SEO Information

How Directories Help Search Engines


At the beginning of the web era, users would go to directories to find sites relevant to their interests. In fact, Yahoo!, the web's number one destination, started as a directory. Nowadays, most users rely on search engines, not directories, to find what they're looking for.

When search engines started to become popular, they relied on web pages' 'keyword metatags' to determine the topic and relevance of the page (the keyword metatag is a section within a web page's HTML code where webmasters can insert words that are relevant to the page's content). Webmasters discovered that by stuffing their meta tags with popular search terms repeated hundreds of times, they could propel their pages to the top of the search results.

Search engines caught up to the abuse and decided to ignore the meta tags and rely instead on web page copy. Webmasters then started to overstuff their page copy with popular search terms, often writing them in the same color as the web page's background, so that they could be detected by search engines while being invisible to users.

Again, search engines discovered the trick and decided that the best way to rank a web page's content and its topical relevance was to rely on inbound links from other pages. The rationale behind this is that it is much more difficult to influence other people to link to you than it is to manipulate your own web page elements. In fact, inbound links are the foundation of Google's Pagerank? algorithm.

There are several ways to get inbound links, among them writing articles that include your bylines with a link to your page, exchanging links, and listing your site in directories.

Listing your sites in good directories is probably the best way to get quality links that are highly valued by the search engines. Since directories rely on human editors who enforce strict criteria to list a site, and since directories organize the information in highly focused categories, they are an invaluable resource for search engines to measure the quality and the relevance of a web page.

In summary, directories are important not because they generate significant traffic (they don't), but because they are given great importance by the search engines to qualify and rank web pages, and to determine their topical relevance.

You should definitely list your site with quality directories if you want to increase your chances of success with the search engines.

About The Author

Mario Sanchez: http://www.theinternetdigest.net. For more search engine tips go to: http://www.accordmarketing.com/seotips/


MORE RESOURCES:

Search Engine Strategies (SES) Training Provides Intensive SEO ...
MarketWatch - 22 hours ago
The SEM/SEO training immediately follows the Search Engine Strategies (SES) Chicago conference, running December 8-11, 2008, also at the Hilton. ...


Local.com(R) Announces 2008 "Best of Local" Winners
MarketWatch - 13 hours ago
... icon displayed on their business listing, their business listed on the official "Best of Local" winners page and enhanced SEO for their business listing.


Video SEO Tutorial - Using SWFObject 2.1 to Provide Alternative ...
ReelSEO Online Video News, CA - 15 hours ago
In Part 1 of this series, I introduced Video SEO, Flash Video, and the importance of using SWFObject to provide alternative content for accessibility and ...
Video SEO Tip - Using SWFObject 2.1 to Provide Alternative HTML ... ReelSEO Online Video News
all 2 news articles


Web Analytics: The Future, SEO, Tools, and Mistakes
WebProNews, KY - 16 hours ago
Rand Fishkin at SEOmoz lists web analytics as one of the top seven reasons that companies are investing in SEO during the economic downturn. ...
The Great Google Adsense Side Effect WebProNews
all 2 news articles


Cheap SEO – Possible?
BigNews.biz (press release), MA - 9 hours ago
And yes, cheap SEO is possible. Of all the hundreds of search engine optimization services websites on the internet, there are a few that have been started ...


Search Copywriter/SEO/PPC
Bizcommunity.com, South Africa - 2 hours ago
Ideally you will have worked on a variety of clients with both SEO and PPC copywriting experience, including PR or article writing. ...
Search Manager/SEO Manager Bizcommunity.com
SEO Assistant/Search Executive Bizcommunity.com
Search Engine Optimisation Consultant Bizcommunity.com
all 4 news articles


Keys for higher rank in search engine results
Cherry Hill Courier Post, NJ - 46 minutes ago
Search engine optimization (SEO) -- designing and writing your Web site to naturally rank high in search engine results. Search engine marketing (SEM) ...
New Open Mobile Search Engine Optimization Standard Unveiled TMCnet
all 2 news articles


SEO Bookmarklets Collection: On-Page SEO and Domain Stats
Search Engine Journal - 20 hours ago
This time I am looking at some more helpful browser bookmarklets that can come in handy for on-page SEO research and a quick view at essential site stats ...


PR Web (press release)

Search Marketing Blog Celebrates 12 Months of Tips and Tricks
PR Web (press release), WA - 42 minutes ago
Upstream Connections' SEO Manager and regular blog contributor Alex Hammond says "We've all been very pleased with the reaction to the blog. ...
eMazzanti Technologies Renews its New York Red Bulls Partnership Emediawire (press release)
all 6 news articles


DirectNews

Irish newspaper 'looking to SEO'
DirectNews, UK - 22 hours ago
The online arm of the Irish Independent is to take greater advantage of search engine optimisation (SEO) as part of a new internet strategy. ...

SEO - Google News

home | site map
© 2006