Web Directories: The El-Dorado for Web Searchers
In the days gone by, enormous telephone directories had to be lugged around to find a single phone number. Now, with the Internet taking over our lives, finding contact information has become far easier and much less strenuous. With the proliferation of websites, we have seen the emergence of a new provider of information — the web directory. So, anytime you want to find the websites of a certain category that is of interest to you, all you have to do is find yourself a good web directory.
Quite a few of these web directories allow you to place your links in them for free. However, if you are interested in being listed by a web directory — whether small or large – you will have to find out about the various types of links that can be placed. These types of links range from free submission links and reciprocal links to links that are paid submissions. There are also featured links which get a premium position in their categories. An addition to this is the featured homepage link which is listed on the web directory’s homepage. A recent development is the “Bid for Position” which allows you to bid for the position of your link on the web directory.
Why should you place your link in a web directory? The most obvious reason for this is that it allows your website to gain greater exposure. It helps if the web directory is human-edited, for search engines are then more likely to give your website greater importance. Involve yourself in this time-consuming process, and you will see results in the greater traffic that comes to your website.
While some web directories list a large variety of general websites, many others choose to list out only specific niches. The latter may cater to specific regions, languages, age groups, sectors and even interests. So you can get a lot of great information on very specific issues by going to some good niche web directories.
Lawyer’s directories are one such group of niche directories. They list out the names and locations of lawyers that might meet your specific requirements. A lawyer’s directory enables you to quickly sift through the names and qualifications of all kinds of legal eagles to find the most suitable one. So whether you need a medical malpractice lawyer or a divorce lawyer or one that is well-versed in real estate legal issues, all you need to do is find a good lawyers directory.
Several lawyers’ directories categorize lawyers and law firms according to countries. Yet others categorize them according to the kind of cases that they take up. A large number of lawyer’s directories restrict themselves to particular cities or regions, thereby making your search that much more pointed.
So whether you are looking for attorneys or law firms, stop trying to leaf through several hundred pages of that huge phone directory. Do yourself a favor and find yourself a lawyers directory that will give you a lot more information in a jiffy.
The author Ajeet Khurana is a web enthusiast and recommends that you visit Web Directory at http://www.alivedirectory.com and Lawyers Directory at http://www.essentialadvisor.info and Directory Owners Blog at http://gravitycristianwebalvarado.blogspot.com/
Bidding Web Directory FAQ
What is a bid-for-position directory?
A bidding web directory (also known as a bid-for-position directory or bid-for-placement directory or BFP) is similar to other general directories found all over the internet. However there is one critical difference.
A general web directory ranks websites according to their traffic, alphabetical order, submission date or Google PageRank.
A BFP directory ranks sites according to the dollar contributions that each site receives. (Some sites accept other currencies too).
For example, a site contributing five dollars would be placed higher than a site contributing two dollars. Now, it is not necessary that the contributions have to come from the site owner. Any visitor who finds a site useful can contribute to its listing. This way the BFP system becomes an open ranking system for websites, where each user is free to vote with his contributions.
Why should you list a site in a bid-for-position directory?
1.Bid-for-position directory directories offer great value for money. Currently most of the Bid-For-Position Directories are offering permanent listings. Many new BFP directories are offering permanent links for as low as one dollar.
2.BFP directories offer full control of the site’s position to the webmaster. The webmaster can get his site even to the homepage of a BFP directory, provided he is willing to contribute the necessary amount. General web directories restrict sites to a category that they think is suitable.
3.BFP directories offer a gradual investment option. As most BFP directories start at a low price, a webmaster doesn’t have to risk a large amount at the time of initial submission. A BFP directory allows the webmaster to up his bid as many times as he wants. If a webmaster is not sure whether a directory will be marketed well in the future, he can bid the minimum amount. Later he can increase the bid if he finds the directory is doing well.
Which bid-for-position directory should you submit to?
BFP directories are a relatively new phenomenon and there aren’t many good ones around.
Before getting involved in a “bidding war”, you must know your limits.
A website will remain on the homepage of a bidding directory as long as it is amongst the top ten (twenty for some sites) bidders. If you are not sure, whether you can afford to remain there, don’t bid big.
It is much wiser, to bid the minimum amount at the most competitive bid directories and use the extra cash for obtaining home page links from mid-level bidding directories.
My strategy is to try to get listed on homepages of only those bidding directories, whose top bid is within my budget.
It doesn’t make sense to bid big money to get listed at bottom of the homepage, only to get displaced by other sites within the next few days.
If used wisely, bidding web directories can offer immense benefits to your sites. Recklessly getting involved in a “bidding war” would be neither good for your rankings nor your budget.
Sachin A. is a full time webmaster. Submit your site to his new bidding web directory – http://www.gobiddy.com
Listing Your Website In A Web Directory
When looking to start or grow an existing Internet business or even offline business there is one fact you cannot get away from. That simple fact is without traffic your business is going nowhere. This simple truth is universal to all Internet businesses and is tantamount to building a Wal-Mart on the moon it could be the biggest and best-stocked store ever but if no one can get there it is dead before it starts.
