do they expect just search engine back link, or do they also expect lot of people will come through link clicking?
Generally speaking you only get real traffic from a directory thats recognised as a resource in a specific niche. Besides that is the back link only I am afraid.
I assume that they expect a lot more but thats all they get. Just a backlink and the possibility of traffic in three or four years time if the directory master knows their stuff.
? I think that has been answered wrong as most directories that i have seen clearly state and show what is offered for the service. In that the paying customer has a choice to purchase the product from the vendor or not to. If the terms of sale are unclear then the buyer could ask more questions or move on. But to say they assumed more is misleading ( we all know the assume breakdown ) and would be like saying never advertise in a news paper just because one publication is crap, anyway there are plenty of good directories that show up front what you get for your $
I dont think that a submitter only expects a backlink, possibly some will. Depending on the directory, some traffic will come through. Other expectations could be a relationship between the submitter and the directory owner (i dont mean husband and wife relationship ) with some directories offering video features that is now opening up more promotional opportunity for the submitter, depending on their type of business. Many directories offer deeplinks and very nice quality details pages, its not merely a backlink but an organised collection of good links back to inner pages of their site. Many submitters are regular visitors back to good resources and will recomend others, even non webmasters. Remember that google told us all that backlinks were like a vote for our site, well that still seems so, to a degree at least, directories have evolved and keep on evolving. Combining the backlinks with the other features, and now as suggested recently, wrapping other services around a directory means a nice little resource indeed. A backlink on its own can indeed be argued as not much, but already and i see in the very near future that directories offer and will improve on combining quite a service for anyone who intends to use them.
It's pretty clear you don't know much about directories then, and you should never generalise as you don't know whether directories provide more than a backlink.
What else do you get? I am all ears and can only learn if I am wrong. Deep links is good. I assume Google does not fuss about the number of links that point to a site as long as its not over done but when does it become too much of a good thing? Is it one vote per page on the target site irrespective of the repeats from one listing/article? If one was to list the same target page from different pages/articles/categories on the listing site, would each vote count?
Regarding your further questions in unsure myself, i dont want to pretend that i know. And regarding what else do you get, i guess that depends on the directories, i guess its not just the current, but future offerings. Much like google has always got something going on in the dark room, so have directory owners. I feel excited that some great things will happen in the directory world, and people dont need to learn the science of google, im always aware of the ones that do less talking and just get on with their plans. The people to watch are not the ones stepping up to talk every 5mins but the quiet ones, work continues.
I expect the large and well known directory owners to promote and link directly to their internal categories and get them some PR and direct popularity. I have one site in one of the most popular directories, premier position, 5 internal links for over a month = not one visitor. BIG DIRECTORY OWNERS promote and external link to your internal pages... The phone book provides traffic and if directories don't send traffic google will remove you because you don't do anything for the net. http://www.omg-1.com
The way I see it Google provides us with the means to start a directory and the challenge is to build and develop it into a resource which complements Google's search results. We start off offering back links and in time traffic but its impractical and irresponsible to pretend otherwise. I would like to take a closer look at what Popotalk is doing with his directory and I agree that its going to be interesting to see which direction the industry takes.
Well officially for me, the script creators provides us with a means to start a directory and the search engines provides us with the means to float our little boats on their big ocean, every now and then google artificially creates a Tsunami to throw us overboard, watch us flap about in the water a little then reaches out with a helping hand to lift us back up and in again, Bizarre behaviour isn't it? Its somewhat difficult to compliment googles search results when they keep changing their minds.
I dont think so. To the contrary if we do exercise some sort of editorial integrity Google stands to benefit. Nothing difficult about that until arrogance and greed take over and supersede what is just common sense.
Google cant seem to take care of its own editing though, they leave an enormous amount of junk and undisireble content in place, their hardly in a position to get all prim and proper with us. Google is greedier than any of us so they wont change it will always be the little man apologising for getting in their way. Googles dream is google banking, google healthcare, google tv, google frontal lobotamy.
I think, people paying for general directory usually to get back link, traffic, good reviews, good position in search engine, etc.