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[S606]Small Business Web Page

by Adrian Lawrence, Adr

An important tool in organizing and presenting the plethora of websites available on the internet is the use of Directories – an alternative to Search Engines that links and categorizes sites on the web. The main advantage to Directories as opposed to Search Engines is that directories are edited by humans, whereas search engines simply return automated results based on keywords which may not always be the most effective way to quickly find a website that is apropos to the topic being searched for. Websites are submitted to directories by the webmaster, where they are reviewed by neutral editors, evaluated, sorted into categories, and ranked within category according to relevance. They are then listed in a directory form that is simple to read and navigate for the average browser. For a website to create and maintain high web visibility – and therefore attract a high number of visitors – it is essential to be listed in a number of quality Directories.

The best known directories are Yahoo, Dmoz and Google, but it is worth being aware of the quality of the directory before submitting a site. The average browser will not explore beyond the second or, at most, third page of directory results for their searched for topic, but if the Directory is not of quality some websites listed in those all-important first few pages may not deserve to be there. The usefulness of Directories to return appropriate search results to be valuable to a site is under debate.

If links are being sold across the entire site, that may be indication of a lower quality Directory. Google is one of the worst culprits for targeting sites that sell links, and sites that appear to promote the Google page rank of their pages. This may not be indicative of how relevant a site is to the topic searched for – it is all too easy for crafty webmasters to manipulate keyword SEO to gain a higher Google page rank than their site deserves. This is time-wasting and frustrating for browsers, and may result in them losing patience with the Directory all together. Another common problem with Directories to be avoided is that pages within the site may be linked only internally and not to other, relevant, quality, external pages. Search Engines will not find such pages if they are low on keyword content and they will be skipped over entirely.

Dmoz, the Open Directory Project (ODP,) editors are volunteers – they are naturally third-party neutral and will review and consider each submitted website on its own merits. Each editor applicant is screened for any conflict of interest, so any search results returned by Dmoz Directories can generally be trusted. The main downside to submitting a website to Dmoz is that the submission process can be interminable – although ultimately worth it in terms of relevant traffic directed to any website included in their directory. The Yahoo! Directory rivals Dmoz for size and comprehensiveness, and was in fact Yahoo's initial reason for existence. It has since evolved away from the fundamental classic human edited format of Directories, by instituting crawler-based listings in 2002, but remains a quality Directory that can be trusted. The Yahoo! Directory is very clearly displayed on its homepage. LookSmart, and Zeal – LookSmart's non commercial arm – are other famous examples of quality directories.

For a website to be listed in a trustworthy Directory such as Dmoz or Yahoo! can be one of the most important quality-assurance seals of approval and can be the essential difference between focused and relevant traffic to the site and random hits by frustrated browsers.

No matter what kind of business you have, you can use the web to your advantage. With some many different kinds of advertising tools that are available, you can expose your business to the greatest number of potential buyers within the largest area possible, namely, the entire world! Whether you have a brick and mortar store with an online presence or you only do business online, you can accomplish the same thing?increasing the number of sales, and thus the profitability of your business.

It wasn't very long ago that the only resources available to business was that of classified advertising and direct marketing, but the Internet has changed all of that. Over the last five years, even internet marketing has taken a new turn from the original online classified advertisement, opt in email list, email groups that were designed only for advertising, and FFA (Free for All) pages that were the start of the trend in online advertising. Those who have had a website for several years probably remember using these types of advertising tools, and in return being bombarded by advertisements for others, including network marketers attempting to recruit you into their network. Though there is still some of the original "sting" going around, the addition of spam laws and spam filters make it less prominent than it was in the end of the 20th century.

When you use the web to approach potential customers to your website, you have to be careful how you do it so that you aren't accused of spamming. You cannot take email addresses of people you know on an email list, for example, and send them literature about your business unless they have given you permission to do so. You can, however, use a guestbook or sign up box on your website to invite people to leave contact information and request further information or product updates. If you are an owner or member of an email list that is devoted to the products or services you provide, and the rules of membership clearly define that advertising is allowed, then you can do so. In this groups, however, keep in mind that it doesn't mean you can contact anyone in their personal email?what it does is give you permission to post your information within the scope of the list. You will still need permission of the person to contact them directly or you are still spamming.

Making sure you submit your website to the search engines for listening is another way to use the web to generate more business. Unless you submit your site to the search engines, searchers cannot find it when they are surfing the web. It's also important to remember that you have to resubmit your site every so often unless the search engine states that you only need to submit one time. Remember, also that the more you pay for this service, the more of an online presence your business will have.

Article Source : How Was The Internet Created

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Both Adrian Lawrence & Dock Murphy are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Adrian Lawrence has sinced written about articles on various topics from Computers and The Internet, Property Guide and Computers and The Internet. Adrian Lawrence is the webmaster of Allthebizz a very popular covering a wide range of topics.. Adrian Lawrence's top article generates over 12100 views. to your Favourites.

Dock Murphy has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Based Business, Entrepreneurship and Computers and The Internet. Dock J. Murphy is owner of Plug In Profit and writes on a variety on a variety of subjects.To learn more about this topic Dock. Dock Murphy's top article generates over 74000 views. to your Favourites.