How Directories Help Search Engines > NetSparsh - Viral Content you Love & Share

Home
>
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
>
How Directories Help Search Engines

How Directories Help Search Engines

At the beginning of the web era, users would go to directories to find sites relevant to their interests. In fact, Yahoo!, the web's number one destination, started as a directory. Nowadays, most users rely on search engines, not directories, to find what they're looking for.

When search engines started to become popular, they relied on web pages' 'keyword metatags' to determine the topic and relevance of the page (the keyword metatag is a section within a web page's HTML code where webmasters can insert words that are relevant to the page's content). Webmasters discovered that by stuffing their meta tags with popular search terms repeated hundreds of times, they could propel their pages to the top of the search results.

Search engines caught up to the abuse and decided to ignore the meta tags and rely instead on web page copy. Webmasters then started to overstuff their page copy with popular search terms, often writing them in the same color as the web page's background, so that they could be detected by search engines while being invisible to users.

Again, search engines discovered the trick and decided that the best way to rank a web page's content and its topical relevance was to rely on inbound links from other pages. The rationale behind this is that it is much more difficult to influence other people to link to you than it is to manipulate your own web page elements. In fact, inbound links are the foundation of Google's Pagerank? algorithm.

There are several ways to get inbound links, among them writing articles that include your bylines with a link to your page, exchanging links, and listing your site in directories.

Listing your sites in good directories is probably the best way to get quality links that are highly valued by the search engines. Since directories rely on human editors who enforce strict criteria to list a site, and since directories organize the information in highly focused categories, they are an invaluable resource for search engines to measure the quality and the relevance of a web page.

In summary, directories are important not because they generate significant traffic (they don't), but because they are given great importance by the search engines to qualify and rank web pages, and to determine their topical relevance.

You should definitely list your site with quality directories if you want to increase your chances of success with the search engines.

About The Author

Mario Sanchez: http://www.theinternetdigest.net. For more search engine tips go to: http://www.accordmarketing.com/seotips/

In The News:

What Is Dwell Time & Why It Matters for SEO Search Engine JournalHere's what you really need to know about dwell time, how search engines use it, how it impacts rankings, and how to influence it.

Service workers and SEO: What developers should know Search Engine LandDevelopers working on websites, as compared to native apps, were long at a disadvantage because they were limited to using web technologies like HTML, ...

5 practical data blending examples for smarter SEO insights Search Engine LandSometimes we face questions that are hard to answer with the information from isolated tools. One powerful technique we can use is to combine data from ...

Importance of SEO and Digital Marketing In Reputation Management YourStory.comWith digital marketing gaining popularity, it's important to know the important parameters that help in making it even more effective. Reputation management is ...

Five ways website coding impacts your SEO approach | Articles | Digital Innovation EnterpriseWithout great SEO, customers won't find you and you'll miss out on easy sales. But the right coding can increase traffic via SEO engagement.

Take a deep dive into SEO and digital marketing [Deals] Cult of MacLearn what it takes to master online marketing in all its forms, through a bundle of 9 courses clocking in at 57 hours of *content*.

5 Growing SEO Methods to Optimize your Keywords in 2019 YourStory.comWhile everything else stops to run in a proper manner, or when you have to do it, tweaking your keyword lists is similar to that of your regular car maintenance.

9 Things to Do When Your SEO Pro Quits Practical EcommerceAn ecommerce company's search-engine-optimization pro will eventually leave. Here's what to do next. First, ask her why. Make it clear that you want her ...

Greyhound SEO Launches Professional and Specialized SEO Services - Press Release Digital JournalGreyhound specialized search engine optimization services help businesses Increase ROI.Greyhound SEO is happy to announce the launch of its professional ...

Publishing Thousands of URLs at Once – Is It Risky for SEO? Search Engine JournalFind out whether publishing thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of new pages at the same time could have any SEO risks or unintended consequences.

What Is Rank Transition & What Does It Mean for SEO? Search Engine JournalDiscover what rank transition is according to Google's Ranking Documents patent and what its implications are for search engine optimization.

Vietnam coach Park Hang-seo confirms desire to give up coaching multiple teams FOX Sports AsiaVietnam coach Park Hang-seo claims that he still plans to concentrate on only one of the two national teams for the country.

3 Benefits to investing in SEO now TechGenYZAs an online business or company, you want your products or services to reach the most number of internet users in order to make more sales. If you decide to ...

