Directory

A Directory or Web Directory is a human-powered alternative to computerized, automatic search engines. Directories are used as a method of searching or listing a website.

Web Directories offer web guide services similar to search engines, providing lists of websites based on keywords you type in. However, since a Web Directory is edited by actual humans (as opposed to a computer), the search results may be better than those from search engines.

Human editors for Web Directories check the website listings individually and usually omit poor quality and useless websites, so as a result the quality of the listings may often be better than search listings created by a computer.

Examples of Web Directories include Aboutus.org (connected to wiki), dmoz.org (the most popular: also called ODP or Open Directory Project), World Wide Web Virtual Library, Yahoo! Directory, and Best of the Web Directory.

A Web Directory is also called a link directory.