Internet Directories And Their Role In The Internet | Directories

By ChrisChanning
Total views: 2
Word Count: 438

In the early days of the Internet, it was a tough job to find any sort of organization in how websites were found or discovered. There weren't any search engines or Internet directories to give Internet users a helping hand in finding information. But as the Internet directory was introduced, a revolution began!

How Internet Directories Evolved

In the beginning, Internet directories were just simple websites with a few hyperlinks to other mentionable websites- surely nothing like we have today. But as they evolved, Internet users started using web directories as a means of finding answers to problems, and as a source of finding new information.

But Internet directories haven't been the only Internet users could find websites they might have use of. The search engine was created, which crawled all kinds of websites so that Internet users could freely search to their hearts content.

Search engines then had begun to become more popular than Internet directories- and why shouldn't they? They were more useful at finding new content, and also excelled in keeping their listings automatically updated.

Specifically, search engines gained popularity because they could auto-update content. If a website were to close and go offline, for example, the search engine can detect this and automatically remove the website from their search results. Modern directories can do this, but only the advanced directories have this sort of power.

Internet Culture And Directories In Modern Reference

As you most likely know, search engines are used more on average than Internet directories. But web directories still have a place on the Internet, as they allow for "grouping" of websites into categories. This allows for Internet users to find new resources based on tagging- something search engines don't normally do.

Internet directories also assist in obtaining backlinks, PageRank, and search engine optimization benefit for search engine use. This allows webmasters to advertise their websites on directories and get two distinct benefits. First, they get traffic from the visitors that browse directories. And secondly, and perhaps more importantly, search engine optimization results and the webmaster's website will rank better in search engines from that point forward.

The Future of Internet Directories

Directories aren't going down with a fight. Some even charge webmasters hundreds of dollars for even the possibility of inclusion in their web directory. With statistics like this, it is hard to think that web directories could ever disappear anytime soon.

In the future it is likely that Internet directories will stay- after all, they have a large history with the very creation of the Internet! With their weight provided in search engine rankings, it could be decades before even the thought of switching to a better form of indexing occurs!

About the Author

Find websites now by browsing a Travel Directory or Sports Directory.

You are here Articles > Internet > Tools and Resources > Directories