by Definition of Search Engine
Search engines use small programs called robots that crawl the Internet, follow links and bring this information back into the search engine index. When you use Google, you’re not actually searching the web, you’re searching the Google web index. Search engines use complex algorithms to determine which web pages are most likely to answer the questions you ask and return those pages to the search engine results pages (SERPs).
Definition of Directory
Directories, on the other hand, are human-powered. Site owners submit their sites to the directories (sometimes for a fee, sometimes for free) and human editors determine the value of the site and whether it should be included in the directory. Visitors to the Directory can access the desired category, i.e. Arts, Humanities, etc.
The Key difference between a Search Engine and Directory
- Search engines are web applications that display a list of relevant resources available using a database created from indexing information collected by web robots.
- The directory displays a list of relevant resources through a database created by a hierarchical catalog of listed websites.
- Search engines automatically collect information about a Web site in order to index it, while Web directories require that a Web site submission be listed in the directory.
- Web sites must meet a certain criteria to be listed in a directory to ensure quality, whereas a search engine automatically lists regardless of the quality of the content. Although search engines use special algorithms to filter and provide users with the most relevant and useful information.
- Some directories charge a fee for listing in the directory, whereas a search engine does not charge publishers.
Conclusion
A search engine is an online tool that helps Internet users find the sites and information they are looking for. A directory is a catalog of websites categorized to allow users to easily find the information they need. Unlike search engines, which locate and display relevant information using a formula or algorithm, search directories are organized by real people who discover new sites and relevant information by browsing the Internet themselves and examining the proposed sites.
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