Sunday, August 17, 2008

Key Features In A Good Online Business Directory

By Russell M. Stewart


The internet is brimming with web directories. These web directories belong to different subject matters, such as articles, business, web hosting, ebooks - the list goes on. For the most part, these web directories do what they are supposed to do. They provide a single online location to find various listings providing links to different sites on the internet. Their primary objective is to direct the readers to the exact thing they are looking for.

A business web directory provides a complete listing of businesses available, both online and those which are offline, but host websites. Other businesses find business directories very helpful, because it's easy to find any services or products they don't have through their own business. Even the general consumer gets some benefit from web-based business directories, because they can easily find the most suitable seller when making direct online purchases.

There are several standards and guidelines pertaining to the presentation of business directories. If they are to be informative and useful for anyone, they should be available in a convenient form. There are no imposed standards on how a web business directory must be presented, but certain qualities are generally expected in them.

Organisation - A well-organised online business directory is easy for anyone to use. It must be categorised accordingly, showing main and sub classifications. Simple and user-friendly navigation, with properly categorised links in each section, is also necessary. A summarised, clean layout is also a sign of a good online business directory.

Updates - A fresh directory attracts more web traffic because everything is dynamic. Stale information only drives people off and having new links along with relevant details is a good way to maintain an online business directory. When a business directory is updated often, more businesses will submit links to them too.

PageRank - Search engines, such as Google, rank web pages according to its popularity and this is known as the PageRank. It's different from the rankings on organic search engine results. When a directory has a high PageRank, the links in it have better strength for driving traffic.

Correct Keywords - A good online business directory must concentrate on providing traffic to their listed businesses, so using the right keywords to direct various visitors is imperative. By providing keyword-based search facility, web business directories are able to help users find the right businesses without a hassle.

So if you want your site on a business directory, or if you just want to find a particular business, these guidelines will tell you whether you are using the right business directory to get what you want or not.

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