Business Web Directories - Internet Marketing Article

By:Adrian Lawrence

An important tool in organizing and presenting the plethora of websites available on the internet is the use of Directories – an alternative to Search Engines that links and categorizes sites on the web. The main advantage to Directories as opposed to Search Engines is that directories are edited by humans, whereas search engines simply return automated results based on keywords which may not always be the most effective way to quickly find a website that is apropos to the topic being searched for. Websites are submitted to directories by the webmaster, where they are reviewed by neutral editors, evaluated, sorted into categories, and ranked within category according to relevance. They are then listed in a directory form that is simple to read and navigate for the average browser. For a website to create and maintain high web visibility – and therefore attract a high number of visitors – it is essential to be listed in a number of quality Directories.

The best known directories are Yahoo, Dmoz and Google, but it is worth being aware of the quality of the directory before submitting a site. The average browser will not explore beyond the second or, at most, third page of directory results for their searched for topic, but if the Directory is not of quality some websites listed in those all-important first few pages may not deserve to be there. The usefulness of Directories to return appropriate search results to be valuable to a site is under debate.

If links are being sold across the entire site, that may be indication of a lower quality Directory. Google is one of the worst culprits for targeting sites that sell links, and sites that appear to promote the Google page rank of their pages. This may not be indicative of how relevant a site is to the topic searched for – it is all too easy for crafty webmasters to manipulate keyword SEO to gain a higher Google page rank than their site deserves. This is time-wasting and frustrating for browsers, and may result in them losing patience with the Directory all together. Another common problem with Directories to be avoided is that pages within the site may be linked only internally and not to other, relevant, quality, external pages. Search Engines will not find such pages if they are low on keyword content and they will be skipped over entirely.

Dmoz, the Open Directory Project (ODP,) editors are volunteers – they are naturally third-party neutral and will review and consider each submitted website on its own merits. Each editor applicant is screened for any conflict of interest, so any search results returned by Dmoz Directories can generally be trusted. The main downside to submitting a website to Dmoz is that the submission process can be interminable – although ultimately worth it in terms of relevant traffic directed to any website included in their directory. The Yahoo! Directory rivals Dmoz for size and comprehensiveness, and was in fact Yahoo’s initial reason for existence. It has since evolved away from the fundamental classic human edited format of Directories, by instituting crawler-based listings in 2002, but remains a quality Directory that can be trusted. The Yahoo! Directory is very clearly displayed on its homepage. LookSmart, and Zeal – LookSmart’s non commercial arm – are other famous examples of quality directories.

For a website to be listed in a trustworthy Directory such as Dmoz or Yahoo! can be one of the most important quality-assurance seals of approval and can be the essential difference between focused and relevant traffic to the site and random hits by frustrated browsers.

Digg del.icio.us Blink Stumble Spurl Reddit Netscape Furl

Article keywords: Business Web Directories

Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

Adrian Lawrence is the webmaster of Allthebizz a very popular business web directory covering a wide range of topics.

