Evolution of Directory Sites
Yahoo Directory
In January 1994, Stanford University PhD students Jerry Yang and David Filo created "Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web": they collected all resources on the internet at that time and integrated them into a categorized index website with a directory and structured hierarchy. Before Google Search was born in 1998, finding resources troubled all internet users. The emergence of this index website solved the problem well at the time, though it also reflected the scarcity of internet resources back then (simply organizing and cataloging manually could meet most needs).
Two months later, this page was renamed Yahoo (Yet Another Hierarchically Organized Oracle) - it can be said that Yahoo Directory is the predecessor of all website directory sites (interestingly, Jerry Yang had just rejected Google's offer to acquire for $1 million the previous year).
Directory sites had two characteristics at that time: their content collection was not done through crawlers, but from user submissions, which were manually reviewed and categorized by editors before being published on the website; because resources on the network were relatively limited, the structure was simple; at the same time, based on the spirit of the internet, websites provided free services such as email, news, and calendars to users, which caused Yahoo's traffic to surge, and it later began to profit through banner advertising.
Impact of Directory Sites?
Although almost no one uses website directories to find sites now, being included in high-quality and high-authority directory sites was significant at that time - finding directory sites and submitting web pages was once a must-do task for every SEOer. Many webmasters saw the impact and started their own directory sites, with inclusion fees around tens of yuan (doesn't this sound very similar to the current state of AI directory sites?).
Hao123 was the most influential/highest-traffic directory site in the Chinese internet. Many people new to the internet used it as their starting point for browsing, even as their browser homepage: countless users would first enter Hao123, then click to jump to other websites. In the early days of the internet, directory sites replaced the media function of modern search engines. Websites linked from directory sites could get both precise click traffic and good conversion results: in 2013, directory sites contributed about 12% of Baidu's revenue through advertising (Hao123) and over 70% of 360's revenue. This is probably one reason why Zhou Hongyi, who was once president of Yahoo China, separated 360 from antivirus software and turned it into a directory site, search engine, and even browser.
We don't distinguish between directory sites and portal sites (the big three at that time were NetEase, Sohu, and Sina), because in many cases they have similar forms. Directory sites focus on aggregation and categorization of URLs, allowing quick access to specific websites or information; portal sites target a broader user base and store content on their own servers; directory sites don't produce content, they only aggregate; portal sites also provide personalized push notifications.
Why Did Directory Sites Decline?
- Browser startup pages and homepage designs were simplified, becoming just a single input box (LUI search engines replaced GUI directory sites), which also represents how keyword search in search engines replaced directory-style search within portal sites.
- But fundamentally, search engines rely on algorithms, while directory sites rely on active curation. Directory sites may have had better user experience in the era when algorithms weren't smart, but as the internet rapidly popularized and massive amounts of UGC/PGC were created, search engine experience improved rapidly.
- But also due to internet content growth, directory sites couldn't handle the balance between category structure width and depth: if the category system is narrow and deep, users need multiple clicks; if the category system is wide and shallow, categories at the same level become too large - an informal statistic in 2001 showed that Yahoo had over 70,000 categories (this belongs to the realm of website information architecture, similar to SEO's internal linking/website navigation design).
An interesting note: In November 2023, Yahoo announced that the new Yahoo would return in 2024 with the latest search engine technology integrated with AI large models.
References:
- Evolution of Directory Sites: From URL Aggregation to Personal Portal
- From URLs to Content, Will 360 Navigation Become the Next Generation Portal?
- Why Are Browsers Important?
- Yahoo China Quietly Exits, Leaving Without a Sound
- Analyzing the Development of Information Architecture from Yahoo's Directory, Theory and Practice of Information Science (CSSCI), Issue 2, 2006, 2nd author
Why Submit to Directory Sites
When we discuss "submit a tool," what are we really discussing?
