Exactly what is an Internet Directory?
By: Steve Ellias – May 27, 2013
Internet web directory sites (or as they are much better known– search directories) existed prior to the search engines, particularly Google, became popular. As the name suggests, web directories are directories where various resources are collected. Likewise to desktop computer directories, where you gather files in a directory site based on some requirement, Internet directories are just massive collections of associated with websites, arranged in various groups. The sites in a Web directory site are noted in some order (frequently alphabetic but it is not always so) and users see them.
Although many Web directories offer a search functionality of some kind (otherwise it will be impossible to browse hundreds of pages for let’s say Computers), search directories are fundamentally various from search engines in the two means– most directories are edited by humans and URLs are not collected immediately by spiders however submitted by site owners. The major advantage of Web directories is that no matter how clever spiders become, when there is a human to view and examine the pages, there is a lower chance that pages will be categorized in the wrong categories. The downsides of the first distinction are that the lists in internet directory sites are in some cases dated, if no human was readily available to do the editing and checking for some time (but this is not that bad because search engines also provide pages that do not exist anymore) and that sometimes you might have to wait half an year before being included in a search directory site.
The 2nd distinction– no spiders– suggests that you need to go and send your URL to the search directory site, as opposed to sit and wait for the spider to come to your website. Luckily, this is done only once for each directory, so it is not that bad.
As soon as you are included in a particular directory site, in many cases you can remain there as long as you want to and wait for people (and online search engine) to find you. The fact that an associated with your website appears in a decent Web directory site is good since initially, it is a backlink and second, you increase your exposure for spiders, which in turn raises your possibility to be indexed by them.
Examples of Web Directories
There are hundreds and thousands of search directory sites however undoubtedly the most preferred one is DMOZ. It is a general purpose search directory and it accepts links to all kinds of websites. Various other popular general-purpose search directories are Google Directory site and Yahoo! Directory. The Best of the Web is among the earliest Web directories and it still keeps to high standards in selecting sites.
Besides general-purpose Internet directory sites, there are extremely lots of topical ones. For instance, the Environment Directory notes links to environmental websites only, while The Radio Directory site details hundreds of radio stations worldwide, organized by nation, format, etc. There are also many regional and national Web directory sites, which accept links to sites about a specific region or country just and which can be fantastic if your site is targeted at regional and national audience just. You see, it is not possible to discuss even the topics of specialized search directory sites only since the list will get incredibly long. Making use of Google and specialized search resources like The Search Engines Directory site, you can discover on your own many directory sites that are connected to your location of interest.
Specialized Search Engines
Exactly what is a Specialized Search Engine?
Specialized online search engine are one more tool to include in your SEO arsenal. Unlike general-purpose online search engine, specialized search engines index pages for particular subjects just and extremely often there are lots of pages that cannot be found in general-purpose online search engine but only in customized ones. Some of the specialized search engines are huge sites that in fact host the resources they associated with, or utilized to be search directories but have advanced to include links not just to websites that were submitted to them. There are many specialized search engines for each imaginable subject and it is always a good idea to know the specialized online search engine for your particular niche. The instances in the next area are by no means a full listing of specialized search engines but are aimed to provide you the idea of what is available. If you search harder on the Web, you will find numerous more resources.
Examples of Specialized Search Engines
Most likely specialized search engines are not that numerical as Internet directories however still definitely there is no shortage of them either, specifically if one counts password-protected sites with data source easily accessible only from within the website as a specialized online search engine. As with Internet directories, if there were a list of specialized search engines it would be actually, actually long (and continuously changing), so rather, right here are some links to lists of search engines: Pandia Powersearch, Webquest, Virtual Search Engines, the currently discussed The Search Engines Directory site, and so on. What prevails for these lists is that they offer a selection of specialized search engines, organized by topic, so it is a good beginning point for the hunt of specialized search engines.
Some directories are a little harder than others to get your website indexed in them such as the DMOZ directory. I have put together some tips and techniques that should assist you with submitting your site to the DMOZ directory.
