Online business directories are more popular than ever these days. There are hundreds of such literary directories on the Internet, some generic and others more specialized. However, its abundance does not always mean good news for the average businessman. Also, many of these online directories are mere copies of each other, offering little or no advantage to publicly traded companies. So it’s clear that for an online directory to be worth your time and money, it has to be able to offer more than a simple business taxonomy.
Naturally, there are some business directories on the web that break this pattern. What they do is provide the visitor with useful information that is somewhat related to business and investments. This encourages the visitor not only to stay longer on your pages, but is also a way to become more attractive to search engines as it can improve on-site SEO of the entire directory. This translates to more visitors to the directory and a greater chance that someone will visit your business listing on it. However, having quality content on a directory site requires a lot of work, so this is probably a rare thing. However, with the abundance of relevant information on the Internet, it is easier than ever, and it is a matter of time before more directory owners realize this.
Another aspect of directories that stand out from the crowd is having an attractive graphical user interface. As simple as it may sound, very few online directories seem to do anything about it. The vast majority of them use a text-based approach with minimal graphics or anything else that can make the whole experience more than just reading a yellow pages book. There doesn’t need to be anything fancy about directory web pages, but some carefully curated images can make a difference. And with more and more sites taking this approach, it is a matter of time before online business directories follow suit.
Based on the above, it is not unreasonable to say that the future of online business directories lies in directories that offer a better visitor experience. This can be achieved with better quality content that is relevant to the businesses promoted in the directory and improved graphics. Additionally, some online business directories have already started employing this approach, earning a niche in this area of online business promotion.