In the early stages of going global, cold start is a very important phase: validate PMF in advance, acquire core seed users, and iterate quickly through effective feedback. Many developers have their own (AI) tool products, and since some time ago, submitting to directory sites and PH ranking seem to have become two essential cold start strategies. Many independent developers have even created their own AI directory sites, achieving good traffic and revenue, and there's even nesting - directory sites for directory sites. Starting from April 2023, I manually submitted to 100+ directory sites. Nearly a year later, after re-attribution and review, I may be one of the few operators with considerable experience in tool submissions.
- Why submit to directory sites?
Before a new site is published, there are no records on the internet. Actively submitting to directory sites can help Google crawlers speed up crawling and indexing. If the website is already indexed, some directory sites will pass authority, endorsing your site's authority.
- Do directory sites have high authority?
Due to the nature of directory sites themselves, both Domain and Page authority are higher than general content sites. Taking Pika Labs as an example, when searched as a keyword in Google, my homepage SERP shows Future Tools (5), ToolPilot AI (7), Easy with AI (9), PopularAI.ai, OpenFuture, Smart Tools AI, AI Power Lab, and many other directory sites.
- Is it important if directory site links are nofollow?
If the goal is to pass authority and improve Google rankings, dofollow links are certainly better. But on the other hand, the ultimate goal of "pass authority - improve ranking - bring organic traffic - registration" is user payment. If potential users can directly jump to purchase through links, compared to this shorter conversion path, dofollow/nofollow doesn't matter as much.
- What is the essence of submitting to directory sites?
After actively submitting to some major directory sites, the rest will crawl each other, and even some tools published earlier will naturally be included. So why did I continue submitting to some? Because there were indeed conversions. An unknown small directory site once brought a three-figure annual subscription user, and the cost was just ten minutes of filling out information.
- Is it necessary to pay for submission or featured placement?
It depends on your budget. Currently, the world's largest AI directory site, There's An AI For That with 5 million monthly visits, charged $50 for submission in May last year (now $299). I did one thing and got free inclusion.
I was still at PromeAI at that time.
- After submitting to AI directory sites, what should I do next?
Directory sites have different dimensions. You are both an AI product, a productivity tool, can be SaaS, and also belong to a specific niche industry. These more vertical directory sites have smaller traffic but are clearly more targeted, with higher conversions. As a bonus, I'll share a website where I once appeared on the homepage, with dofollow links and PA 90+, which brought high authority and many paid users. Last June, I made a directory list using Notion directory list, and even after a long time, webmasters still message me requesting inclusion.
How to Submit to Directory Sites: Complete Guide (Manual or Paid Services)
Prepare Website Information
Once you have the following information ready, you can start batch submissions or contact freelancers to batch submit to tool directory sites, commercial review platforms, and composite sites like PH. Using Canva as an example:
- Product Name：Canva
- Website URL：https://www.canva.com/
- Short Description：Canva is an online design platform for creating visuals like social media posts, presentations, and more with easy-to-use tools.
- Long Description：Canva is a versatile cloud-based design tool that enables individuals and businesses to create professional-quality graphics, presentations, documents, videos, and other visual content. With a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, millions of templates, stock photos, icons, and fonts, Canva simplifies design for non-experts while offering advanced features for teams, including brand kit integration, collaboration tools, and AI-powered design assistance. It's widely used for social media marketing, education, business communications, and personal projects.
- Company Name：Canva Pty Ltd
- Slogan/Tagline：Empowering the world to design.
- Category
- Tag
- Contact Email
- Social Media
- Availability of API
- Video Demo
- Promo Code (optional for PH and other discount platforms)
- Other URLs：Blog, Affiliate Program, FAQ, etc.
Image Information:
Logo
Screenshot
Features
Pricing：Free Trial, Freemium, Premium, Hybrid, Enterprise, etc.
Batch Submission
If you have sufficient budget and want quick indexing, you can find freelancers on Fiverr or Upwork to manually submit tools to directory sites, for example $200 to submit to 200+ sites (just an example, haven't purchased this type of service).
Services on Fiverr, you can also hire people on Upwork to submit.
