Content relevant directories – what for?
A website that is not properly promoted is akin to message in a bottle. Design of the website could put Warhol to shame, and its content could make Wilde himself envious, yet, no exposure means zero traffic to the website, and therefore no sale of a product/service/information the site offers. The site that serves no purpose is virtually useless, except as a private hobby to its owner and/or creator. Such “invisible site” is akin to a buried talent. An ancient fable springs to mind; Long time ago in Greece a wealthy man called forth two of his slaves, and gave each of them a talent (a valuable coin in ancient Greece), telling slaves to do what they will with the money for a year, and then to return it to him after that time. The first slave, fearing to loose the talent, buried it in the ground, and when the time came, unearthed it, and returned to the owner. The second slave bought goods and sold them at a higher price, again and again, until the end of the year. When came the time to return the money to the owner, he did so - along with enough money to buy his freedom. The word ‘talent’, signifying personal abilities, is directly related to the ancient form of currency. Unlisted content relevant sites are akin to the buried talent – a waste of resources.
The need of exposure for any online business, company or organization is similar to that of any other operation. The core principals of online promotion and advertising are the same to that of all other multi-media venues. There is no need to explain the importance and the value of advertising. It is downright impossible to miss or to ignore this concept, just as it is impossible to ignore all visual, verbal, and written advertisement that surrounds us daily.
In order to sell any service, product, or information a merchant has to be visible to correct target audience. Similarly, any online operation of any nature has to be visible to its audience, and has to be easy to find. Content relevant directories are the easiest and the surest way to accomplish this feat. Since the online target group has direct control over what kind of information is brought to them as a result of their query, it is vitally important to ensure what the business is listed in the correct place and fashion – namely there where the potential consumer is likely to search for it. A site, selling bolts and screws, for example, advertising in a flower, or wedding – aimed directory is not likely to attract a buyer. On the other hand, a business offering the same type of product, but listed in a home-improvement or development directory will benefit from its exposure to the correct audience – namely to those who are actively searching the tools and products geared to that end.
Another element to be reckoned with is the power of an impulse/associative purchase. An individual searching for a certain product, upon seeing a different, but relative object may suddenly recall its ‘need’ for the related product as well. How often when going to the store to buy new towels, for example, do we end up buying soap, or other somewhat related product that caught our eyes as well? The same principals apply online. By placing website into a correct content-relevant directory, the owner receives exposure not only for the specific services the site offers, but also benefits from the additional impulse-interest generated traffic.
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