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the only one I've paid to so far is bluefind
Bek.
Once you are satisfied that you spammed all the free directories then go pay for directory submissions.
If ROI is a concern, then I don't recommend paying over $20 for a directory listing. There are so many $5, $10, $20 directories out there that paying $50 or more for the same thing that costs $5 is a waste of money in terms of ROI.
Paying to get into the ODP? The metas disapprove of that, and are quite serious.
They are too smart for that! SE's are great for free traffic, and directories are great for targeted exposure, BUT, they will never, ever, ever just give you something great for nothing and that's that.
They are in business to make money, but it doesn't help the smaller guy - I know. But they can be good for link popularity, and other things - just no good if you have no cash.
There will be so many that will go bust within the next few years, and in the end, only 2 will matter.
I see new business set up one year, only to go bust the next year, and it can happen so easily. I don't have much faith in the SE' market at the moment,as I've seen it, I've seen all the copycats so I know the outcome already,
The only advice I can give you regarding free advertising is to use the Main Search Engines, use Google for PPC, and occassionally buy a sponsered listing on MSN for £1500 (budget allowing), oh and use the press too.
Apart from that - anything else will cost you thousands, and that's a fact.
It's such a shame that everyone says "hey Yahoo have a website, I'll just stick my own up and presto, I'll be rich in a few years" lol.
I saw Elvis the other day, he was in a cafe - honest!
There will be so many that will go bust within the next few years, and in the end, only 2 will matter
Which are the two directories you feel will be left in a few years time?
ncw164x
Let me take a stab at who will survive:
Yell is an old and obvious player still, they'll be around after we are all pushing up the daisies!
Kellys Industrial, is good for nuts and bolts and anything blue collar, they've been around for 200 years, and will survive. Could be a player in the 'General' market if they produced a new seperate online directory, but at the moment I wouldn't touch em with a barge pole - too pricey at £1000 for entry.
County Web, was special (sort of) at one time with the local search, but now every tom, dick and harry wants a bit of the local search market, a little cheaper than Yell, but still not great with the customer service. I'd say they will survive, and most likely be taken over.
Yahoo Directory. Does anyone still use this? hmmmm, I'm not sure anyone does as their search engine is more popular and will be about until hell freezes over most likely, unless some really nasty crash occurs, which could be fun, but probably won't happen. I see them buying up everything in sight, and then a out and out war with Google for absolute supremacy.
"We will exterminate"
Good SE, but too heavy advertising game for my liking, and loads of complaints from disgruntled customers about their prices. Very good portal sight and just about beats Google because of the portal aspect!
ODP, hmmmm, this is tricky. Long established runner, I wouldn't count em out just yet, as they could be powerful still, but they need to sort out these damn editors though, as getting an entry is impossible, and I think turning away potential business through bad ego driven editing, is just plain nuts. Should survive, but will be taken over soon. Not sure about their charges for entry.
Google -ahhhhhh. I don't think I need to say anything. Except that I don't use em, as I prefer portals to just directories. Adword is just Genius, as is adsense. Charges are still too high, but with adword the little guy can still play!
Yep still very good.
Galaxy. I love an underdog, and I want someone to buy them, with the intent of taking on Google and Co.
Not bad, good directory, very cheap to use, maybe too cheap? But unfortunately, they don't have an attack plan, infact I haven't heard a peep out of them since the web started. I think it's got potential, and charges are just right at $10 for 1000 impressions, nice, and still kicking like a beetle on it's back - but like Lycos, where are the brains behind it. Probably get bought up, but by who....... Needs an upgrade/redesign badddddddddd.
I think that covers the majors. I'll post my thoughts on the minor leagues later.
ncw164x
[google.co.uk...]
wouldn't you? Check the above URL, it says on their site that they have a directory.
...there are only a couple of directories/SE's that give free listings...
Whoa, there are thousands of directories. For every niche and crackpot hobby you can think of you can find at least one if not hundreds of free directories. And they aren't worthless either. If you pick a theme and keep to it you can actually start ranking for your pet phrase on the back of these directories.
Google is a search engine "NOT" a directory
What is a search engine
That is what Google does
What is a directory
Information is located by the main categories and sub categories or you can search by keywords
Because sites are listed in a directory by category you will find your Information more precise
Google does not do this
ncw164x
provided that the owner of the Directory knows what he is doing.
Only the wise will know where the results really come from, and I bet Google have made fortunes by this deception. One thing does confuse me though - Google are No1, so why don't they just place 100k companies and build their own directory? Why pay DMOZ at all?
They could still make fortunes, without ODP.
Maybe, but I was talking about the majors, and even most of those aren't that great. Let me explain why.
If I own this thing, and it's the only one of those things - then I become the best.
