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What is
a web directory
A web
directory is a directory on the World Wide Web that specializes in showing a
collection of web sites and categorizing according to their niche. A web
directory is not a search engine, and does not display lists of web pages
based on keywords, instead it lists web sites by category and subcategory. The
categorization is usually based on the whole web site, rather than one page
or a set of keywords, and sites are often limited to inclusion in only one or
two categories. Web directories often allow site owners to directly submit
their site for inclusion, and have editors review submissions for fitness. RSS
directories are similar to web directories, but contain collections of RSS
feeds, instead of links to web sites. Some
directories are very general in scope and list websites across a wide range
of categories, regions and languages. But there are also a large number of
niche directories, which focus on restricted regions, single languages, or
specialist sectors. Examples
of well known, general, web directories are Yahoo! Directory and the Open
Directory Project (ODP). ODP is significant due to its extensive
categorization and large number of listings and its free availability for use
by other directories and search engines (many sites violate its terms of use
by using its content without acknowledgement). A debate
over the quality of directories and databases continues, as search engines
use ODP's content without real integration, and
some experiment using clustering. There have been many attempts to make
directory development easier, whether using a "links for all" type
link submission site using a script, or any number of available PHP portals
and programs. Recently, social software techniques have spawned new efforts
of categorization, with Amazon.com adding tagging to their product pages. Directories
have various types of listings, often dependent upon the price paid for
inclusion: * Free Submission - there is no charge
for review of the site * Reciprocal Link - the site submitted
must link back to the directory in order to be listed * Paid Submissions - a fee is charged for
reviewing the submitted link * No Follow - there is a rel="nofollow" attribute associated with the link, meaning
search engines will not follow the link. * Featured Link - the link is given a
premium position in the category where it is submitted * Featured Homepage Link - the link may be
listed on the homepage of the directory. * Bid for Position - a recent innovation (2007)
where sites are ordered based on bids A human-edited
directory is created and maintained by editors who add links based on the
policies particular to that directory. Human-edited
directories are often targeted by SEOs on the basis
that links from reputable sources will improve rankings in the major search
engines. Some directories may prevent search engines from rating a displayed
link by using redirects, nofollow attributes, or
other techniques. Many human-edited
directories, including the Open Directory Project and the World Wide Web
Virtual Library, are edited by volunteers, who are often experts in
particular categories. These directories are sometimes criticized due to long
delays in approving submissions, or for rigid organizational structures and
disputes among volunteer editors. In
response to these criticisms, some volunteer-edited directories have adopted wiki technology, to allow broader community participation
in editing the directory (at the risk of introducing lower-quality, less
objective entries). Another
direction taken by some web directories is the paid for inclusion model. This
method enables the directory to offer timely inclusion for submissions and
generally fewer listings as a result of the paid model. They often offer
additional listing options to further enhance listings, including features
listings and additional links to inner pages of the listed web site. These
options typically have an additional fee associated, but offer significant
help and visibility to sites and/or their inside pages. |