What is the difference between search engines and directories?
Search engines use software programs (algorithms) to index web pages, often called robots or spiders. They are programmed to constantly “crawl” the Web in search of new or updated pages. They will go from one to another until they have visited nearly every website on the Internet. Every search engine employs different criteria to determine if your website should be indexed and how well it should be ranked. The most popular search engines today are Google, Yahoo!, and MSN. Internet directories do not use software programs. They are compiled by humans who organize websites by subject into categories. If you submit your company’s website to an Internet directory, it will be visited by real people who can decide whether to include it or not. The most popular directories are Yahoo! and Open Directory Project. If a potential customer uses a search engine site, the query generally must match the words on your web page. If they use a directory site, the query generally must match the words in
