Google's new Web directory

March 2000

The increasingly popular Google search site has added its own Web directory. Like Pandia Plus it is based on the Netscape-owned Open Directory Database. Unlike Pandia and most Open Directory sites, however, Google includes hits from its own search engine in the search results.

Horizontal bars, which are displayed next to each webpage, indicate the "importance" of the page, as determined by Google's so-called PageRank technology. PageRank, it should be noted, is a system whereby Google measures the number of high quality sites that link to a particular website. The more sites that link to it, the better Google reckons it is.

Google enthusiast should note that when they use the "old" search engine, it will give you a link to what it thinks is the relevant directory category.

• Google Web directory
• Google search engine
• About the Open Directory Project

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