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Web Site Registration 101: Search Engines and Directories

Web sites are indexed by three distinct cataloging entities:

Web sites are indexed by 'crawlers' or 'spiders' that search for keywords and phrases
These findings are used to generate keyword listings that are stored in a database
It is these keyword listings that are searched for a match when a user enters a query
Major search engines include Google, Alta Vista and InkTomi

Human editors perform all cataloging at directories -- crawlers are not involved
Directories are typically organized by category
When a user performs a search, the category keywords as well as individual web sites are searched for a keyword match
A web site is typically listed in only one category per directory
Human editors require a 25-30 word written summary of web site content
Site ranking is a combination of editorial decision and alphabetical order
Major directories include About - the Human Internet and the Open Directory

Combine the properties of a search engine with the properties of a directory
For example: Yahoo has its own directory which it supplements with search results from Google
Another example is Google, which supplements its search engine with results from the Open Directory
Major hybrid search engines include Yahoo