Recently Zebralove Web Solutions built a local Maine Business directory called Pine Tree Connect. I (Milly Welsh) am actually part owner in the company, Mod Media, LLC, that owns the website. Pine Tree Connect isn’t likely to be the only web directory we build. Our larger plan for Mod Media, for the Pine Tree Connect website software, is to package the software we built so others may use it in the future.

It may sound like a gamble, but I believe that the web directory is going to make a comeback! I think the time is right for it, but to understand why, first we need to take a short trip back in time….

At the start of the internet (1990’s) until about 2012, web directories were a huge part of the internet landscape. During these early days of the internet, it was largely unorganized and difficult to navigate. Directories acted as a structured way to find information. Large web directories like Yahoo! Directory, DMOZ and business.com received a lot of traffic and were a staple of organic search, they were more user-friendly way for people to search for information online. In addition to big web directories, there were many smaller web directories, and getting into these directories was a huge part of how a website would get seen online. The web directories not only provided direct traffic, but also positively impacted the websites listed in them in search engines like Google, Yahoo!, AOL, Ask Jeeves and others. As we know, eventually Google completely took over how people searched the internet. Search engines formalized, and so web directories became less of a mainstream way for people to search.

What exactly is the difference between a web directory and a search engine?

Basically a search engine indexes all the websites (using web bot software) it can find, and ranks their importance based on an algorithm. Search engines list websites in a search based on relevant keywords typed into the site. All results generated in a search engine result is based on information identified and evaluated by software.

Differently, a web directory is a list of websites, curated by humans and typically organized in categories. Many are also searchable by keywords, including Pine Tree Connect. Web directories tend to be more niche, and the fact that the content is selected and organized using human knowledge, means the website has to impress humans not just bots.

Because the web directory was a great tactic to get traffic to your website, and more people were able to make their own websites, the internet became inundated with low-quality web directories. Unfortunately, web directories had become just a method to increase the page rank of the websites they linked to.

In 2012 everything changed based on a major Google algorithm update with the codename, Penguin. This algorithm cracked down on spammy, low-quality websites that violated Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. Many of these websites that suffered in the update were web directories. Suddenly, the link building strategy that was previously helping you rank was now the cause of your website being taken off Google entirely.

As someone working in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for clients during that time, I can confirm that 2012 was a wild time in the industry. Many SEO companies went out of business overnight, and most of the spammy web directories that popped up over the years went dark because they were severely affecting the websites they were linking to. In time, even the quality web directories like DMOZ and Yahoo went away or were replaced.

Fortunately, at Zebralove Web Solutions, we never used a heavy link-focused SEO strategy. During this huge shift, we actually grew and did better with the new algorithm. SEO strategies changed and became more focused on quality content, which I have always thought was a great method to build SEO. Around this same time, I met Noelle Castle from Castle Media Co. who specializes in content and copywriting (also my partner in Mod Media), and our SEO strategy evolved into what it is today!

The Penguin update and subsequent updates that took out spammy, low-quality websites was absolutely a good thing for the internet as a whole. However, I always felt that the downfall of the web directory as collateral damage was unfortunate. While many web directories at the time were junky, the problem wasn’t the concept of the web directory itself. The problem was how people were applying it to try to fool the algorithm. A good idea – to help people find what they are looking for online on a user-friendly platform – had suffered at the hands of people looking for the quick and easy fix.

So I hadn’t forgotten that good idea, and for years I imagined building a high-quality, community-based web directory that would help small businesses.

Why the time is right for a comeback…

Currently the internet is going through another huge shift, and I believe this time, web directories can help instead of hurt.

The shift is happening because of advances in AI and large language models (LLMs, a type of AI). SEO is still dominated by content and people search the web for answers to any questions they think of, but now instead of search engines just linking to content that answers the question, they are using AI to come up with the answer, so the user doesn’t need to leave Google at all.

For those who have used a content-based strategy to get traffic to their website, this is not a good development and will certainly mean less traffic. What’s worse is that much of the content being created in this moment is also generated by AI, which will lead to AI learning from other AI. The result of this, frankly, could get pretty bizarre.

Personally, I think a good counterweight to the shift may just be human curated web directories that create quality human generated content like we do on Pine Tree Connect!

AI isn’t going away and in fact its adoption will only grow in the coming years. However, quality, human-managed web directories, that learn the lessons of the past, can add a lot of value and stability to the internet.

The digital marketplace is gigantic and totally overwhelming for businesses to compete in. The opportunity to have your website linked on a contemporary, high-quality web directory offers a new opportunity for businesses to thrive in the digital marketplace.

Milly Welsh

Owner

Zebralove Web Solutions

Milly has 18 years experience in designing and developing websites, developing apps, and online marketing. She is an expert at driving traffic to websites utilizing SEO strategies and custom digital marketing efforts. Her company, Zebralove Web Solutions offers full service digital marketing and website development. Comprehensive Search Engine Optimization services, and secure web hosting services.

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