Posted by on May 23rd, 2010 View Comments
Posted in Web Directories |
Link building is one of the main SEO processes developed by businesses that aspire to take advantage of the millions of online customers they can reach through the Internet. As a result of this, a lot of ways to do link building has emerged nowadays and more are being formulated yearly. Web directories may be one of the easiest and most convenient ways for businesses to achieve success in link building.
The Difference of Web Directories, Portals and Search Engines Web directories, also known as link directories, are basically the yellow pages of the World Wide Web. With information added constantly in the Internet everyday and all the websites, blogs and domains set up, web directories make it easier for users to find what they are specifically looking for amidst all the information available. A directory provides users with links to other websites and categorizes these links for easy searching.
Portals are also another type of directory that basically function like directories, though these are more niche focused. Government websites are usually portals because their pages are usually specific to anything regarding that country and its government. Sites such as retirenet.com cater specifically to housing and communities for retirees, making it a portal for this specific subject matter. In addition to this, getting links from portals is advantageous because one can be assured that the consumer traffic going to these portals is the market base being catered to. Since it is subject specific, portals almost always appear on top of search engine result pages, therefore increasing the chance for customer traffic to be directed to a company’s home page.
Importance of Web Directories
There are literally hundreds of web directories around the Internet nowadays. Getting listed into these websites has been one of the foremost goals that companies set out to do in their link building processes. This is basically because directories provide listed companies with quality inbound links that are necessary to get a higher page rank in terms of search engine ratings. While this is not always the case for every web directory, getting listed in some of these will provide a big boost for any link building process. Also, directories usually rank high in search engine rankings that is why it is very crucial in SEOs, especially if a company is battling to be number one in the rankings for a certain keyword or product.
Available Directories for Web Developers
Directories in the Internet today mostly cater to a large scope of topics and subjects. Technology websites may be listed in the same directory as home furnishing or gardening. Most directories cater to various regions of the world and in their subsequent languages. Portals and niche directories are relatively new in the market and only lately have they been gaining popularity among Internet users. Yahoo! Directory and the Open Directory Project (aka DMOZ), are just some of the widely used directories available in the Web. Among the two, DMOZ enjoys a bigger following because aside from the fact that it categorizes websites in a much larger scale than other directories, it is free and can be used by any web developer and link builder. Some directories charge a minimum fee for listing a website into their pages. A few directories implement a pay-per-click type of arrangement when listing websites.
Factors to consider when picking out directories in the Internet include:
The Role of Directories in Today’s Business Directories allow customers to search for what they specifically want and not deal with situations wherein what they want is out of stock. It gives businesses some buffer time to assemble what their customers requested, thereby resulting in more efficiency in their business transactions. Shoppers are now getting more comfortable purchasing what they need in the comforts of their homes without having to walk around in malls anymore. Everything is provided for by the Internet, and directories are crucial in the success of businesses in the Internet advertising landscape. With so many users and consumers turning to the Internet for everything they need, from home furniture to personal essentials, and other services, directories will be playing a big role in the future of doing business.
