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May 14, 2008 Search Engines and DirectoriesThe main difference between search engines and directories lies in the way they collect and compile their information. The one thing they do have in common, is that some are free to be listed, and others require payment to review your site and evaluate it. It's not always the case that paying to have your site reviewed will guarantee it's inclusion - if the site is incomplete, or of poor quality (eg having broken links etc) then your inclusion may be deferred until such a time that your site meets an acceptable standard. Search EnginesSearch engines like google and hotbot use a 'robot', 'spider' or 'crawler' to follow all the links from your home page, through your site and out again through any external links. Page content is retrieved and analysed, and given a ranking or importance based upon the search engines own ranking algorithm. There is very little if any human intervention in the process. As a result, many search engines contain a huge volume of information - sometimes so much that inexperienced users can find it difficult to find the information they want. To simplify the search process, ask jeeves specialises in natural language searches - providing tightly focussed answers to questions like "where can I buy football boots online." DirectoriesDirectories such as Yahoo! or the open directory project use real "live" (and wriggling!) human beings to classify sites, and ensure they appear in the correct category and are described accurately. Much like searching the yellow pages for a plumber, directories can give highly relevant and targetted results. There are many directories targetting business to business transactions, like Kellysearch which is free to get listed on. Listings in directories can be a very quick way for a user to find the information or services they need. By going straight to a particular category, they are presented with a series of websites - each of which has a brief description. Often the list will be presented on one page, rather than being presented with just ten results at a time. Examples of other less well known but respected directories include: askalix, joeant, UK250, goguides and the quirky gimpsy.
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