Surviving the Search Wars ? Local Directories

The pursuit of online information has become an increasingly dynamic and competitive marketplace during the past three years. Global heavyweights such as www.google.com, www.yahoo.com, and www.msn.com are backed by massive resources, making it nearly impossible for new companies to even attempt to compete. It would seem for new start directories it is almost impossible to aim for the ?catch all? approach, as there are simply bigger companies out there with larger budgets ? who are going to dominate the market for years to come. However, there are still a number of innovative directories evolving which are capable of surviving in this ultra-competitive landscape. The key to this survival is undoubtedly focusing upon a niche and making sure your site stands out from others.

When performing a web search, users have the choice between search engines and directories. Directories tend to be categorised by webmasters or a group of subject experts ? such as the directory http://dmoz.com. When using such a directory, the user has the option to either type in a word to facilitate a search through the directory listings, or they can choose a subject heading, for example ?travel?. After clicking on this category, users are faced with lists of several subtopics such as ?hotels? which would then be further split into geographic regions, then the individual hotel names.

In contrast, a search engine uses automated programs called robots or spiders to search through its database of websites. The user types a query into a provided dialog box in the form of a keyword, or string of keywords. The search engine then uses the robots to follow links and indexes of various websites in order to form an organised list of results in the user?s browser. The world?s most popular search engine, Google, currently has a database of 8,058,044,651 web pages.

With this colossal searching power, it is amazing that any directories are capable of surviving against the heavyweight search engines. The solution is perhaps to avoid trying to compete in the first place. For example, if a local directory run by people familiar with an area is marketed properly, then it can offer a real service for users, as one of the main problems people have with search engines is the difficulty in finding local services relevant to them.

Usually this problem stems from a lack of understanding of how to use search engines correctly. The majority of surfers searching the web for products/services will expect to find a local supplier just by typing a generalised term, and then cannot understand why they are faced with 300,000 results ? many of which are based in a foreign country. This is where a regional directory can offer more relevant results, without the searching knowledge required to make best use of the larger directories, and hopefully provide the information the person was looking for. Instead of performing a basic search, users are guided step by step through the categories.

One new directory which is taking a very innovative approach to the market place is the-best-of.com ( http://www.thebestof.co.uk/ ) which promotes itself as a ?UK directory run by local people for local people?. The idea is that individual people will take control of a geographical area which they know well and provide users with their ?local knowledge? on local businesses and services. Although still in its early stages, this is an example of a directory which has found a niche in terms of the service it offers and isn?t trying to tackle the big global players ? a strategy which has destroyed many directories before they have even started.

It is perhaps as a result of this market gap that Google has recently launched the beta version of ?Google Local?. Google Local?s results are a combination of using business-directory information from third-party providers and integrating it with information about individual businesses from Google's existing database of website information.

When using this new service, users type both the product they are looking for and their geographic location. Results are then displayed in three columns, including business name, address, and URL (if relevant). Clicking on the link to a business name displays a business reference page with details about the business, a map, a button to get driving directions, and Web pages related to the business found in Google's main index. The new service also offers a degree of personalisation, allowing users to specify a home location, which is stored on a cookie set by Google.

Overall, it seems that that the ways and means we search for information on the web is set to continuously evolve over the coming years. This landscape is almost certainly going to be dominated by the big players such as Google and Yahoo. However, it is clear that as long as you have a quality, comprehensive directory that doesn?t cast its net too wide then it is possible to survive and even compete in this dynamic marketplace.

Resources:

http://www.thebestof.co.uk/
(Regional entertainment and information in the UK)

About Peter:

Peter Scott is a researcher for the internet marketing company Optimiser and a regular contributor to discussions on search engine marketing and directory building.

About Optimiser

For further information contact:
Peter Scott
E-mail: press@optimiser.co.uk
Phone: 0845 130 0022

More SEO Articles

The Small Screen SEO!
First of all, What is SEO? SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and is the art of making your pages efficient for search engine robots in order to get your site listed in the top of their results, preferrably on the first page and within the top 10. We can easily achieve this if we know how the search engine is reading our sites, so we can further tweak our pages and make it to the top.

How to Improve Your Search Engine Positioning and Increase Traffic Today
Every website has times when traffic is higher than others. However, in the downtimes you need to figure out why your traffic is lower and what you can you about it.

Local Customers Know Where to Find Local Businesses... the Internet
Through search engines and directories, the Internet provides a quick and easy place to choose a local merchant or business.Just because the Internet is worldwide doesn't mean local businesses can't benefit from having a website and a presence in the search engines.

Learn about the Google Search Engine Tools
Think you know everything about searching with Google? Think again. Believe it or not, there are many tools and features available on Google that can be useful for marketing research as well as wasting time.

How To Become an SEO Expert - 5 Secrets That Will Allow You to Outperform 95% of All Webmasters
Becoming an SEO expert, or a search engine optimization expert, is something that is worth your while if you are interested in getting your web page noticed and increasing your traffic. It is not hard to become an SEO expert if you simply know what steps you need follow to take you there.

How to Avoid Being Dropped by the Search Engines
For websites, one of the most important things in their existence is their ranking with the search engines. The reason why this is so important is because when websites are ranked high by the search engines, they get flooded with free, targeted web traffic from visitors who are looking for information or products.

Google Website and Web Page Indexing for Dummies
You may have heard how important it is to have your website optimized for search engines, especially Google, which is currently the most popular worldwide. The reason for this is so your website will be ranked high in the search engines and people will see your site first, click on it, and increase your traffic and ultimately your sales.

Everything You Wanted To Know About Google -- But Were Afraid To Search For!
(A Reflective look at the little search engine that soared!)All knowing, all seeing, ever present!Google has permeated into almost every aspect of life on this planet and beyond. It has become a mainstream fixture for computer and Internet users around the globe.

The Best and Easiest Google-Friendly Change to Your Web Site
No matter who you are or how much you pay for web site advertising, free search engine traffic is probably responsible for a big part of your business. So why make your web site so hard for search engines to figure out?Luckily, it seems like in the recent years people have paid attention to SEO, moved their sites over to CSS, abolished "table" and "font" HTML tags, started using the H1 tag around their titles.

Google Is Taking Descriptions From Alexa!
In a recent study looking at the "descriptions" of website search engine listings, we have noticed that your main SERP listing is being manipulated by Alexa.com.