Top Internet Marketing Articles
1). The Fly & The Window Of Opportunity By : Rick Davies Copyright 2006 1stPromotion.com One afternoon after going through a small backlog of emails, I was daydreaming about how it shouldn't be tough for absolutely anyone out there to make that first online sale and then to go on and make more and more sales. I feel bad for people that have paid money for some of the programs out there that promise to "stuff their wallets effortlessly" only to find that there is no free lunch.
2). Sign Our Guestbook – How Signing Guestbook’s Or Creating Your Own Helps Your Website By : Anton Cheranev Guestbook’s are some of the most popular areas on websites. Before a consumer does business with you, they are likely to check out your guestbook. Guestbook’s are somewhat like testimonials in that they offer real feedback on your site, your business, and your products. They are honest and are created from those that have had some sort of experience with your business or those who simply visit your site.
3). Where To Find A MySpace Friend Adder By : PaulG MySpace friend adders have become a great tool in maximizing the MySpace experience. Since MySpace has become popular, so has the importance of having tons of MySpace friends. This can benefit the causal MySpace user, the MySpace Music artist, and even the web publishers and marketers that use MySpace as a stepping stone toward success. Now MySpace friend adders have gone even further by adding other MySpace abilities to their programming.
4). How To Monetize A 1,000+ Page Site In 5 min. Or Less Without Violating Google's Adsense Policy! By : D Dean Hall As webmasters, writers and authors we all want to find ways to maximize the profitability of our content. We employ a variety of methods such as Adsense, Yahoo Ads, links to affiliate products of all types but there are a couple of problems. There is the sheer time involved in creating these links and then keeping them updated to the most relevant and profitable products.
5). 'Social Bookmarking' As An Aggressive and Acceptable Blog Marketing Tactic By : gregw Social bookmarking websites are becoming more and more popular. They allow you to save bookmarks online and Tag/Categorize them with keywords instead of saving them as bookmarks in the favorite's list of yourbrowser. This is particularly useful when your browser based bookmarks have become unwieldy. It's also help since you can access your bookmarks from any computer where you have an internet connection.
6). The Four Big Adsense Secrets By : Iszuddin Ismail Is there a BIG secret to the huge Adsense checks? Yes, you’ve seen those screen shots of 5-figure Adsense earning … so have I. And that made you thinking, why are some people earning those huge income, and you are not. Whatever people may say, I only see these are the only factors that make the difference between your earning and those ‘big-guns’. 1 - Adsense Placement Yes, putting your Adsense in a special way can be the difference between 1% click-through rate (CTR) and 10% CTR.
7). The Downsides Of Reciprocal Linking To Increase Search Engine Rankings By : Brian Gilley Reciprocal linking is still a highly sought after method for many companies and webmasters hoping to increase their web site’s ranking in the search engines. Back in 2002, when reciprocal linking firmly took its place as a real way to boost your rankings, many webmasters and sites started using it to quickly and frantically get the upper edge on their competition and the search engines.
8). One of the Quickest and Easiest Way to Dramatically Increase Your Website’s Page Rank By : Tim Wright This is one of the easiest and fastest ways that you can increase the number of one way links to your website and dominate your competition.
9). Spy on the Competition, Stay on Top By : Jay Chirino Just when you thought you had this whole online business thing mastered, it turns out that now you must become a secret super spy, break into your competitor’s databases and steal important documented information that you can put to use for your own benefit. So get your rope and mask ready because we’re going in! Oh, and by the way, I’m just kitting.
10). Let's Start! Create A Business Plan By : Helen Chow Let's Start! Create A Business Plan

New Internet Marketing Articles
1). 5 Tips for Making Mounds of Money on the Internet By : Michael Gulbin Make sure you are doing everything you can to make money on the web.
2). Are You Costing Yourself Money With This Common Article Marketing Mistake? By : Chris Ellington The Article Marketer editorial team reveals the worst mistake an internet marketer can make when submitting royalty free articles.
3). Learn To Market From A Child By : Clint Pollard A marketing lesson I learned from my grand daughter.
4). How To Maximize Your Profits From Backend Sales By : Jason Oickle The truth is with backend sales, you can gain additional or continuous profit without having to do any extra work.
5). Web Site Promotion Guides For Newbies By : Obinna Heche If you are new to the internet world you are not alone. There are a lot of people who are not too familiar with the internet but want to join in on the profits that are available.
6). Network Marketing for Overall Growth By : Sanjay Johari Network marketing provides tremendous opportunity to learn and earn. Those willing to learn have unlimited potential to earn and grow.
7). What Should You Know Before You Start A Home Business By : Arun Pal Singh As 2006 dawns on earth I am quite thoughtful. Many persons started their business in 2005. Some succeeded and some left disappointed.
8). Internet Marketing: Give Me Good Content By : Virginia Bola Have you ever considered how much boring, poorly written, superficial, and totally uninteresting stuff there is in those billions of web pages floating in the ether?
9). Internet Marketing: Give Me Something New By : Virginia Bola Give me freshness, variety, and a taste of greatness. I am totally frustrated by the lack of vitality found in the majority of websites.
10). Why Everyone Needs a Mentor. By : Gary Muller Why do you need a mentor and what could they possibly offer to help you grow your business? Discover why even successful marketers utilize the skills and expertise of an internet marketing mentor.