A Web directory can be described as a manually indexed search engine. Through an online form resource suggestions can be made to a directory Website. The authorized editor after reviewing and verifying that the suggestion conforms with the submission guidelines, add it to the directory.
Web directories can be categorized into general and niche directories. General directories cover a wider area of subjects whereas niche Web directories focus on one topic with resources sorted into a smaller number of highly related categories.
The objective of a Web directory is to provide directory users a categorized list of high quality websites from a selected field or industry. Although with the increasing popularity of search engines, the importance of directories as information providers has gone down. However, in the context of search engine optimization, web directories have gained a new utility. Search engine’s give high weightage to the links from web directories to the concerned web sites because these directories have human editors. Having your website listed in a respected web directory is an indication that your website has met a certain standard for quality and is a site worth linking to.
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 directory users. It also provides a boon to your search engine rankings from the increased link popularity of your website.
Care must be taken before submitting a Web site to any directory. It should be a highly reputed directory. Not all directories would be search engine friendly or capable of generating traffic for their listings. Further, the submission guidelines should also be read thoroughly before submitting a resource for inclusion.
