8. Directories

1. overview 2. domain name 3. website hosting 4. web design 5. website optimization 6. submission
7. ranking 8. directories 9. link building 10. pay per click 11. development 12. ecommerce

Directories, just like search engines, are used by people when searching for information/websites on the internet.

These directories (Yahoo and The Open Directory being the most important) work quite differently to search engines however. Whereas search engines use crawlers to traverse the internet and find copies of websites and web pages to put into their databases, directories require a specific submission process in order to gain a listing in their databases. The addition of your website into the directory might be automatic or it might require the actual inspection of your website for relevancy and content by a real human being prior to inclusion in the database.

internet directories

Are Directories Important?

There is absolutely no doubt that search engines will deliver much more traffic to your website than any directory, even Yahoo or The Open Directory. Having said that, there are 2 areas where they can be stunningly important.

  1. Niche Directories
  2. Link Popularity

2. Link Popularity
Over recent years search engines having placed increasing importance on link popularity when it comes to scoring your website or web page in order to get higher page ranking in the search engine's results pages (SERPs). There are two major factors that contribute to this link popularity

a. Quantity of Links. As you would expect the more websites that link to your website would tend to suggest that your website is seen as important and therefore should be treated as such by the search engines.

b. Quality of Links. Quite clearly all websites are not equal and therefore all links from websites are not equal. If you have a link from a website that the search engines deem to be of great importance then it will therefore place far greater importance on that link to you. Likewise a link from a small unimportant website might br deemed to be almost irrelevant.

targetting the directories
1. Niche Directories
With over 10 billion web pages out there many people have decided to put together directories of information/companies/websites for their own, sometimes very niche, specialities. These directories can of course be of great help to people working in these fields as it dramatically cuts down errors in looking for appropriate information. If your website is listed in such a directory it may not therefore gain a high volume of visitors clicking from it. However, as a rule, the quality of visitor is much greater, and hence, if you are selling something, the probability of making a sale is much greater.

As a rule search engines see directories as being particularly important websites in that these websites are very much experts in their field thus, gaining a link from such a directory can add to the link popularity of your website quite considerably.

Word of Caution

When you are submitting to a directory there are a number of factors you need to bear in mind such as the reputation of the directory; the cost of getting listed (they are not always free) and the length of time it can take to be actually listed.

The Quality of the Directory: There was a subtantial growth in such directories in recent years and not all of them were particularly discerning in their inclusion process. As a result these directories became less valuable as sources of information. Search engines therefore downvalued these directories accordingly.

The Cost of Getting Listed: Many directories are free - no problem. However some directories require a one off fee, or even an annually recurring fee. You obviously need to reach a judgement as to whether this fee is appropriate.

Time Taken to become Listed: The most powerful directory is The Open Directory, and a listing here is of considerable importance to your website. The good news is that it is free. The bad news is that it can take many months, and there are examples of it taking up to a year, quite simply because every addition to their database is first checked out by a human being, and that human being is a volunteer.

In summation, the long term succcessful marketing of your website is critically depedent on the quality and quantity of incoming links, and directories can play a massive role in this success.

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Testimonials


The following are a number of testimonials from satisfied clients. We are really pleased to receive these testimonials, and proudly list them here.

Thanks for the website Ian.
As you stated, I have had a steady stream of enquiries since setting me up on the internet.
Simon
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Morning Ian, just a short note to say 'thankyou' for the work on my website. Not only am I pleased with the way it looks, but I could not believe it when I got my first enquiry from it only a few days after its completion. All you said would happen has indeed happened.
Regards
Glenda
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Thank you very much for your kind help. It is really a good advice for my marketing plan.

Thanks and best regards,
Thi
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Hi Ian Just a short note to tell you we have had a very good season, an excellent sales increase so we should be ok now the autumn is here and going very soon into Winter.. . . . . . . . .
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Thanks Ian. The website has certainly increased our Bookings and we look forward to next year.
Best Wishes
Sue
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I am not really interested in getting back in to PPC as it cost a lot of money last time for not a lot of return. We have been without it for over a year and what you are doing is still increasing visits and turnover on the site.
Regards
AJ
Director
Sports Outlets
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Just a quick note to say I’m very interested in maintaining the website you have completed a marvellous job of so far. We are already noticing a complete change and receiving a lot higher internet inquires.
Thanks Ian
Marie
Director
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Hello Ian, came across your website via a Google search and wanted to say how impressed I am! The marketing plan template arrived within seconds of my request - it is clear, tremendously helpful and has provided me with the structure I desperately lacked as I prepare to kick off my new business on 1st September! A really super service, am sure I will be in touch again over the coming weeks to discuss other elements of your offer.

Thanks and regards
Sarah
Director
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....... I have also noticed the success of extra clicks! Business is also up by at least 15 percent from last year. Regards
Simon
Owner (Dry Cleaners)

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I would just like to bring a ray of sunshine to your day (well it did for me).
Since we started to work with Ian Smith, our Adwords guru, our results have improved impressively. These figures are the average across the board, ..
Our Click through rate has gone from 1% to a very credible 4.5%
Our average cost per click has dropped from 87p to 63p (just remember some clicks are still £2+).
Our average position has gone from 5.4 to 4.6
So all in all a very good result and with further input we hope to do even better.
Chris
Interior Design Retailer
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