Directory links refer to links that originate in a web directory – also called link directories – that act as lists or catalogues of websites.
Although still in use, web directories and directory links are legacy elements from the early internet. As their name implies, they were used to list entries of people or businesses online, such as their homepage addresses and contact information.
Web directories today also tend to include entries about a website that contains links to their content, organized into categories and subcategories. Besides a link, entries can also have the page’s title and a summary of its content.
In most link directories, entries cover entire websites rather than their individual pages. For organizational purposes, most sites are eligible for inclusion in only a handful of categories within a directory.
The initial idea behind web directories is to provide an alternative way to find information online by browsing topics instead of searching by keywords. Today, most directories allow for searches within their database.
