This chapter is part of the free e-book 'Basics of Search Engine Marketing', published in May 2005. In addition to being beneficial for search engine optimization and website traffic, directories can also be used to promote businesses that do not have a website. In fact, Internet Yellow Pages are a form of a directory. However, there are directories that cater to a more specific audience, whereas Yellow Pages generally provide business contact information on a large area and a wide variety of industries. Directories that are concentrated on a geographical area but provide listings on a mixture of industries are called geographical or geo-specific directories. Another form of a directory is a vertical or industry-specific directory. These directories have listings of businesses that operate on a specific industry but are not restricted to a small specific regional area. Geo-vertical directories are a mix of the two, concentrating on both specific industry and geographical area. For example, a directory that lists all kinds of businesses in Chicago, Illinois is a geo-specific directory; a directory that lists shoe stores in the United States would be considered a vertical directory; a directory that lists shoe stores in Chicago, Illinois is a geo-vertical directory.
Popular online directories can bring many customers to businesses and the advertising costs involved are usually quite low compared to offline equivalents.