You know that maintaining a web site is in vain if you do not get enough hits to justify your existence in cyberspace.

What good is it to have readily available information if nobody is seeing that information?

One way of making sure that you get more hits everyday is being chosen by web search engines as one of the most relevant sites to a search query. Increasing your visitor hits is directly proportional to the probability of getting picked by search engines. But even if search engines are the foremost sources of visitor hits, you should nonetheless look for more ways to increase your popularity in the internet. If there is more than one way to skin a cat, there is more than one way to increase your web site’s popularity.

Getting your site listed in a web directory is one way to increase your popularity. Web directories are the lists in the net that surfers visit to know all possible choices they have on a certain service or product category. This is the convenience store version of the web where everything related to a certain topic can be found in one list. If you are part of a web directory, your site becomes more accessible to people who know precisely what they are looking for.

You have to choose your web directory with care. It should be a directory that is itself popular. If people do not know about the web directory you have enlisted in, you will not get your desired response. You should also choose a web directory that is really relevant to the information in your site. If yours is a web site about insurance, it would be sound to join an insurance directory.

You should also choose a web directory that will give you as much exposure as possible. To that end, the web directory you settle on should be look professional and uncluttered. Ever saw a free classified ads paper where everything looks so haphazardly put together that you cannot really find what you’re looking for? Some web directories, especially free ones, look like that. Your potential clients may not find you in that case. Therefore, go with a free web directory if yours is just a personal site wishing to provide some information. But if your web site is crucial to your business plans, it would be better to sign up with a paid web directory like Ally Directory.

And within a directory, increase the probability of getting pulled up: first, by using popular keywords in the link you submit; and second, by adhering to the web directories format instructions and guidelines. Doing the former makes your links, and thus your site, easier to find in directory. Doing the latter would make you compatible with the web directory’s design and increase the likelihood of being chosen.

A web directory can indeed be a valuable tool, but you have to give it the attention and thought needed to make it work for you.

While search engine technology continues to amaze the internet user and provide valuable aid to the researcher, the Web directory provides a more coherent and certain method of providing access to pertinent data. The main reason for this is the submission process. The ability of web site owners to submit their sites to directories for inclusion in specific categories and subcategories and the review and evaluation of these submissions by editors leads to a more concise list of relevant sites.

There are several different terms that relate to directory submission.

—- Free Submission. This is self explanatory. The site is reviewed and no fee is charged for either the review or the inclusion in the directory.

—- Paid Submission. Also self explanatory. A fee is charged for the submission.

—- Reciprocal Link. This means that when the submitted site is accepted and linked to the directory, it must in turn link the directory on its site.

—- No Follow. Often there is a “no follow” tag placed on the link to prevent search engines from following the link. This is done to prevent directories from unduly impacting search engine site rankings.

—- Featured Link. The link is highlighted in some manner within the category where it is placed.

—- Featured Homepage Link. This is even better, as the link is highlighted in some manner on the Directories Home Page.

One of the drawbacks that have been experienced in the past in the development of Web directories is the use of volunteer editors to review and evaluate as well as place submissions. This has often led to delays in the review process. The high speed and pace of the internet has caused most web site owners to concentrate on other things other than the development of patience. They are not happy with delays of any type. Hopefully as Web directories continue to expand and become viable and even profitable aids to site organization, this problem can be addressed.

There is no doubt that technology is expanding rapidly, but there will never be a replacement for human judgment. The future of Web directories looks very good, and it is the willingness of Web site owners to submit their sites for consideration and inclusion in the directories that is going to be the key that makes it so. When you get right down to it, there is some sense of satisfaction in retaining a bit of human control in this business of data organization and access. The ability to submit your work to the Directory that you chose, and request its inclusion in the category you intended it for provides that needed human touch.

The rapid expansion of the World Wide Web has increased the need for some kind of organization. One method that has become very popular in the attempt to control the massive amount of data available is the Web directory. The Web directory should not be mistaken for a “search engine”, which is another method of bringing the internet under control, and making access to its vast reservoir of data possible. The “search engine” uses key words to direct the searcher to specific pages on websites where the key words are located.

The Web directory, on the other hand, does not use keywords, but rather sorts web sites into preset categories and subcategories. The submissions to the Directory are often made by humans, and the fitness for inclusion into the directory is determined by human editors. Usually, a site will qualify for not more than two or three different categories. The directory actually is a method to link to other related sites.

Some of the Directories are very general in nature, and others are what are usually called “niche” directories where the subject matter is a bit more limited, and the human editors review the submitted sites for suitability and quality. There has been an ongoing debate over the value and quality of directories. Many of the more popular directories have relied on volunteer editors to process and categorize submissions, and this has often led to some delays in site inclusion.

In the early days of the web, people were concerned with the number of visits to their sites, called “hits”, for reasons mostly related to ego. It was nice to see that people were visiting your website. It did not take very long for this to change. The number of hits quickly became tied to revenue production, and the importance of making your website known and accessible became a matter of dollars and sense. In addition to aiding in the function of information sharing and research, Web directories are also valuable in revenue production. Directories not only review submissions for suitability, but also can rank them.

There has also been an ongoing conflict between Web directories and Search Engines that has centered on the fact that the directories tend to increase search engine ranking for their included sites. Certain technologies such as “rel=no follow” attributes have been developed to counter this tendency. Despite this, the Web directory remains extremely popular and useful. To many people it is the very human touch of the directory editors that has fueled their popularity. Regardless of how advanced the search engine technology becomes, the fact that a human has reviewed the website, and determined its value and suitability continues to draw users to the Web directory. It is fairly certain that Web directories will continue to be an increasingly popular method of navigating through and controlling the vast wealth of data available to us today.