One of the best ways of promoting an online business and enhancing an offline business is with the use of web business directories. There are a few key benefits to this for your online and offline business and in this article we will look at some of those key benefits. Among these is the main lifeblood of business and that is traffic, directories can help generate this in a few key ways.
The first benefit to both on and offline businesses are web business directories. These are among some of the highest trafficked websites on the Internet with some of the highest Alexa rankings there are. The largest of these directories and probably the best known would be Yahoo, another large directory would be DMOZ (The Open Directory Project).
Alexa is a division of Amazon and it runs a web traffic rating service that ranks a website’s traffic with the ideal ranking being number one. Some of the websites with high (actually the lower the number the better) traffic rankings are Yahoo #1, Ebay, MySpace, YouTube and Google.
The reason this number is important to potential web business directories you are looking at is traffic, these sites get lots of it. This is good for you as many people look to directories to find what they are looking for over search engines for the key difference between them. Based on human editors almost no web directory databases use robots as where search engines employ robots called bots, which use mathematical algorithms to index websites.
Many people consider the human element of a web directory to equate to a higher quality of listing as a human can notice simple subtleties that a computer just cannot notice. This human factor is what also gives the sites a higher authority ranking expressed through the high Page Ranks most established web business directories enjoy. Why is this Page Rank factor important to you and your business? Simply put Google gives greater credibility to sites through higher Page Ranks expressed on a scale of PR0 to PR10 with ten being the highest you can achieve.
When you list your site in a directory with a high PR some of that Page Rank passes on to your site and in essence it boosts your Page Rank which helps improve your results in the SERP’s (search engine results page). This brings it all full circle as the higher your score in the SERP’s the more traffic your website will get. The number of incoming links you have to your site (back links) directly relates to your position in the SERP’s. Simply put the more one-way links you have the better your websites traffic will be.
What benefit is this to your offline business you may ask? Simple. As the world embraces the technology of the Internet and more and more people turn to it for solutions to problems the more your business presence on the web becomes increasingly crucial. Many people use web business directories as the modern day Yellow Pages. These directories can have advanced listings capabilities which can be anything from a few lines to extremely detailed business information such as business phone, address, product listings, photos of the business, etc.
This is an affordable way for an offline business of getting an online presence without actually having to build their own website. It can give the offline business a quick and simple way to join the modern way of doing business to a generation that is as comfortable doing business online as their parents were with a telephone.
They use the Internet as a way of gathering information to save time and make more informed decisions when they do chose to spend their hard earned money. In the end it boils down to this, web business directories are a way of connecting businesses and customers together in a more efficient way and to a larger, more informed audience.
Discover Kevin Sinclair’s system for making profits regardless of whether anyone joins your network marketing business. http://net-mlm-profits.com/
A Key To Your Success – The International Business Directory
The rewards of owning your own business are huge. However, before you get from point A to point C, you have to go through point B first. How do you start a business and become successful?
Oh, its not going to be easy. While there are a lot of things that you can take care of by yourself, there are also a number of tasks that you need other people to do for you. At some point, you may find yourself working with a lawyer, an accountant, a banker, and several others. Where do you draw the line between doing things for yourself and hiring a professional to do the job for you?
There is no definite answer. However, there are guidelines that may help you arrive at an answer.
Keep an Eye Out for Free Resources
Whether you are an employee looking for an alternative source of income or a mom wanting to explore work-at-home opportunities, starting your own business is one great option to bring additional money to the house.
But, as mentioned, starting your own business is a daunting task. You cant do everything yourself. And if you are wholly new to the world of business-making, then you need all the help you can get. Its a good thing then that there are a lot of free resources available to help you with your entrepreneurial dreams.
For example, you may want to tap into your local Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), which is a rich resource of expert volunteers who want to help entrepreneurs with the challenges of starting a new business. Everything from operations to marketing, SCORE can help you through each business hurdle with their confidential and free advice.
Alternatively, you can also ask for advice from friends and associates who have experience in the field. These free resources volunteer organizations, friends, associates should be able to help you start your business. However, note that at a certain point, you may have to hire professionals to keep your business thriving.
Check International Business Directory
International business directory is an excellent resource for new businesses. With listings covering all aspects of business, international business directory will help you find business-related information and professionals offering their services.
For instance, when you are only starting out, the first two professionals that you are likely going to hire are an accountant and a lawyer. The accountant will be the one to deal with local, state, and federal taxes, manage your accounts, and track the numbers. The lawyer, on the other hand, will be the one to help you deal with incorporating your business, handle copyright and trademark issues, and keep an eye out for potential liability problems.
Where can you find lawyers and accountants who are willing to work for you? International business directory includes listings of legal professionals and accountants who help businesses deal with the more technical aspects of business.
T J Madigan has been established in online business since 1998 and is director of a number of successful online projects one of which is http://www.articles.net.au your best source for FREE articles and information.