The Future of Web Directories

Web directories are an important part of internet technology and specifically SEO. In essence, a web directory is a list of website URLs categorized according to the directory’s system of organization. Some web directories, such as Yahoo! Directory and Open Directory Project, are very broad and have a multitude of links, while others are much more niche specific.

Creating a Web Directory

Web directories can be complicated to build and maintain. The sheer number of links involved in creating a thorough directory is daunting as well as the task of organizing them coherently. To this end, many methods have been developed to simplify the process, primarily social software such as tagging and wikis.

Using a Web Directory

There are many uses for web directories including obtaining content for websites, finding relevant websites, and of course, obtaining the ever crucial links for SEO purposes. As there are many styles of directories related to the broad range of niches and purposes, directories include material using different criteria.

Free directories do not charge a fee for submission, but may not be viewed as favorably as other, more exclusive websites. Paid directories require a fee for listing materials, and reciprocal directories require a link back in exchange for a listing. Within the directory, there are also premium spots available both in the categories as well as the directory homepage itself.

For a specific search topic, niche directories are ideal. They will usually include a deeper resource for a specific topic than a broad directory with seemingly endless amounts of categories. For SEO purposes, to include your link, it is best to submit your website to a human-edited directory.

Human-Edited Web Directories

Human-edited directories, such as Open Directory Project or the World Wide Web Virtual Library, are maintained by human editors rather than scripts or other means. Each submitted link is checked by volunteer editors who categorize it correctly. These directories are considered more favorably by Google for optimization as human editing allows for more relevant links.

The Future of Web Directories

Web directories will continue to be of importance as time marches on. Human-edited directories have greater value than others, and it is only logical that more of these directories will appear. To overcome complaints of slow response times, some directories are branching out and trying new social software techniques.

Chainki, for example, has adopted a wiki style format that allows any user to edit the directory appropriately. While this is not as controlled as separate volunteers, it does speed the process up considerably while still creating relevant categorization by humans.

Search engine optimization is an ever present concept for those working on the internet, and it will continue to be. Web directories are an important process of SEO as well as simply defining an internet niche’s contents. They, like all web technology, will continue to grow and improve.

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