Differences Between Directories and Search Engines

Understanding Directories and Search Engines
One of the most commonly misunderstood topics is the difference between directories and search engines. So we felt it would be helpful to clarify. Directories, unlike search engines, are not automated. Site URLs, titles and descriptions must be submitted to them manually for best results. Usually, each directory presents the user with a number of categories under which the listing can be placed. In some cases, the directory will determine which category the site will be placed into, either automatically or through a manual review by an editorial staff. Acceptance into directories is not guaranteed and many will decide whether or not the submission is worthy of inclusion within its database.

So, now that you understand the concepts of each, we have compiled some additional information about the two types of sites to help you succeed when trying to get listed.
Directories

The best example of a well known directory is Yahoo!. Directories, although they can look very similar if not identical to a search engine, are designed more like your browser bookmarks. They are placed in easily navigable category folders and sub-folders. When a search is performed on a directory, the results that are generated originate directly from the listing information that was given to them by site owners upon submitting their sites. So, when a query is posed, they look for that particular keyword/keyword-phrase in the titles, descriptions and keywords that were provided, or the category that the site is listed under.

This also means that META tags mean nothing. Knowing this is important because you want to be sure that your site has a good description with the most relevant keywords in it so that it can be easily found. The part that gets difficult is the fact that some directories, such as Yahoo!, will often change the description you send them in the submission form if it does not follow certain criteria. So it is important to provide information that is accurate and to the point.

Here are some good tips to keep in mind to assure you have the best chance at getting listed in directories:

Avoid bragging or incessant self-promotion. Phrases like "the best on the Web" or "unbeatable prices" are sure to be looked over.

Don't try to overload your title or description with keywords. Try to fit two or three of the most important keyword phrases but don't go to great lengths to get in every keyword. If a submission looks 'keyword loaded,' directories like Yahoo! will likely skip the submission or their review staff may change it. Descriptions should be legible with proper sentence structure.

Try not to repeat keywords or particular information in the description, especially if they have already been used in the title for the site. Doing this wastes valuable space and can get redundant. Keep in mind that the order of keywords within the listing is not important to directories. So a site with the words "tours of the Amazon" in the description could still be found under a search for "Amazon tours."

Be sure that the information you submit can be easily found in the home page of the site. Keep in mind that most directories get hundreds if not thousands of new submissions daily. Reviewers are not going to dig deep into a web site to find out if the information that was submitted is accurate.

If the site is not accepted the first time, submit it again. Since the most popular directories like Yahoo! are getting more and more discriminating, it helps to have a visually appealing site with useful information.

Search Engines

Contrary to popular belief, there are relatively few search engines on the Web today. The true search engines are referred to as 'spider based' search engines because they employ programs called 'spiders' or 'robot spiders' that are constantly roaming the web indexing everything they find. Search engine databases, when compared with that of directories are huge, dwarfing even the largest of directories. There are two reasons for this. One is that search engines do not review sites that are submitted to decide if their content is relevant - everything that meets its programmed requirements is accepted. The other reason is that search engines will index multiple pages from one web site, whereas directories will usually only allow you one (sometimes two) listings per domain name.

Currently the most popular spider based search engines on the Web are: Excite, Lycos, Infoseek, Alta Vista, Hot Bot, Webcrawler, Northern Light, Planetsearch, and GoTo.com, which is a "pay for listing" site. There are many sites out there that have strategic alliances with search engines to provide deeper content for more obscure searches. For example, AOL's NetFind actually uses a modified version of the Excite database. Alliances like this are not uncommon on the Web.

Obtaining prominent placement in search query results is dependent on the search engine's algorithm(s) and how each one interprets your web site. Each search engine uses different criteria for returning search results. Some engines use information such as META tags (specific HTML site code) to assign relevancy. Others base their results strictly on how your site is interpreted by their robot in terms of relevant keywords within the site title and physical page text. Some search engines even use site popularity (i.e. number of links to your site) as part of their search result criteria. Regardless of how your listing is created, it is important to note that most search engines change their algorithms on a regular basis (weekly, monthly, etc.). If you're listed prominently today, that may not be true tomorrow. Current industry average for algorithm rotation is at about every 3 weeks. So, if your site is listed highly one day and is no where to be found the next, it is probably safe to say that the algorithm changed.

Understanding How Search Engines Rank Web Pages
When you do a search using your favorite search engine, the engine quickly sorts through the millions of pages in it's database and provides you with what it feels most closely matches your topic. The matches are also ranked, so that the most relevant ones come first. However, the search engines aren't always "on the money". Often times, non-relevant sites will show up, and it may take a little more to find what you are looking for. But all in all, search engines are still pretty amazing.

So why do search engines continue to occasionally return irrelevant material? Often times it is because the searcher has not provided enough information. If you just search for a single word like "vacation," you will more than likely receive a broad spectrum of results. Search engines don't have the ability to ask a few questions to focus the search. They're not intelligent beings who can rely on judgement and past experience to rank web pages. Although they are moving in that direction, we probably won't see it anytime soon. For that reason, it is important to provide more focus to find what you are looking for.

But what is it that determines relevancy for a search engine? Search engines are set up to follow what is called an algorithm. An algorithm is a mathematical equation which provides the engine's "spider" or "robot" with a set of rules, in essence. These rules mainly involve the location and frequency of keywords within a web page or within certain HTML code. Although the algorithms continually change, there is one thing that stays the same... location and frequency.