With the unlimited space of the Web, one would think getting listed on an Internet directory would be as easy as sending an email, highlighting your key words, and politely
waiting for your company to be listed. The reality is much different.
In many ways, getting on an Internet directory such as Yahoo! is like joining a secret society. Even though the rules of membership are clearly stated, you still need that
certain "something"' to be accepted. And getting listed can have an impact on your organization's bottom line - reporters, customers, investors often rely on directories to locate
your site.
Welcome to Their World
"Internet directories are the dark underworld of the Internet," says Serge Timacheff, ambassador for the Garrigan Lynn Group, a company using directories and search engines to
build brand awareness for its clients. "You can submit your stuff exactly as they tell you to and several months will pass before you know you're not being listed, which you can
only find out about by checking their site because they won't tell you."
Meaning you start all over again, with no clue of what you did wrong the previous time so you can correct yourself.
"Someone once told me that the only way to get listed on Yahoo! was to know the editors and bribe them," says Timacheff.
White-collar crime aside, getting listed can be where the trouble just begins. Regardless of which directory category you think your company belongs in, editors will list your
site where they see fit.
"I've spent the last two years sending letters to Yahoo! because they have one of my clients listed incorrectly," says Larry Boardman, CEO of Electronic Marketing, a firm that
gets company Web sites listed. "I haven't gotten a response yet."
Being misplaced can wreak havoc on your bottom line. Unlike their search engine counterparts, directories are more specific, like telephone books. They're marketed to a
particular audience, like helicopter parts manufacturers. If you're in the whirly bird business and listed elsewhere, not many customers will come knocking.
But not all hope is lost when your site lists on some wayward category. Take comfort in the notion that directory users research more than their search engine equivalents.
"People who work with directories have a different mindset," says Pat McGrew, principal with McGrew + McDaniels Group, a firm dealing with directories daily. "If [visitors]
have a limited amount of time to search, Internet directories give you more bang for their minute because it's quicker to find stuff than tramping through a search engine."
The Pitch Wind Up
Even though getting and staying listed on Internet directories is fraught with worry, business-to-business professionals are increasingly relying on them because they provide
better information faster. This makes using them a necessary evil that could have a significant impact on offline/print directories.
PR professionals need to check with directory publishers to find out if they have Web counterparts. "What you're going to find out is that they are going to parrot their
offline directory onto the Web, using the same categories," McGrew says. "It will all be very familiar."
Meaning your pitch to them should be the same as it is in the offline world. If your industry doesn't have offline directories, McGrew suggests finding the right Internet
directory through search engines. They're best when you don't know exactly what you're looking for because they offer a wide variety of items within your category search.
Once you locate the right directory the homework begins. Knowing its methodology for its listings, its background and reputation are important questions to be answered before
you try to list your company with them, no matter how many hits they get.
But, each directory uses different criteria for listing sites. And what one says is okay, another will surely penalize you for.
For example, you can fool some directories into boosting your rankings by including text on your home page that users can't read, but that will show up when the directories
scour the site. Other directories penalize sites that try to dupe them with hidden text and leave them off their listings.
The criteria can also change within a directory too, for no apparent reason, making your site no longer list-worthy.
"I had a client who one day disappeared off a directory," says Timacheff. "They didn't know if they had done something wrong or not, it just knocked them off the list."
(Boardman, 877/709-7097; McGrew, 817/577-8984; Timacheff, 425/785-7761.)
Becoming Blacklisted
Although there is no formal rule, one sure way to keep your site from being listed on a directory is to inundate the editor with multiple submissions. As with other media, you
have to deal with the human element. Bombarding them with your message can infuriate editors into ignoring you.
"We've had to stop promoting sites for three or four months, says Larry Boardman of Electronic Marketing. "We had to let the editor cool off."
Typical Questions of an Internet Directory
The questions asked on the Yahoo! site are a good indication of what other directories will ask you. They are as follows:
Site Information:
- Title, which can be the official business name of the company. Don't include any hype like, "The number one business." It'll turn the editor off.
- URL. Double check that it's correct.
Category Suggestions:
- Find out what categories the site offers before you suggest where you might belong.
Contact Information:
- The contact person should be able to answer all site questions.
Location of the Site:
- Your companies mailing address. Do not give the directory a P.O. Box.
Time-Sensitive Information:
- If your site will expire after a certain period of time let the directory know. (Remember, it can take months to get listed.)
Final Comments:
- Here is where you tell them the special perks about your site, like it's not in English.
- The directory will contact you to confirm all the information.