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Search Engines vs. Directories

What is the difference between search engines & directories, and how is submitting to a search engine different from submitting to a directory?

While a search engine, such as Google, crawls the web following links & indexing new pages - directories are basically lists of results which have been submitted to a big list broken down by categories & sub categories.

Directories do not work like search engines, they don't crawl the web looking for pages to index, the only way to get listed into a directory is for the site to be added, which means entering the details of your website & requesting submission.

While there is no point submitting to search engines, (apart from Sitemaps) there is a point in submitting to directories.

Search engines do crawl directories, so submitting your site to directories is a way to get your website onto the search engines, but it can take a while from adding your site to a directory before your site is included, so this isn't generally the fastest way to get a website onto the search engines in the first place.

Should you use an automated directory submissions service?

No, I wouldn't recommend any automated services when it comes to search engine optimisation.

What I always remind people is that what search engines want is for the best value websites to get to the top of their results, so that people will continue using their search engine to search.

So, anything that would potentially allow websites to gain an unnaturally high position, is going to be frowned upon by the search engines, and search engines (especially Google) have very clever algorithms to allow them to know if shortcuts such as automated directory submissions, are being used to help to achieve search engine positions higher than the value of the website would naturally allow for.

Using any practices which are frowned upon by the search engines, will certainly not do your website any good in the long-term, and can actually do your site a lot of bad.

Should you pay for directory submission?

This is a slightly grey area, generally I would say avoid ALL paid backlinks, as they'll usually do nothing for your website - BUT there are some exceptions to this.

You see paid back links are bad because Google doesn't trust sites that sell paid backlinks, a backlink to your website is a vote towards your link popularity, and Google doesn't trust sites which effectively are selling votes, selling the passing on of the google pagerank - therefore it doesn't count their votes towards link popularity, Google just stop the flow of link juice from sites that sell back-links.

BUT - Google doesn't necessarily distrust all directories that charge for submission.

I'm talking mainly about Yahoo Directories.

People are often dubious about this - how come smaller directories have the value of their service axed by Google, by stopping them from flowing link juice - while they allow the Yahoo Directory to charge their submission fee & get away with it?

Is it a case of the big guys sticking together, you scratch my back I'll scratch yours kind of deal?

No, although I can see where people are coming from, I don't believe this is the case (nor do I believe that it's the case that ALL smaller directories than Yahoo are distrusted by Google, as far as I'm aware it's only the ones which have earned their distrust that are distrusted).

The way Google see it is that a good directory that is properly checking submissions manually & only allowing those websites in that meet their standards, have a need to charge for the cost of manually checking submissions.

So, if Google see that a directory is charging for submission, but is doing a good job of quality control, by having quality guidelines & submission rules & only allowing sites in which pass the guidelines & the submission rules have been adhered to - then this directory is doing nothing to cause Google not to trust it

Google know that a percentage of Yahoo submissions are unsuccessful, Yahoo don't allow just anyone into the directory - so Google have trust in Yahoo.

Just look at the Yahoo directory, and then go & look at some of the other directories, and see the difference in the kinds of sites you'll see in the directory pages, it's obvious to see why Google would trust Yahoo while not trusting many other directories - as with some you get the distinct impression that they couldn't give a toss about the quality & all they want is as many backlink fee's as possible.

So, Yahoo Directory is a directory submission which you can get quickly, if your site meets their guidelines, and you follow their rules properly in terms of submitting your website to the correct category and so on. Many people use Yahoo directories as a fast sure-fire way to get their websites onto Google & the other search engines, and as an initial boost to link popularity.

However, I would proceed with caution when paying for submission into any directory other than Yahoo. I am not saying that there are no other paid entry directories that Google do trust, but just do your research. Personally my marketing budget is too precious to take chances, if I spend any money on a submission I want to be 100% sure that it's going to be money well spent.