[Video] WebTextTool Review & Walkthrough: Level Up Your SEO in 2019 99Signals - Tech News, Tech Hacks, & MoreHere's an in-depth video review & walkthrough of WebTextTool — an SEO tool that can help you optimize your blog posts & improve your *content's* readability.

Introducing SEO for developers. It’s time. Search Engine LandComputer programming is making enormous innovative leaps on the web, evolving from crusty old-school AJAX, to jQuery, to reactive views that synchronize ...

The Most Effective SEO Strategies in 2019 QriusNew year, new you, new SEO strategies. With search engines like Google looking ahead to improve their services, it's vital to keep up and prepare for the.

SEO Manager job, Johannesburg Bizcommunity.comOur client a leading and renowned agency, seeks to hire an experienced SEO manager. Develop and implement SEO and link building strategiesUser ...

Exploring the Role of Content Groups & Search Intent in SEO Search Engine JournalHere's what SEO professionals need to know about a Google patent "Optimized Web Domains Classification Based on Progressive Crawling with Clustering."

SEO: 9 Tips for Writing Great Content Practical EcommerceTextual *content* enables search engines to understand your site. The words you choose should engage shoppers and boost your site's relevance to the ...

4 demanding areas of SEO to focus this year TechGenYZThere's so much more to understand in SEO which is must to know to drive traffic to your website and rank higher. Know more here.

Stay on Top of Your Site's SEO Ranking for Less Than $30 EntrepreneurKeeping up with the Kardashians is one thing, but keeping up with Google's ever-changing search engine ranking algorithm is a whole 'nother issue.

SEO vs SEM – What’s the Difference and Why it Matters to Your Business G2 CrowdLearn the key difference between SEO and SEM and how they greatly increase the visibility of your site on search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing, and more.

SEO Guide 2019: Your Strategy for This Year Search Engine JournalAre you ready to become up-to-date with the world of search engine optimization? Read WebCEO's guide to learn the top SEO tactics you need in 2019.

6 Ways SEO Tools Can Help You Run Your Business Search Engine JournalTools make a marketer's life more productive. This post will tell you why and how SEO tools can help you better run your business.

5 SEO Career Trends for 2019 [New Research] Search Engine JournalWhile the idea of SEO being dead is nothing more than worn out, industry fodder, SEO as a job title and role have been legitimately questioned. Not so long ago, ...

SEO For Plumbers: Grow Your Plumbing Business With Search Engine Optimization ForbesSearch engine optimization (SEO) offers a unique advantage for local *service* businesses. Just like the phone book of yesteryear, SEO allows the small business ...

How to Set & Achieve Realistic SEO Goals for 2019 Search Engine JournalWhat milestones does your company need to reach in 2019? As marketers and SEO professionals, charting the path toward our goals is one of the exercises we ...

New Study Shows How Much SEO Professionals Are Earning Per Year Search Engine JournalA recent study on the local search industry reveals how much the average SEO professional earns in a year, and what they bill per hour. Data is based on ...

SEO Optimizers free digital marketing training classes in Los Angeles - Press Release Digital JournalWe are a full *service* digital marketing agency, specializing in search engine optimization, website design, social media, and paid advertising. Since their ...

What Is an SEO Professional in 2019? An Identity Crisis Averted Search Engine JournalPicture this: You're an SEO professional, and someone asks you what exactly it is that you do. What do you say? I'm a: Search analytics guru; *Content* strategist ...

Wix ‘SEO Wiz’ Stars in Big Super Bowl Ad, Fumbles with SEO Community Search Engine JournalDid you hear that sound last night during the Super Bowl? It was the collective SEO community hitting their heads against a proverbial desk. Wix's foray into the ...

How to Activate a Sponsorship to Achieve Content Marketing & SEO Goals Search Engine JournalWant high-quality coverage and links? Here's how to maximize sponsorships to help you to achieve your *content* marketing and SEO goals.

SEO: Free Keyword Research in 3 Steps Practical EcommerceThere are many expensive tools that claim to simplify and speed up the keyword research process. If you don't have thousands of dollars in your budget, ...

Angular Universal: What you need to know for SEO Search Engine LandIf you use Angular to power your website, then you have an extra hurdle to cross when it comes to SEO. Fortunately, Angular Universal makes it easy to leap ...

How to keep your SEO team (and yourself) relevant Search Engine LandWeekly rank tracking. Optimization meetings with the media, copy, UX and dev teams. Monthly analytics reporting with the client. And decks. So many decks.

