Directory websites

It's stupid how many directory websites there are.

I want to find out more about Cromwell Catering, phone number (01543) 258014, so I put it into Google and got 64 results, ALL from directory websites and NONE telling me anything about Cromwell Catering.

What a waste of time.

There must be loads of people out there who think they're going to be the next Yahoo or Yell.com and make millions. So they set up a directory website, fill it up with the names and phone numbers of all registered companies, and wait for the money to roll in.

Then they try to convince businesses that by paying for a premium listing they'll drive thousands of new customers to their website.

The practical upshot is that businesses aren't going to pay good money to advertise with every Mickey Mouse directory website that sends them a mailshot, so the vast majority of directories contain only free listings of just the business name and location, nothing useful like a link to the business's website or an informative advert.

So when I search the web for business information, I've learned never to click on directory listings. They're just wasting my time. Actually, here's a way of hitting back at companies who've annoyed you: repeatedly click on their "pay per click" ads on Google. This costs them money each time you click!

Anyway, I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and register www.LondonOlympicsHelp.com, which is going to be a directory of useful resources for the forthcoming games.

This whole situation is a bit like when they opened up the telephone directory enquiries service in the UK. Suddenly there were dozens of companies vying for my custom. Since they all offer an identical service with no differentiation, most of them went bust. The survivors where the ones with the best advertising. As a consumer, my response is not to use any of them and get my numbers from the Internet instead.