17 replies to this topic

[turbocashuk]

Does anyone have any figures with regard to how much people use search engines vs directories?

You can get on all the search engines without spending a cent - if the spiders get you. I submitted to google and dmoz, have about 10 good backlinks already, and have been picked up by most search engines, except msn, lycos and ask.

The quesiton is is it really worth the while paying $230 to looksmart and $300 to yahoo to get into their directories if one has already been spidered? Do the directories really matter much? eg go to business.com. If I want accounting software I'll type it into the search. It's too much of a mission going thru all the categories to find what you want.

[glengara]

SEs spider directories, so the more you're listed in, the better.

[Matt B]

I've found that additional traffic results from being listed in directories. Just from looking at log files I can see the difference between directories and their respective search referrals. The directory referrals are not bad - in fact, they seem to be worth the investment for most websites.

I've found that Yahoo and Business.com are very good sources of traffic. I am going to test LookSmart (again) to see if I can show any justification for additional site submissions.

[Scottie]

If you can afford it, get a listing in Yahoo. It's still a good link to have, even though it doesn't send traffic like it used to.

I can't recommend Looksmart, though.

[mcanerin]

Good directories can get you listed higher on the SE's do to factors such as page rank and backlinks. If your site is in the top 10 and you are not in a directory, then it's obviously not hurting you, but if you are struggling, being in directories can help a lot.

There are also several types of directories - the ones like Yahoo and GoGuides, but also more vertical ones - the 411 directory, a link list on a reputable site, etc - people DO click on those.

Remember also - in many cases a good directory is in the top 10 for particular search terms - if you are near the top of that directory, then you now have shown up 2 times in the top ten ethically. One by yourself, and one piggybacked on another site.

Many people will skip clicking on a single website in the search results in favor of a listings guide (local directory,etc). It's good to be on both.

Ian

[turbocashuk]

Thanks for the info everyone.

I've had some amazing results with seo - in the uk I'm already nos 1,1 and 6 on the three most important keywords for my site. That's out of 118000 results. For the whole web I am nos 2,3 and 52. That's out of 2.6 million results. With these sort of results maybe I do not need to bother about the directories? 200 pounds to go into yahoo.co.uk and then another $300 to yahoo.com is a bit steep.

[MakeMeTop]

>200 pounds to go into yahoo.co.uk and then another $300 to yahoo.com is a bit steep.

No, you pay £200 once to Yahoo UK and they put you in Yahoo.com as well. It's a good deal - better than paying Yahoo.com annually!

[BrianR]

turbocashuk

I agree with Barry. At a £199 one-time-only listing fee, the Yahoo.co.uk directory is a bargain because you also get listed in Yahoo.com for free instead of paying the steep annual renewal fee.

Rumour has it that Yahoo.co.uk might change to the Yahoo.com model when it does the expected shake-down on the search engine side some time soon, so I'd get in quick while you can.

BrianR

[mcanerin]

Hmmm, I feel a mcanerin.co.uk registration coming on...

Nope! Darn. The PR would be for the right site but wrong URL. Oh Well.

Ian

[Nicolette]

Hello All!

Just so that I understand: The SEs crawl directories. Being listed in more directories gets your site crawled more frequently for keywords. But if Google, MSN and Yahoo are the defacto first choice for searches why does anyone use directories? I've been submitting to several, but I want to understand the logic behind it.

Thanks,

Nicolette

[Jill]

Being in the directories is good for your site because it lends it credibility in the search engines' eyes. If an editor thinks your site is good enough to list in the directory, then that helps your overall search engine link popularity.

Although, there is some debate as to just how much a directory listing is worth these days. I believe that some are worth more (or less) than others.

[ewc21]

I used to think that Yahoo! listing is too expensive for a listing (which used to be free) together with competitor web sites. I used to think only that the only benefit is traffic and link quality.

But since not all sites are accepted in directories (say DMOZ) the mere listing of such sites in directories help validate the claim that these are quality sites and have the advantage over those which never get listed.

[chompy]

But how about from a user's point of view? If a user wanted to search for information, or a company, or a site, where would he/she most likely go to search? The SE's, or the directories?

[chompy]

No reply? I think I read Jill's post somewhere saying that most users would go to an SE than a directory to search for stuff. I quite agree. Who here prefers to use directories for searching?

Thoughts anyone?

[Jill]

Unless they're specialized, I personally find directories somewhat useless because I always have a nagging feeling I'm missing something.

That said, they can certainly be a good starting point if you're looking for something very specific, especially if you're looking locally.