Signs of Trust and Why Human-edited Directories Are Still Important
Most people are familiar with using search engines nowadays, as they allow us to find websites so speedily. This is essential, but search engine results aren’t moderated by actual people, instead it’s done by an algorithm. Why is that noteworthy? Imagine you are searching for a pub in Leeds as an example. You would type these keywords into Yahoo! (for example), then a number of results would appear. How do you know whether these results are reliable if they’ve never been vetted by people? Here’s how: search engines utilize human-administered online directories as a primary filter.
Directories still play a significant part on the web, and the top-quality directories will be inevitably human edited. A human may realise that (for instance) : “hmm, that hotel has a michelin star, that’s a very good signal”. A good online directory receives a number of submissions on a daily basis. An official will investigate these submissions, and if the editor is satisfied that the quality of the submission is of a particular standard, it is included in to the internet directory. And this is the reason why Google still loves internet directories. Both the Yahoo! directory and dmoz.org are interrogated by search engines as filters to discover the veracity of a website - whether it’s included in these directories or not, since they are human-edited and have stern rules-for-entry.
Thus do not minimise the implication of internet directories now that almost everyone uses search engines to find things. A directory with stringent guidelines can act as a crucial yardstick as to how authentic a website is. If you are a website owner, try and get your site included in a niche directory, like a home furniture directory, a bed and breakfast directory, or a pub and restaurant directory.
While humanity is requiring signs of trustiworthiness, the internet will always rely on individuals to present their stamp of commendation, and so directories will always play a role.
