Back when the Internet was first starting out, it was a mess to find out good websites. There were no search engines, Internet directories, and websites relied on either guessable domain names or hyperlinks from other websites to get heard. But then the Internet directory was created- and it all exploded from there!
How Internet Directories Evolved
Internet directories started out fairly simple- nothing more than a few websites that listed the best resources on the Internet. But as technologies grew and these directories improved, Internet users started using directories as a source of information for what they needed to find.
As luck would have it, the Internet directory started to die out when the search engine was created. Search engines could find many types of websites and automatically add them to their list- making it incredibly easy to find new websites.
As time progressed, search engines started to win over Internet users. This was largely due to the fact that search engines were more reliable in keeping their listings continually updated with new websites, as well as keeping already indexed websites updated.
But the big selling point of search engines that propelled them to success was their ability to auto-update content .Whereas directories can’t automatically index websites in their database for new content, search engines can and do. This makes them more usable as a result, so Internet users choose search engines over directories the majority of the time.
Internet Directories in Today’s Society
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.
But for webmasters, directories still play a very large role in the Internet’s composition. Having many links to a certain website can help increase the ranking for the website in search engine results. This, in turn, allows webmasters to obtain more visitors and potentially make more profit as a result.
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.
Web directories aren’t going anywhere anytime soon- and for webmasters, that is good news. Directories help populate the Internet with valuable links, provide great SEO, and still serve as good resources for Internet users to find new information.