Search Engines vs

Search Engines vs. Directories
from WebHostPad.com

Search Engines: Search engines create their listings automatically with the use of spiders. Spiders crawl the web to analysis and index websites so people can search through what they have found.

If you alter your Web pages in any way, search engines will find and analyze the changes so they can re-index you according to the new information. This can affect how you are listed. Page titles, body copy and other elements all play a role in your placement.

Directories: A directory such as Yahoo! works by people analyzing and listing sites. You will be asked to submit a short description to the directory for your site, or editors will write one for you. Searches on the directories will only look for matches in the descriptions submitted.

Changing your Web pages will have no effect on your listing unless you put in a request for a review of your site. Things that are useful for improving a listing with a search engine usually have little or nothing to do with improving a listing in a directory. The only exception is if you improve the functionality or content, you might be more likely to get reviewed than a poorly done site.

Hybrid Search Engines: Some search engines maintain an associated directory. Being included in a search engine's directory is usually a combination of luck and quality. You can "submit" your site for review, but there is no guarantee that it will be indexed. Reviewers often keep track of sites that are submitted to announcement places, and then choose to add those that are of a high quality.

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