Directories are NOT Search Engines. They are directories, like phonebooks, that have been categorizing the Internet for years. Of the most prominent directories on the Internet the top one is DMOZ but there are also some 200 lesser known ones.

Some of the Search Engines use the directory contents in their Search Results. Look Smart is one, AOL is another. Yahoo used to use the DMOZ directory as part of its search results. Many lesser known, but active, search engines use directories as the basis for providing information for all of their searches.

Search Engines will see these highly rated inbound links and raise your ranking. They sometimes see these as added credibility for your website. At the very least it creates more ways for people, and search engines, to find you and this means more traffic - for free!

The DMOZ Directory

The DMOZ directory currently has over 590,000 categories and sub categories. However, the main directory itself is made up of only 16 main categories. All other categories fall under these 16