services which won't make it any better or worse. Its efficiency would again depend on other factors.
They are, while a human visitor is navigating on-site. In fact, they are very good for their intended purpose, but to a much lesser degree where the visitor is a robot whose job is to create an index within a search engine database or databases.
These directories can sometimes be optimized better, mainly due to the diligence and care of their editors. Indeed, it is the care of the listings, description intervention and accuracy, which are the attributes that gain them their respectability. - Respectability from both human perspectives and robotic perspectives.
- Some fully automatic software can be unsympathetic to optimal variables.
From a submitters view point, it doesn't matter once the directory is functional and accessible. .
- As with a better human edited directory, it is the care, diligence and a thorough understanding of the needs of a submitter, as well as the requirements of a robot, to correctly record and index a listing.
- Respectable software to accept directory submissions, speedily.
- Narrow focus.
- This is particularly important to get the maximum benefits of submitting to a directory.
- Decent Category structure and search functions, to enhance the experience of a human visitor, whether shopping, browsing, or expecting the "blind" benefits of a directory.
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The first Web directory was (though, known as a catalogue) was http://vlib.org/. V.Lib. is an acronym for Virtual Library. It began around 1991 and its general aim to to be a source of great resources, for a given subject. As a consequence, it is a fantastic research tool.
Volunteers may be accepted.
Also see an image of one of the earliest webpages at http://vlib.org/admin/history.
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