SearchCap: Google updates, SEO education & A/B testing Search Engine LandMueller previews Google image search changes, old Search Console sunsetting at NYC meetup. Jan 25, 2019 by Barry Schwartz. Here are the highlights from a ...

SEO Evolution: What’s next for SEO? Fourth SourceThe year is almost at an end and with the dawn of a new one comes the prospect of Google's raft of SEO changes that the company is ushering for 2019.

15 Local SEO Steps You Should Take Right Now Business 2 CommunityLocal search plays an incredibly important part in how customers discover local businesses. An incredibly 82 percent of smartphone shoppers conduct “near ...

MarTech Today Research: A marketer’s guide to enterprise SEO platforms Search Engine LandEnterprise SEO continues to grow more complex as the technology and algorithms powering search engines evolve. Comprehensive enterprise SEO platforms ...

How to Use Python to Analyze SEO Data: A Reference Guide Search Engine JournalDo you find yourself doing the same repetitive SEO tasks each day or facing challenges where there are not tools that can help you? If so, it might be time for you ...

60+ SEO Stats to Help You Rank Better in 2019 [Infographic] Social Media TodayAre you looking to maximize your search performance in 2019? Need to know the stats and facts to help you understand the SEO process? The team from Red ...

Super Bowl Sunday SEO: The importance of search during the Big Game ClickZSEO is crucial during the Super Bowl, both for $5 million-dollar advertisers and companies hoping to appear in local search results.

Sharpen your SEO & SEM skills. See the SMX Advanced agenda! Marketing LandFor nearly 15 years, SMX® Advanced has been the event expert search marketers attend to learn performance-enhancing tactics, make game-changing ...

11 SEO Tips & Tricks to Improve Indexation Search Engine JournalHere are 11 tips and tricks to ensure that your website gets crawled and indexed properly – and help your webpages rank higher in search.

4 Link Building Tips for International SEO Search Engine JournalDiscover four link building tips for global websites that can be easily implemented even by companies with limited resources.

Targeted SEO: Here’s how to grow a page from 200 visits per month to 30,000 Search Engine LandSpoiler alert: SEO works. Strategic, targeted SEO can drive huge results for the right pages. Of course, the catch here is that you need the “right” pages to see the ...

SearchCap: Bing Maps API, Google and YouTube ads and targeted SEO Search Engine LandNow your Google text ads can show on YouTube search results, too. Jan 30, 2019 by Ginny Marvin. Google says early tests have shown similar performance ...

Search Engine Land adds technical, in-house SEO experts to team Search Engine LandSearch Engine Land is thrilled to announce that the team of experts who help us bring daily search marketing news and insights to thousands just got a bit ...

James Sandberg, Customer Devoted: Social optimisation will soon be as important as SEO AffiliateINSIDERAhead of next month's Digital Marketing Forum, AI CEO Lee-Ann Johnstone caught up with James Sandberg, founder of eCommerce agency Customer ...

SearchCap: Local SEO survey, Moz domain authority and GOOG earnings Search Engine Land5 takeaways from Google's Q4 2018 earnings for search marketers. Feb 5, 2019 by Ginny Marvin. Google executives discussed search experience, campaign, ...

Rise of Mobile Users Alters SEO Tactics Practical EcommerceThe percentage of U.S. searchers clicking on advertisements in Google search results is growing. Likewise, the percentage of visitors that click nothing is also ...

Loyalty Marketing: The Proven Complement to Your SEO Strategy Search Engine JournalHere's how loyalty marketing can complement your SEO strategy and why the two disciplines need to be conducted seamlessly.

5 Best SEO Tips for 2019 Thrive GlobalThese are great SEO tips and tactics for building big traffic in 2019.

SERCO GROUP PLC LS-02 (SEO.DE) Sees The Tape Move Mid-Market Stock News OracleShares of SERCO GROUP PLC LS-02 (SEO.DE) is moving on volatility today -2.27% or -0.03 from the open. The XETRA listed company saw a recent bid of ...

The Mammoth SEO Checklist to Rank Any Blog [Infographic] Social Media TodayAre you looking for ways to increase traffic to your blog? Want to know how to better optimize your on-site *content* in order to boost your Google rankings?

Sugar Land Google Ranking Expert SEO Services Launched NewswireHouston, Texas online marketing agency Impactnext announced that its SEO and online marketing services are now available to local businesses in the Sugar ...

