Chapter 38
Internet Directories
Are Internet directories useless?
There was a time when you could accumulate valuable one-way inbound links by registering your website on many online directories. Those days are gone. The search engines no longer give much credence to directory links. Are there exceptions? Absolutely. The Open Directory Project (also known as DMOZ from directory.mozilla.org), for example, still offers a valuable link—and there are others. These directories are still worth registering with, but they're not the reason for this chapter.
There are more and more directories that list companies operating within one industry or another. Dentists, chiropractors, hauling companies, real estate agents, insurance brokers, contractors, and salons all come to mind. A single industry is often referred to as a “vertical.” Getting listed on directories within your vertical can be very valuable, primarily because prospective customers are finding these directories and using them the way people once used the Yellow Pages. In many cases, getting registered within these directories doesn't cost anything because the websites hosting them want to cultivate a complete list, making their directory more valuable and attracting more visitors as a result.
Go to Google and search for your keywords along with the word “directory.” Browse through the first five or ten pages and see what you can find. Within an hour, you'll probably find two or three directories—maybe more. Get your company ...
