TYPES OF DIRECTORIES

TYPES OF DIRECTORIES 

There are all kinds of directories available online, some that cater to specific
websites and other that cater to just about any website under the sun. Depending
on the service or product you provide and also on theaudience you want to
target, you can choose a particular or a few directories into which to submit your
site. The choices are plenty. The most popular types  of online directories are
listed as under:

General Directories: 

General directories are those web directories that accept all kinds of sites. They
have a wide variety of categories and sub categories under which websites can
be listed. Common categories that can be found in these directories include art,
business, computers, finance, Internet, health, home, shopping, sports and travel
among many others. The categories are listed in alphabetical order.

Niche Directories: 

Niche directories as the name suggests are topic-specific directories that are
created for the purpose of listing only those websites that cater to the main theme
or topic of that directory. For example, a shopping directory would list only
those websites that offer products or are eCommerce websites.
It is always a good idea to have your site submitted to a niche directory if it is in
keeping with the theme of your site, as you could receive extremely relevant
backlinks, thus adding to the value assigned to your site by the search engines.
Screenshot example of a niche directory - a shopping directory:

Regional Directories: 

Regional directories are those directories that combine some of the features of
general directories with some other features of nichedirectories. Since regional
directories are area-specific, pertaining only to a particular geographic location,
they could be considered to be ‘niche directories’  while at the same time, since
they accept different kinds of websites and comprise  a wide range of categories,
they could also be considered ‘general directories’.
Regional directories allow only those sites to be listed that deal with products or
services pertaining to a particular area or region. Hence, if your business or
website caters to a particular geographical area, it would  be wise to have the
same listed in a regional directory for that area. This would not only provide
relevant backlinks to your website, but it will also allow you to get directly in
touch with your target audience.
Below is a screenshot of a regional directory – a directory of Singapore listings:

Blog Directories: 

One of the newer types of web directories available online is the  blogdirectory
which lists blogs instead of websites. They could begeneral, niche or regional in
nature depending on the types of blogs listed under them.
The growing popularity of blogs and blogging in recent years lead to the creation
of blog directories that mainly act as a resource for bloggers.
Screenshot example of a blog directory:

Bid or Bidding Directories: 

Bid or bidding directories are those directories which require website owners to
place bids in order to get sites listed in these directories. The bids usually start
from as low as $1 with which one can expect to get listed in these directories.
However, in order to be listed on top of a particular category in a directory, you
would have to make the highest bid.
Often, high expenses are incurred on getting a website to be listed on top of a
particular category in a bidding directory. These directories aren’t very popular
for the same reason. However, they do continue to be used by some who believe
that the exposure gained as a result of submissions tosuch directories is well
worth the money spent.
Screenshot example of a bidding directory:

Article Directories: 

Article directories are unique type of web directories that list articles rather than
websites. These directories normally include a wide  range of general topics
under which articles can be submitted. Any article may  be reproduced on
another website, free of cost. However it must be ensured that the bio box or
resource box details including the name of the author,his company and his
website, are also mentioned wherever the article is reproduced.
The main aim of article directories is to provide relevant and free content to
webmasters rather than providing links. Article directories can be of two types:
general article directories or niche article directories.
Screenshot example of an article directory:

Podcast Directories: 

The great advances made in the field of technology are reflected in the many
newer types of directories that are just beginning tomake their presence felt over
the internet. The latest type of web directory that is fast catching on is the
Podcast directory: a type of directory that lists multimedia files rather than
websites. These audio and video files can be downloaded from these Podcast
directories directly onto iPods, personal computers and other mobile devices.