But if someone else comes along and invents another very similar thing, I then lose a percentage of the Market Place. Okay, no need to worry just yet, but if another 30 copy my idea, then I and they become worthless. I am no longer unique, and the public just get frustrated for various reasons, which doesn't actually create interest - it just becomes harder for the 1st guy to be the best.
So all these 'General' SE's and Directories ain't worth much at all, in the user's eyes. Like I was saying earlier it's the 'me too' train of thought, and all that's doing is lining Google's pockets and the web designers that design them.
Users are quite easy to figure out, unfortunately to build 'whatever' it is that satisfies them, costs tremendous cash to develop, which is why only the established will survive, as they have the cash to develop.
Now - they can be beaten, but you need an edge, and sadly, none of these 3rd or 2nd tiers have it. I've seen every directory in the UK, and most SE's too, and I'm telling you, that maybe only 5 will be able to hang in there, cos when Yahoo and Google start competing, they will all die.
Why?
Ok, Yahoo will buy up everything. They will approach every decent one out there and say "Do you want to sell?" the owner may tell them to get stuffed, so they probably advise the owners to either sell or get eaten. That's what will happen. I would say it will happen in the next 7 years. That's just an estimate of course.
So all of this "I'm right but you're wrong" and "Mines better than yours is"
Won't mean anything anymore, as there will be only one.
Yahoo or Google. Take your pick. I don't even think MSN Search or portal will belong to Microsoft, it's difficult to guess at who will buy who, but I just got a feeling it's down to the top 2. There will always come a time where companies are taken over or merge, and that WILL happen with these directories & SE's.
Not to worry guys as it will all be over soon.
Webmasters will keep alive the thousands of Directories MB mentioned.
One thing does confuse me though - Google are No1, so why don't they just place 100k companies and build their own directory? Why pay DMOZ at all?They could still make fortunes, without ODP
No one pays DMOZ anything to use their data, that is why so many websites "clone" it.
Christopher maybe you should do a little basic research about DMOZ.
here's a good start:
[dmoz.org...]
Maybe, but I was talking about the majors, and even most of those aren't that great. Let me explain why.
Well, with great respect for you, you stated that there are only a couple directories.
From my experience (this is not my opinion, it's my experiece), niche directories can make a difference. Taking it further, directories, regardless of pr, can make a great source of one way inbound links.
We have:
Yahoo - which started out as a directory
ODP
Yell.com/Yellow Pages
Kellys
UK Plus
192.com
Thomson
The two I see taking over the rest are Yahoo and Yell.com. But saying that, it doesn't appear that Yell have or are interested in take overs.
I'm saying Yahoo, because they are massive and they have the cash to do this. Yell are a brand, and are recognised throughout the world, and they both do have incredible reach (circulation) and will always be used, even though they are both grossly overpriced for their services.
I find it curious that you are omitting business.com as a "major".
There is no *one* list of directories that is appropriate for every type of site.
For some businesses, like most of the ones listed in thompsons - a single referral a year might pay the cost of the listing 100 times over, another business might get hundreds of referrals a year and not even break even.
In most cases, Y directory is a good investment. DMOZ is generally free, if you can get the site in, so that's a non-issue.
GoGuides and JoeAnt don't seem to be worth anything, Zeal seems traffic-less.
It is in cases like these that a resource like Dmoz becomes very useful:
http://directory.google.com/Top/Regional/North_America/United_States/Guides_and_Directories/
reason I ommitted Business.com is that they clearly aren't a major one, although that could change in the next few years.
There is no *one* list of directories that is appropriate for every type of site<<<<<<<
Of course, but there are 2 types of directory:
General and Specialists (Vortals) or niche as some like to call them. They deserve a seperate list as they are different with regards to service and reach and who they target etc.
>>>>>>In most cases, Y directory is a good investment<<<<<<
hmmm, I'm not so sure about that anymore. Yell was originally created to 'serve' all and sundry, then later (when everyone couldn't do without them), they raised their prices, but people kept paying them because they are a brand, and therefore 'must' be good. Except directories aren't good for all businesses. Then directories went online, and it all changed, people switched to other/better forms of advertising, and turned everything upside down.
GoGuides don't compare as they are a guide, and not a directory. Like Just35, UKbest50, UK250 etc are just guides to the best of whatever and that's all they are.
title: GoGuides.org Directory & Search
DMOZ Category: Computers > Internet > Searching > Directories > Volunteer-Edited
>Yell.com is worldwide, and Yell.co.uk, US YellowBook is all the same company.
There are a number of sites that puport to be the online version of the "yellow pages" section of telephone directories. YellowPages.com is owned by "TransWestern Publishing" and seems to be the "real" one.
