Showing posts with label dmoz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dmoz. Show all posts

Friday, September 24, 2010

Free vs. Paid Directories

When trying to determine to go with free or paid directory listings, a company should be clear of their specific needs as a business. Whether which one is better – free or paid – has been an ongoing debate between Search Engine Optimization (SEO) professionals for quite some time. They also fuss about free e-mail versus paid and free website hosting versus paid web hosting.

Below are two lists that include available free and paid directories:

Available Free Directories
• Dmoz.com
• Jayde.com
• Somuch.com
• Webworldindex.com
• Linkcentre.com
• ExactSeek.com

Available Paid Directories
• Yahoo Directory
• Directory Journal
• Best of the Web (BOTW)
• GoGuides.org
• Botlink.org
• Directoryscape.com

The purpose of a directory is to link one site to other websites by categorizing those links. Directories are not the same as search engines and do not provide lists of web pages based on keywords. Instead, a directory lists websites by categories and subcategories.

Several online users believe that free directories have a greater advantage and equate to better quality sites over those that require payment. In truth, many free directories tend to be very strict about listings that are included in their results. Paid directories can be just as careless about the review process as any other directory.

Top Online Directories
• Yahoo Directory – dir.yahoo.com
• SearchSight – www.searchsight.com
• Open Directory Project – www.dmoz.org
• Google Directory – directory.google.com

About CODANK Charlotte Web Design

CODANK is a top Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company located in Charlotte, NC. The company is dedicated to providing a broad range of web design services. CODANK specializes in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Graphic Design, Online Marketing, and Web Design and Development.

For more information, visit CODANK Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company at www.codank.com

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Online Directories

Similar to links, not all directories that you find on the World Wide Web are beneficial to a web site. An online business often spends much of their time submitting their information to several directories but tend to only be listed by a small amount.

Common criteria when judging an online directory

•Does it contain a significant amount of listings?
•Does the site contain a lot of spam or unrelated links and content?
•Is an editorial policy outlining how to be included available?
•How long has it been around?

A valid place to begin your submission process is the Open Directory Project (www.dmoz.org). This online directory is known as “the largest, most comprehensive human-edited directory of the Web”. Open Directory Project’s data powers the main directory services for many of the web’s major search engines, such as AOL, Google, Netscape Search, and Alexa.

Good and sometimes bad – the Open Directory Project (DMOZ) is the only major online directory that is offered to the public for no cost at all. The directory is maintained by a large group of volunteer editors, so search crawlers are not used. Inclusion on DMOZ ranges from a few days to even years.

Yes, DMOZ is free but many commercial sites find themselves paying to get listed. A $299 non-refundable fee makes certain that a web site will be reviewed for inclusion, but it does not guarantee that the site will be included in the directory. If it is included on DMOZ, the web site is given the option to edit, re-categorize, and remove their listing at any time.

Other common online directories you might want to consider include:

•Starting Point
•ExactSeek
•Best of the Web

About CODANK Charlotte Web Design

CODANK is a top Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company located in Charlotte, NC. The company is dedicated to providing a broad range of web design services. CODANK specializes in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Graphic Design, Online Marketing, and Web Design and Development.

For more information, visit CODANK Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company at www.codank.com

Friday, January 29, 2010

Which is Better - A Free or Paid Directory?

Depending on what specific needs a company may have will determine whether free or paid directory listings will help their success. This is a very common debate between Search Engine Optimization (SEO) professionals for some time now. There was worry about free website hosting versus paid web hosting, and fuss over free e-mail versus paid.

Available Free Directories

Dmoz.com
Pegsausdirectory.com
Somuch.com
Webworldindex.com
Linkcentre.com

Available Paid Directories

Yahoo Directory
Business.com
Best of the Web (BOTW)
GoGuides.org
Aviva Directory

A directory specializes in linking to other websites and categorizing those links. Directories are not classified as search engines and do not display lists of web pages based on keywords. Instead, it lists websites by category and subcategory.

Many believe that free directories have a higher advantage and equate to better quality sites over paid directories. In actuality, a lot of free directories are very strict about the listings that are included in their results. Paid directories can be just as negligent about the review process as any other directory.

Major Online Directories Available to Businesses

Yahoo Directory – dir.yahoo.com
SearchSight – www.searchsight.com
Open Directory Project – www.dmoz.org
Google Directory – directory.google.com

Whether you use paid or free directory listings should not depend on cost alone. What matters the most is how relevant the directory is to your website. The next consideration should be the quality of the sites that are listed in the directory. If the chosen directory is full of outdated sites, spam sites, or mis-categorized sites, it’s probably not the best choice of places to list your website.

About CODANK Charlotte Web Design

CODANK is a top Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company located in Charlotte, NC. The company is dedicated to providing a broad range of web design services. CODANK specializes in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Graphic Design, Online Marketing, and Web Design and Development.

For more information, visit CODANK Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company at www.codank.com