If you want to submit manually, you can contact me to get a regularly updated directory site list
Commercial Software Review Platforms, Future of Directory Sites, and Solution-Based Directories
What two types of sites is Product Hunt like an intermediate form of? Directory sites and commercial software review platforms. PH has both more relaxed self-submission terms and relies on voting and reviews to achieve rankings.
What Are Commercial Software Review Platforms?
These sites, represented by Capterra, G2, Crozdesk, Trustpilot, etc., can be said to be the "Yelp" for B2B tools. Compared to directory sites, they display reviews and ratings in SERP rich snippets. Compared to "Submit a tool," commercial software review platforms are "For Vendors," with a more cumbersome submission process, even requiring email verification from the same domain. More information needs to be prepared, including specific features and FAQ. They are more commercialized, requiring membership or even payment. Lower risk than PH ranking, can achieve priority through reviews. Since they are commercial software, payment willingness and capability are higher. The most famous is Capterra, part of the Gartner Group, which also includes SoftwareAdvice, GetApp, and Upcity platforms. In addition to ToB SaaS products, ToC AI tools can also be submitted, but the steps are really too cumbersome. I've only submitted to 20+ review platforms:
- Capterra, 3M
- G2, 3.2M
- Software Advice, 832K
- TrustRadius, 583K
- SaaS Genius, 109K
- SaaSHub, 392K
- Crozdesk, 109K
- Trustpilot, 58.3M
- SoftwareSuggest, 491K
What Is the Future of Directory Sites?
Written for webmaster friends – "Producing content makes you a competitor in the industry, reorganizing content makes you a good friend in the industry." First, AI directory sites have rapidly emerged within a year, and they also crawl each other's tool directories, facing high homogenization problems. Each directory site's categories and tools below are almost identical. Obviously, directory sites with first-mover advantage will take more share and maintain their lead.
Second, simple URL aggregation will quickly hit a bottleneck, because the number of AI tools appearing daily is limited. The solution is to make functionally flat directory sites three-dimensional, reflected in website structure as more levels and wider breadth (Stability AI can only be published once, but SD3, SVD, Cascade keep coming). Here are some successful transformation cases:
- Build Personal IP: Matt Wolfe, webmaster of FutureTools.io, has 560k followers on YouTube through AI tool reviews and news videos. The last ten videos all have over 100k views. He's the influencer I most want to collaborate with, relying on personal blog/directory site/YouTube/Twitter to cross-promote traffic.
- Affiliate Partnership Model: According to my observation, many domestic directory sites adopt this approach, which can be win-win with tool sites (directory site webmasters who accept this type of cooperation, please DM me).
- Deepen Content: Add tool tutorials, tool comparisons, etc. (many payments don't come through product introduction pages, but related content pages). These can theoretically be automated with AI. The benefit is still SEO. Many directory sites rely on product brand terms, and adding deep content can further rank functional terms. At the same time, similar content aggregation can produce "The Best/Top Tools" type articles, which in turn help directory sites have greater bargaining power when cooperating with tool websites.
- Many AI directory sites are doing this, like Toolify has summaries, and Ge Fei mentioned There's an AI for that has a user request forum module, etc.
Vertical Directory Sites
When traditional directory websites are saturated, directory sites in niche fields will have more value. The AI directory sites I've been talking about are vertical directories, feature sites, with many categories divided by modality, like text, image, video, audio, PPT, website, etc. Actually, directory sites can also exist in solution form: Last year, to submit a tool, I contacted a webmaster (though the tool wasn't added in the end). His directory site was called Snowball External Navigation, and these are the categories:
- Amazon product selection, official tools, Amazon frontend, Amazon backend
- AI common tools, AI cross-border tools
- TikTok product selection, data analysis, material acquisition, TikTok advertising
- EDM marketing, SEO tools, keyword tools, website building tools, affiliate tools
AI enthusiasts who love to experience will prefer the former, wanting to try each one and compare; for those who want 10x productivity in their workflow, the latter toolkit is more suitable, because ChatGPT cannot replace every link in the process. Ultimately, whether your product appears in AI tool directories or foreign trade tools/cross-border tools/e-commerce independent site tools/marketing tool directories to get more orders, you should have your own answer.