The 12 Areas of SEO Knowledge You Must Master to be Successful Search Engine JournalThe role of an SEO requires mastery of certain skills and knowledge. Here's what SEOs need to master for career advancement and campaign success.

North Ridgeville Digital Marketing Web Design Expert SEO Service Announced NewswireNorth Ridgeville SEO has announced it can provide local clients with cutting edge, SEO optimized website designs. The team stresses the importance of a ...

SEO 101 Tutorial Videos Vertical MeasuresHere are 6 SEO tutorial videos from our SEO 101 training series on improving your search engine ranking through proper onsite SEO tips and techniques.

DigitalBerge, The #1 SEO Company in Delhi NCR, Launches its Personal Branding Services Business StandardRead more about DigitalBerge, The #1 SEO Company in Delhi NCR, Launches its Personal Branding Services on Business Standard. / -- With the launch of its ...

Google doc rekindles myth that click-through rate affects rankings Search Engine LandThe debate around whether Google uses click data, CTR, for core ranking will not die. No matter how many times Google will outright say they do not use it, ...

5 Critical SEO Considerations When Optimizing News Websites Search Engine JournalA few rules of SEO, like publishing great *content* and providing a good user experience, are universal. But not all websites thrive by using the exact same set of ...

12 Reasons Why Your Business Absolutely Needs SEO Search Engine JournalSEO is important for greater searchability and visibility, but offers more real value than that. Here are 12 reasons why businesses need SEO to take their brand to ...

Park Eun Bin, Seo Ji Hoon, And BTOB's Yook Sungjae In Talks For New tvN Drama soompiMore actors are in talks to star in tvN's upcoming drama “Man Who Bakes Bread” (literal title). “Man Who Bakes Bread” is a romance drama based on a Naver ...

Is SEO the future of successful apps? Geospatial WorldGoogle recently updated their mobile search algorithm to show the results of not only websites but also apps. Plus, the app results come with an install button.

SEO: 6 Things to Do When You Have Nothing to Do Practical EcommerceSearch engine optimization is self-directed. Unless you're being managed by another practitioner who tells you what to do and when to do it, SEO can be difficult ...

5 Tips for Choosing Your Next SEO Firm EntrepreneurMaking the right decision when choosing your next SEO firm has major consequences for your business and your bank account. The difference between a boom ...

47 Experts on the 2019 SEO Trends That Really Matter [Ebook] Search Engine JournalIn 47 Experts on the 2019 SEO Trends That Really Matter, learn how the following SEO outlooks will influence the way we do SEO in 2019: Understand Your ...

SEO still leaves most marketers puzzled. With this $30 training package, you won’t be. The Next WebDo you know the most searched keywords around your business or website? Do you use those keywords in your titles and tags? Do you know your optimal ...

6 Tips For Helping You Succeed In Voice And Visual Search ValueWalkVoice and visual searches are similar to text keyword searches in terms of the quality of the search. “You cannot create poor *content*.

Why Prioritization Is Critical to SEO Success Search Engine JournalHere's why prioritizing on-site and technical optimization, *content* creation and repurposing, and link building will set your SEO campaign up for success.

12 SEO Goals for 2019: Ideas That Will Inspire You Search Engine JournalIt's time to set your SEO goals for 2019. Need some inspiration? Read this roundup of New Year's goals from the SEO community.

Is There Any New Innovation In SEO? Forbes NowSearch engine optimization (SEO) has been a field of its own in the marketing community for the past two decades. But in a world where most industries are ...

SEO drives search results. Control those rankings with RankActive SEO for $25 The Next WebSEO is like water. You can hit it pretty consistently and even capture some now and again. But trying to firmly grip it is darn near impossible. That's because the ...

5 SEO trends that will matter most in 2019 Search Engine LandTo be atop the waves, think about your SEO strategy in advance. A shortcut to success: get to know the upcoming trends and work out an action plan for each.

A checklist: Important SEO points to cover in a content campaign Search Engine LandAfter you've chosen the right execution for your link-building campaign and you're getting ready to launch it, you can't forget about search engine optimization ...

15 Common SEO Mistakes To Avoid ForbesUnderstanding SEO is the ultimate marketing discipline, especially in today's highly digital world. If you want to drive traffic to your site and increase sales, you ...

