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 The most common way for most of us to market our businesses on the Internet is either through search engines like Google, MSN and Yahoo or directories like Open Directory Project that supply a lot of search engines with their data. We then also make use of local or regional search engines for our own countries or regions.
Many of the search engines, like Google and Yahoo, also have a directory component while most directories have a search facility through which you can find listed businesses. Directory marketing isn't an either / or situation but rather a complimentary marketing strategy for your business.
One of the major disadvantages of most search engines is that you cannot select how you are listed on their database. Their robots "read" your web site and add your site to their database according to their own criteria. Anothr disadvantage is that search engines tend to be very general; they lsit all types of sites and because you compete with a diverse range of web sites for the same key words and rankings it is often very difficult to be seen. For example: search the word "building" might give you such diverse results as "web site building", :building contractors", building infra-structure" or "building blocks to success" Directories on the otherhand are structured acoording to categories, sub categories, sub sub categories, etc. which means that your can start with your main categoriy and drill down to untill you find what you are looking for. The advantage for you as a business is that, provided you list your business in the right category, visitors should always be able to find you. A further feature that many directories offer is that you can list your business in more than one oppropriate category making your business even more visible. Another advantage of directories, especially niche market directories, is that by the time visitors reaches your web site, or contacts you, they are targeted for your type of business. For example: a visitor to a building contractors directory is already looking for something to do with building otherwise the visitor will not go any further, isn't it? So by he time this visitor comes to your web site (roofing, flooring, whatever) you can be sure that your type service is what the visitor is looking for and the only question that remins is if your business is the the visitor wants to do business with. And your success will depend on the information on your web site, whether you answer your emails, etc., in other words from there on n it's in your hands. Another advantage of many niche market directories is that you do not even need a web site to list your business (it's better to have one but especially if you are just getting your feet wet with this Internet thing you can often get away without a web site by looking for the right directories) This is something that search engines such as Google and Yahoo do not offer. |