Business.com is not a major?
Interesting opinions. What, may I ask do you base them upon?
"In August 1999 we purchased Yellow Book, the largest independent directory publisher in the US, for $665 million."
* Source Yell.com
Business.com may have size, but it's not a player yet. I'm going by internet news (not press releases), and the directory game as a whole provides too much competition which prevents the newer ones much needed media attention.
That's why none of these are that famous yet. A new directory turns up and people say "er what another one"
The news services are going to follow the best ones - now why do you think that is. It's because news stories sell newspapers, and a brand new PPC or PFI won't do that - unless it's something special. Trouble is all these directories and SE's aren't.
In other words the news will tell you what's hot and what isn't. If a directory has something that's unique about it - now that's actually news! Then it gets the exposure.
But these other engines are nothing new, and people are becoming exhausted at changing to this engine and that engine, and if something isn't unique then it won't be used as much, and will be tough to sell it's services to advertisers as well as users.
Yes, most know of Business.com - so what? How many actually use it everyday! So what if it's got a Google PR of 7, or an Alexa of 1600+ - I don't use it, as there's nothing new or special about it.
What's so great about what it does? How is it going to benefit my company? Why should searchers use it when they can use Google or Yahoo? Okay so it deals with products, services, companies, resources, news and jobs. Well mine does too, and so does about 150 odd other Generals.
It's not even niche! I'm not saying it's not useful - I'm asking what's so special about it that it stops me from using Yahoo etc, and makes me bookmark it at least.
These are questions that people will ask... High Page Rank just isn't enough to entice people anymore.
These are just some of the reasons why I don't consider Business.com a major player.
Business.com may have size, but it's not a player yet.
Business.com is one of the leading B2B business portals. It's a major player. You may not use it, but many business professionals do when looking for an enterprise level solution. Which is why I profitably advertise there.
Yellow pages is a locally focused directory, part of the local search niche which includes the more important Verizon Superpages and CitySearch directories, and pretty much irrelevant to this discussion. Two different markets.
That's why none of these are that famous yet... The news services are going to follow the best ones
Believe it or not, just because you haven't heard of them through your telly or the local podunk newspaper doesn't mean they aren't important. Most people have no clue who IAC is, yet they are the one of the most important business concerns on the internet. That IAC has no brainshare with the general public doesn't reduce their importance. So I say that being famous has nothing to do with how important a company is.
Yes, most know of Business.com - so what? What's so great about what it does?
Business.com leads are more valuable to the B2B vendor than a lead from Google or Yahoo because in general the leads are closer to the purchase section of the buying cycle than the typical Google user. Because of that, Business.com leads can be more apt to convert. Business.com is the leading B2B directory, followed by boutique directories like Knowledgestorm, who specialize in delivering high-end leads (not clickthroughs, but actual sales leads). These niche directories offer business opportunities that DMOZ, Google or Yahoo do not, and cannot, provide.
Christopher, with great respect for you, your remarks indicate that your knowledge about directories is based on perceptions taken from the news media, and not from first hand experience.
My remarks are from first hand experience and that's what qualifies me to give an opinion about directories.
Yahoo, GoGuides, Business.com all provide value (and given the focus of the question there is no reason to compare them, just note they are worth it).
<off topic, Bomis is a free directory that can send quite a lot of traffic on some topics>
But they could well work for a different type of business, as one is a general and another is a vortal.
Both overpriced at £300 + to get in though. And no clickthroughs from the more expensive one for me. The Search engines are a little better at delivering the traffic, but not sensational. It's business magazines and website ads for me next year.
Directories are just too expensive. A lot of them think they are SE's lol. That's the problem.
yahoo
bluefind
sevenseek
business.com
goguides
gimpsy
webworldindex
wowdirectory
Total cost to submit to all of them is only about $ 600 and everyone are PR 6 or above
and a free listing in
dmoz
(if you can get in)
there are a lot of other directories mine included but i am not going to start posting links to my own sites
In fact if you had the time to sit down and check how many little niche directories there are I bet you would be in the 10's of thousands
With reference to your comment christopher saying in a few years time there will only be 2 left, I own over 15 directories and have no intention of stopping developing them further.(and that's in my spare time after I have finished work)
I just can't understand the logic behind your thoughts, there is enough room for all of us to develop as many sites we desire, just because each site does not get a zillion visitors a day does not make it any worse than the next one.
"Traffic is completely fraudulent,
They will put your adds on sites in their network that you would never approve yourself. Those sites encourage random clicks from their partners and users and the result is complete garbage traffic, no conversions and huge bills."
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Makes you think don't it...
Yes, might be room for us all, but how many of these small directories make a profit. I'd say very few indeed - speaking from experience of course.