Get Listed on DMOZ (open directory)
Each DMOZ listing is added by a volunteer editor that applied to be an editor and was accepted by the DMOZ website staff. Unfortunately, the editors that are active is very low and not as active as they should be. The lack of editors immediately makes the listing process slow, but the main problem is website owners and their submission to the wrong category, and other user related issues.
Imagine this. You stand in line at an airport and wait for your turn at the ticket counter. You stand there for 2 hours and when you finally get there, the lady tells you that you’re in the wrong line. She tells you to line up over there and wait another 3 hours or so. This is like DMOZ because adding your website in the wrong category will not get your submission into their directory. Instead of being told you’re in the wrong line, they do not tell you anything and you just do not get entry.
This scenario is exactly what happens in the DMOZ. Websites are frequently submitted to the wrong category, or have some other problem with them that keeps them from being accepted.
Here are some pointers to take while trying to get a website listed in the open directory. (DMOZ)
1. Find A Domain Name That Is Already In DMOZ – This is by far the easiest way.
Look for an expired domain name or a domain name that is available and check to see if it is already in the open directory. Chances are that with the lack of editors, your domain will be safe on there for a while.
2: Become an Editor for That Category You Are Trying To Submit To
Find the category that you want your website listed in, and volunteer to edit that category. The smaller the category you apply to edit, the more likely it is that you will be accepted as an editor. Make sure that when you apply to be an editor, the biggest thing is the three example sites you add as examples be perfect websites that should be entered into that category you are applying to be editor in.
Note – Make sure your example websites have a physical address on the bottom of their website or somewhere on their website because DMOZ will not allow you to be an editor is you miss these things. Also, make sure your title and description of these examples if perfect. Also, make sure you tell the truth about all the websites you are associated with because these senior editors will find out and you will not get the chance to become an editor. Make sure you mention EVERY website you are associated with. Trust me…
3: Choose The Correct Category – Make sure you are 100% confident you are in the correct category!
One of the main reason for listing delays is that website owners don’t choose the best category to apply to. Take the time to choose your category carefully; it will save time in the long-run. Do a search on the main DMOZ site for the category you wish your website to be found in. Make sure it is 100% what your business and website does. Example – If you are doing web design in Cornwall, Ontario, make sure you do a search for Cornwall Web Design and then click the link and then submit it to that category. Always double check you are in the right place.
4: Look for Editors That Are Active and Working
This is very important. With my website being in Cornwall, there was no active editors for close to three years! This is bad. If you choose the correct category, if there’s no active editor for that category, you’re going to be waiting a long time for your site to be accepted.
At the very bottom of a DMOZ category is a tag that says, “Last updated: [date]”. If the category you’re thinking of applying to hasn’t been updated in a couple of years, the category editor is probably not active. Apply for this category as an editor. Or, you can try and find a different category, but make sure it is close to what your website is all about.
5: Avoid Over Submissions to the Site – Will be considered spam and your sire will be rejected
Submit your website only once and not over and over again. This will guarantee that your website will never get listed if you continue to over submit your site. If you’re concerned about your DMOZ submission, click on the editor’s name at the bottom of the page and email them. Rather than bombarding them with multiple submissions, politely ask them what the problem is and if you can do something to help.
6: Make Sure Your Website Is Worthy – (SEO Optimized and clean)
Please make sure your website is clean, neat and tidy, and has a physical address showing that you are located in this area. I was declined because I did not have my address on the website. If you operate from home, people are reluctant to add their home address and this will present a problem with DMOZ.
I hope this information will help you be successful in your submission to DMOZ. In over 3 years as a website designer, I have yet to have one website added. It’s like winning a lottery having your website submitted and accepted by DMOZ.
Click below to enter your website and please make sure you follow all their guidelines.
Submit Your Website – DMOZ – Open Directory
Summary of Web Directories
It’s always good to have your site in the major search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. It is also very good to have your site listed in specialized directories where people can find you by searching in special categories for specific sites. Take your time to make sure all your submissions are done to the website directories guidelines and follow every step by step procedure. If your site is not ready, fix it before you submit it.
