Home Featured Why the Web Directory Market Isn’t Dead (And How You Can Get Ahead)

Why the Web Directory Market Isn’t Dead (And How You Can Get Ahead)

by Jennifer Mattern
Low value Web directories risk search engine penalties.
Do web directories still have a role in helping visitors navigate the web?

Credit: DepositPhotos.com

You might have heard that recent Google algorithm updates have hit Web directory owners hard. In some cases that’s true. But if you’re thinking about entering the Web directory market, don’t let that discourage you. These types of sites are far from dead, and there are still plenty of opportunities to launch a valuable directory of your own if you’re willing to work hard and take it seriously.

For those considering launching a new one, let’s look at one of the most basic problems you might face, and some tips on how your own directory can better thrive in the current market.

Problems Facing Web Directory Owners

Low value Web directories risk search engine penalties.

Low value Web directories risk search engine penalties.

One of the biggest obstacles for Web directory owners is Google. Not only are search engines direct competition of directories, but Google has been known to penalize directory owners who don’t meet their own imposed standards.

Unfortunately there are many low quality Web directories out there. People set one up and allow free submissions in the hope that they’ll earn ad revenue. Or sometimes they set up quick premium directories with no editorial standards. They’ll accept any link submitted as long as they can make a buck.

These low quality directories have given the industry a bad name at times. And their low professional standards and routinely shallow content are a big part of the reason why directories have been getting penalized in the first place. Fortunately there are things you can do to set your directory apart from this crowd.

How to Thrive in Today’s Web Directory Market

Here are some suggestions of things you can do to make your own Web directory more successful, more appealing to visitors, and less likely to be penalized by search engines.

  1. Focus on a niche audience. The market really doesn’t need any more general Web directories. It’s a highly saturated area, and solid directories already exist there. By focusing on a niche audience you have a better chance of satisfying a need that other directories aren’t satisfying yet.
  2. Make your directory content-rich. This includes not only increasing the content on listing pages (giving more details in listings or including a detailed category description or even category-related article), but also adding other site content. For example, you might have a blog or static article collection in the niche your directory covers. Just make sure the content is high quality and unique to your site. Don’t just pull material from article directories or rewrite (plagiarize) someone else’s work.
  3. Eliminate shallow pages. This goes along with adding more unique and high quality content to your website. Where you can’t add enough content, consider cutting back. For example, you don’t want to run a directory with hundreds of empty categories displaying. Either find a way to hide categories until they receive a listing, or consolidate categories. Fewer categories with more content and higher quality listings is more valuable to a visitor than thousands of categories they couldn’t possibly hope to navigate.
  4. Focus on implementing high editorial standards. If you can’t manage the submissions to your site (or adding links yourself), then hire an editor to assist you. Directories aren’t simple passive revenue streams as some people think when they launch one. They involve real, and ongoing, work. A big part of your job is to vet the listings people submit. If you just accept anything that comes along, you’re showing your audience as well as search engines that you don’t care about creating a quality resource, and you risk being penalized as a result.
  5. Put your visitors first. You would think this would be common sense to anyone launching a website. Sadly though many site owners (including directory owners) still focus more on trying to appeal to search engines than appealing to readers. And in the end, that often comes back to bite you. Don’t put up a lot of keyword-stuffed content for example. Write descriptions, blog posts, or other content based on what actual users of your directory would want to see.

The best way to remain relevant in the ever-changing Web directory market is to make sure your site works well as a standalone resource. Choose a niche where a directory would add value. Focus on the audience in that niche first. Make sure your directory is easy to navigate and information-rich. And offer high quality value-added content whenever possible. There’s nothing new about this. But as long as people continue to rush into the directory game thinking they’ll make a quick buck with a spammy-looking link farm, there will continue to be plenty of other opportunities for more serious Web directory owners to thrive.

What else would you suggest? How can directory owners keep their Web directories relevant and avoid being penalized by Google? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.

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3 comments

Billie Jo February 21, 2013 - 10:41 pm

Great article Jennifer, I can confirm what you’re saying is true, here is a little experiment I did just a few weeks ago.

I submitted a deep linked page of my website to 2 quality directories using precise keywords for those pages, I checked the positions of both before and after and hey presto the page has actually gone from Page three on Google to the top of Page two.

Not bad for just one link so yes I would agree with your advice that directories are excellent for web promotion but only if you get listed in good ones!

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Pradip February 24, 2013 - 6:13 pm

This article is the most positive article i have ever read on “Directory”. Two years back i owned a directory which i sell it to a person for just $500. The directory got PR3 within 3 months. I used to edit the description and approve the good websites. Every day I used to spend one hour on the directory. Now i realize that I made a mistake, I should have continues with that.

I am planning to create 20 directories in 20 niche and 1 general directory. I know the importance of editorial standards. Do you think I should go for that?

Reply
Hasan February 24, 2013 - 6:23 pm

I am glad you liked the article but I don’t like the idea of starting 20 directories especially if you are going to do that all alone.

It takes a lot of time to manage/run a quality directory which will please the visitors.

My suggestion would be to start one and make it a directory that visitors will like and where advertisers will want to submit their websites.

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