Directories Still Vital as They Help Build Trust
Almost everyone is familiar with browsing the web with search engines in 2009, since they allow us to find things rather quickly. This is essential, never the less search engine results aren’t calculated by people, instead it’s done by an algorithm. So why would that be important? Imagine you’re searching for a pub in Manchester for example. One would type these keywords into Yahoo! (for example), then a list of results would be presented. How do you know if these results are reliable if they’ve never been filtered by a human editor? Here’s the solution: search engines employ human-administered online directories as a basic filter.
Directories still play a significant part on the web, and the top-quality directories are unavoidably edited by people. A human may realise that (for example) : “hmm, that hotel has been awarded a particular rating for cleanliness and having certain standards, that’s a rather good sign”. A reputable directory will receive many submissions daily. An administrator will investigate these submissions, and if the official is satisfied that the level of the entry is of a set standard, it is included in to the website directory. This is the reason why Google still loves website directories. Both dmoz.org and the Yahoo! directory are utilized by search engines as filters to discover the trustworthiness of a website - whether it’s listed in these directories or not, as they are edited by people and have strict rules-for-entry.
So do not downplay the significance of website directories just because almost everyone uses search engines to discover websites. A human-edited directory can act as an essential yardstick as to how trusted a website is. If you own a website, seek to get your website added in a niche directory, like a construction directory, a self-catering directory, or a beauty directory.
While humans are requiring to act upon signals of trust, the net will always rely on humans to give their stamp of commendation, and therefore directories will always play a role.
