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Internet Directories for Search Engine Optimization

Internet Directories remain a useful web 1.0 method in the toolkit of someone looking to promote their website with link building and search engine optimization. Internet Directories were a driving force of the early web, with niche directories catering to specific theme and groups of websites.

One of the most famous web directories still exists today, the Yahoo Web Directory. Of course the Yahoo Search Engine gains most of the attention today, but it's important to note the existance of the directory remains. Directories play an important role in search engine optimization today, but it's good to point out that the influence of these web 1.0 directories remains in place only at the pleasure of Google, Yahoo, and MSN. Changes to the algorithims are coming and it's possible that much of their influence may be on the way out.

Types of Internet Directories


Major Internet Directories

These are your Yahoo Directories, your DMOZ (open directory project) and others. Directories are of course human edited, and because of this are touted to have a higher quality. These directories especially are believed to only accept the best. Or so it is what they would have you believe. In reality, Yahoo will list any website that meets its minimum guidelines for a $299 per year fee. DMOZ is well known for having corrupt editors, and gaining entrance to DMOZ is often as simple as a tossing some cash or a few links towards an editor.

Still the right link in the right category can deliver traffic, as well as a vote of authority that weights well within the major search engines.

Local Internet Directories

These are the web directories that service a local area. They frequently will list only websites from businesses that reside in a specific county, or metro area. In my experience many of these local directories are run by local web design firms that use them to promote their own business locally as well as their clients.

Obtaining listings in these directories as an outsider will be difficult and may only be available through a paid link. Our SEO company for instance is based in Cape Canaveral, FL but because we are an "SEO Company" we were rejected from the Brevard Directory. There is a long running issue of mistrust between web design firms and SEO companies based on miscommunication. It's understandable of course, as SEO's we constantly come across "professionally designed websites" that have little to no actual search engine optimization done to them. As I like to tell my clients, your web designer made your website visually appealing to human eyes, I make them appealing to search engines.

Local directories themselves only deliver limited traffic, but are useful for local seo and increasing authority on locally targeted keywords.

Industry Directories

These directories typically focus on a particular industry or theme. It may not be industry specific, it may simply be a directory of websites about cat websites. These are highly specialized directories which are benefitial if your website falls into that category. You should be sure your website is listed with any directory that focuses specifically on websites in your category. It can deliver some traffic, but even better search engines will like it.

General Directories

These are non-specific directories on the Internet. Many of them use publically available and commercial scripts and have been setup in less then 30 minutes. Most directories like this start off totally free, and later move on to requiring a recipricol link at the minimum. Eventually they begin to charge, first a little and then a lot.

In my opinion it's rarely worth paying for inclusion in a general directory. The reason being there are so many new directories being constantly added that are free, there are always more alternatives available. Eventually those free directories will gain popularity, and begin charging but you will already be included.

It's fairly easy to generate general directory links and round out your total number of backlinks in this manner.