Site-Sift dropped from Google

maaan... its tough to see another directory get dropped from the Google index but it's not too surprising upon inspecting Site-Sift.com. Of course there is public speculation as to why the site has been banned - Was it the "off topic" gambling links in the footer of each page? Was it the deliberate PageRank buy on the O'Reilly Network? Or was it a lack of unique content?

Odds are, it is not just one thing but a combination of factors that caused Site-Sift to be dropped. First off, I should say that I don't think G$ is deliberately targeting web directories. Instead they are more likely out to filter any website that is trying to profit from PageRank or manipulate Google's search results. I think the two contributing ingredients for Site-Sift's recipe for disaster were the PageRank buy and an overall lack of unique content.

Buying PageRank just doesn't make sense to me. If you have some money to spend, use it like you did before PageRank even existed - advertise on relevant pages and websites to get in front of your target audience. The only reason why I even have PR displayed in my toolbar is to see if a site is ranked at all.

The other downfall is something that I think is often overlooked when assessing a web directory - unique content. A directory's listings is its content. If directory listings are not unique, the directory is not unique. Site-Sift is said to be "human reviewed" - which would imply that the directory is unique. However, simply categorizing sites in a unique way is not enough. Human editors should list sites with updated and unique titles and descriptions. It's obvious that the titles of listings cannot always be "unique." I mean, if you are going list www.yahoo.com in a directory, the title is "Yahoo!" More importantly I think, is the uniqueness of the description. Human editors should create a unique description for every site listed. Otherwise, the directory is just another "scrapper" or "clone."

I checked how unique Site-Sift's listings were by performing an exact search (search with quotes) on over 10 listing descriptions. I found that all searches brought back a significant amount of matches - which clearly indicates that the listings are not unique. For example, an exact search on the description from the 1st listing in the Site-Sift Cooking category brings back 950 exact matches - #1 is dmoz.org/Home/Cooking/. Unfortunately for Site-Sift, there are many similar examples throughout the directory.

Bizzy Bee

Whoa, over two weeks since my last post! Things have really been heating up this summer. I remember in June, thinking this season was going to be slower and less busy than the preceding winter and spring seasons. That's hardly been the case for the Best of the Web Directory.

The moment things seem to calm down is when efforts are doubled - sending new designs into development; creating more buzz through online and print media; featuring new products and services; and offering new pricing options to appeal to the masses - all done while maintaining focus on quality and growth.

Recently, I have been busy with the launch of a 60 day free sponsorship product. As far as I know, we are the only web directory that offers this type of free online advertising and so far it has surpassed my expectations for how many new sponsors signed up. Both top-level and popular categories are selling out fast! Check it out - http://botw.org/FREE. It should be interesting to see how many sponsors stay on board after the 60 day trial period. I have to imagine that there will be some attrition but if history is any indicator, most sponsors will continue to feature their ad in a relevant category and alongside BOTW search results.

Yahoo! Directory RSS Feeds

Today, I added a few Yahoo RSS Feeds to my aggregator. Naturally, I like to see what new sites are sprouting up in the Web Log and Internet categories of both Yahoo and Google. It's pretty exciting to see how fast and diverse the Web Log categories have gotten in these major directories.

Right now only Yahoo instantly feeds aggregators with new directory listings - which I think is an awesome value add to their Express Submit Service. The feed gives new directory listings additional exposure. Anyone who subscribes to the feed will receive a notice of new listings and will have the option to click through to each site. From an aggregator, subscribers also have the option of visiting specific Yahoo categories where new listings are added.

Related Links:

• Yahoo! Directory RSS Feeds
• Yahoo! Express Submit
• RSS Resources
  

Qualities of a Good Web Directory

I was inspired by a post from McMohan in Webmaster World, to list what I feel are the qualities of a good web directory and what webmasters and site owners should consider before submitting their web site(s). Martinibuster, a WMW Moderator, once posted that a good directory will "send traffic as well as bots." So how do we find these "good directories?" Just look for the following qualities (in no particular order).

• Is the directory up-to-date? Does it have editors adding and maintaining listings on a daily or weekly basis? If not, don't bother submitting.
• Look for quality and unique content. A directory that is saturated with ads, stuffs keywords in anchor text, and scrapes results from other directories/search engines will fail to send users and bots.
  
• Try to find out if the directory has been around for a while. Web directories that have been operating for at least three years and follow guidelines for listing web sites are usually the more reliable resources. You can find the age of a domain by using Whois.net.
• Make sure the directory ranks well for the keywords it is promoting. For example, a Google search on the name of a directory should return the directory in the first set of results. If the directory is NOT returned in the first set of results then you can assume that the directory has been filtered and will fail to send the Googlebots. A popular example of a new directory that has been filtered can be seen by searching for "bluefind."
• Perform a "site search" (site:widgetsdirectory.com) in Google to see if the directory and all of its pages/sub-categories are indexed by Google. For example, a "site search" can be seen by typing site:dmoz.org into Google Search. If the search yields little or no results, you should probably think twice about submitting.
• Perform a "similar search" (related:widgetsdirectory.com) in Google to see if the directory is classified with other directories - example. If you do not see other directories in the results OR there are no results at all - don't submit.

In my opinion, a directory that meets the above qualities is a good directory to be listed in. I also like to consider a few other qualities such as how information is displayed, navigation and speed. I might be missing one or two but hopefully someone nice will comment and expand on the above list.

Editing Kick

I've been on a real editing tear lately which would explain my lack of posts here. I definitely enjoy helping out with the pending submission queue. It's pretty cool to see the types of websites people submit. For instance, I had no idea that selling auto parts online was such a huge market?!

Editing for a web directory can be quite relaxing and educational. If it's not the content that peaks my interest, I can also find enjoyment in a cool design or layout. Reviewing sites helps me stay in contact with new web technologies and helps foster new ideas for enhancing user experience on some of my own sites.