Web directory

As a web directory (also web catalog ) refers to a collection of addresses from web pages on the World Wide Web, which are sorted according to specific topics. Web directories are usually published on the Internet or in book form.

Purpose and function

Web directory editors provide for online sources what is for libraries for print media: They collect and sift information, develop taxonomies and catalog their collections. The collected resources not only to receive entire websites or newsgroups, but additionally individual documents and database records.

About this pure library facilities also Web directories often also provide additional information such as

• Brief descriptions of each category and its contents,
• Cross-references to related topics,
• Cross-references to the same subject collections in other languages ​​,
• A restrictable on specific themes search function.

Web directories are not as extensive as the automatically created directories of search engines. Through its editorial control, however, achieve a higher quality web directories on average. The quality and timeliness of a web directory always depend heavily on its editorial staff.

Operators of commercial websites seeking to entries in Web Directories

• As part of the so-called search engine optimization to increase the number of inbound links to them
• Visitors to lead to their offers

Commercial Web directories often offer a registration fee, which is usually booked a yearly basis.

Types of Directories

Most currently known web directories are maintained manually, ie: All entries will be viewed, examined and cataloged by humans. In this way, a quality of the collection is assured that would not be served by an automated process. The problem with this method, however, is the high complexity and therefore the great need for employees in order to ensure a comprehensive and current directory can. Often manually created directories are therefore limited to small, tightly defined subject areas. Known exceptions are the Yahoo catalog or the Open Directory Project.

Another approach to organizing collections of links is the formation of ad - hoc categories of search terms. These automatically generated catalogs contain far more extensive and up to date content. But in their quality they reach still not the level that is the manual sorting. A well-known example of ad hoc cataloging is the WiseGuide the search service WiseNut.

Further can be divided into hierarchical and non-hierarchical Web directories. In hierarchical directories categories of entries and often the entries in the directories themselves are sorted in a unique order. An entry is often only in a particular category, which makes it difficult to find. An example of a very hierarchical web directory is the Open Directory Project. Contrast, Non-hierarchical directories that are linked from a network -like structure with other nodes, the entries (links). Thus the entries and categories are easier to find, an associative search is more feasible.

Finally, it can distinguish between commercial and non-commercial web directories mainly. Due to the business model of many Webverzeichnisbetreiber the risk of restricted objectivity is particularly in the former: The increase of rank level in a directory for my website is to officially offered service (examples below list of web directories ). The user can hardly distinguish which search results (catalog entries ) have a high rank "earned" through highly relevant and in which a high rank "bought" was. Here blurred the traditional boundary between editorial content of publications on the one hand and display part on the other.

Problems and solutions

For large data sets consisting of web directories on the one hand the risk that non-existent websites are referenced. On the other hand, suffers large data stocks, the retrievability of relevant websites.

To avoid these shortcomings, modern web directories with different manual and automatic mechanisms are provided, such as

• Manual evaluation systems ( " Voting " )
• Automatic assessment systems ( " Ranking " )
• Robots ( " webbots " ) to check and, if necessary, removing dead links
• Evaluation of the click behavior of the user

Criticism

Many formerly free web directories (eg Web.de ) are now chargeable with the expense of often several 100 euros a year, which raises the question of the relationship between costs and benefits for service users.

For users who are looking for information, many commercial directories have become less suitable, since their data are much too small to allow a targeted search.

The original meaning and purpose, the scientific cataloging of the Web, has been lost in these web directories out of sight. Instead, a variety of small directories is created, which only serve to search engine optimization or commercial purposes.

Well-known web directories

• DMOZ - Open Directory Project: organized hierarchically by many voluntary international editors ( including about four million links, data are open content ). It covered almost all languages.
• Yahoo: hierarchically organized, commercially. High rankings in the directory can be bought. The expansion of the German web catalog has now been set.

German Web Directories

• Share Look: of hierarchical web catalog with an international focus. Special feature is the regional directories and special theme directories. Entries are partly charged.
• Web.de: hierarchically organized editorially, commercially. Contains about 380,000 mostly German language pages. Since October 2013, but no new.
• Allesklar.de: Extensive German web catalog. In it, more than 600,000 Internet addresses are described. The entries are sorted into subject categories. Where appropriate, most are provided with local references, so that local search is possible. In addition to the paid premium entries there is also a free entry since mid-2009.
• Bellnet: eldest of edited web catalog for Germany with about 400,000 entries, which are divided into 15,000 categories. Commercial supraregional entries associated with one-time costs.