4 Strategies to Find Instagram Influencers Best Suited for Your Business Search Engine JournalFinding the best suited Instagram influencers for your niche can be challenging. Here are four essential tips that will help.

SEO Is A Must For Small Businesses: Here's How To Get Started ForbesYou are starting a business and have a checklist of the things you need to get your business going. You have the idea for a product or *service* -- check.

The importance of understanding intent for SEO Search Engine LandSearch is an exciting, ever-changing channel. Algorithm updates from Google, innovations in the way we search (mobile, voice search, etc.), and evolving user ...

5 Basic SEO Principles to Increase Your Website Traffic Multichannel MerchantSearch engine optimization (SEO) is the cornerstone of the modern business. If you are an ecommerce seller, you cannot grow your base of loyal customers if ...

5 SEO Factors to Monitor in 2019 Search Engine Journal2018 was the year in which Google introduced dramatic changes to how it ranks sites. For example, Google used AI for approximately 30% of search queries.

Best Ways To Improve Your SEO And Why You Need To Do It Forbes NowThe more quality *content* you produce, the better results you will see.

SEO Industry Approaching $80 Billion But All You Want Is More Web Traffic ForbesBorrell Associates predicted in 2016 that by the year 2018 businesses in the United States would spend an estimated $72 billion in search engine optimization ...

Boost your site’s SEO ranking with this $24 tool The Next WebIf your website rankings are showing up on the second page of Google searches, then we can probably guarantee you of at least one other place your rankings ...

5 Bad SEO Content Tactics You Should Have Abandoned Already Search Engine JournalFollow these tips to rank higher in the search results and avoid getting left behind with yesterday's outdated SEO *content* trends.

The Vicious Circle Of SEO (And How To Beat It) ForbesWhat's the secret to overtaking older *content* that already has a deep reservoir of backlinks? How can we break out of the vicious circle of SEO?

How SEO Has Evolved (And What's Next) ForbesSince the early days of SEO, marketers have deployed online strategies to ensure that their websites would gain greater visibility on search engine results pages ...

11 Big SEO Challenges You’ll Face in Your Career Search Engine JournalFrom managing client expectations to balancing task load, learn 11 SEO challenges that you might face in your career and how to overcome them.

3 SEO Principles for New Strategists Multichannel MerchantJoining the digital marketing world as a junior-level SEO specialist is a massive undertaking.

What Is Edge SEO & Why You Should Adopt It Search Engine JournalAre you ready for edge SEO? Find out what edge SEO is, how – and why – you should implement it, and its technical implications.

5 Reasons why eCommerce businesses should consider SEO as part of their marketing budget TechGenYZTalking about digital marketing without mentioning SEO doesn't make sense! If you aren't familiar with the growing importance of SEO on eCommerce, consider ...

SERPstash is a $20 app that will help you win at SEO The Next WebWant another sign of Google's power over the web? According to a State of Local SEO report by Moz Inc., almost two out of three local business owners say their ...

How to Use XML Sitemaps to Boost SEO Search Engine JournalHere's a guide to everything you need to know about generating and optimizing XML sitemaps, including a best practice checklist.

A simple 3-step framework for improving your technical SEO Search Engine LandIn a world where everyone's fighting for relevance in search, technical SEO is a Swiss army knife you can use to improve your site's usability, crawlability, ...

Why following SEO trends guarantees SEO budget waste. Search Engine LandSearch engine optimization (SEO) can have a strong impact on a business, driving revenue and profits. Other times, it's frustrating and fruitless and feels like ...

How Reliable is Google’s Web.dev SEO Score? Search Engine JournalGoogle's Web.dev tool offers an SEO score. The score offers a score from 0 to 100. What does the tool measure for the SEO metric and how useful is it?

The 9 Most Common SEO Errors That Hurt Your Rankings [DATA] Search Engine JournalWhich SEO errors are negatively impacting your search rankings? Is it your meta tags? Page speed? Duplicate *content*? According to new data, all three of ...

Why Content Is Important for SEO Search Engine Journal*Content* and SEO. At their best, they form a bond that can catapult any website to the top of search engine rankings. But that's only when they're at their best.

An SEO’s Letter to Santa: All I Want for Christmas This Year Search Engine JournalDear Santa,. I've been a good boy this year. I haven't cloaked one page or bought one link. I have followed Google and Bing's terms of *service* the best I can.

How Directories Help Search Engines

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Search Engine Optimization (SEO)