Kind of sad. They could have such a successful directory if they just put a tiny bit of effort into it. They've got strong backlinks and a strong brand. Plus it could be used as a seed of quality sites for their search engine...
It was announced in November. I guess they weren't getting enough from the submissions for the directory to continue. Weird.
true, it does suck to see them do this. the good news is that those who got listed before they made this change will be grandfathered in, so can not really complain about that.
Wonder why they are shutting down. They could make so much more money with it. It is definitely a well-respected directory, and a great value at that. Only $39 a year for such a strong directory. Plus, they gave you 9 additional links. I am glad about one thing though. They intend to give partial refunds to all websites that have not hit their 1 year listing mark.
To clarify a few things for those of you who do not have listings in the directory, the directory was part of Microsoft's bCentral SubmitIt service that was intended to be an automated SEO tool. Microsoft decided to pull the plug on the SubmitIt service last year and the directory was in limbo since then (not accepting new listings and not removing listings that expired). It looks like they have decided to rebrand the directory and keep it going as a standalone product. Existing listings are going to be grandfathered in the new directory (excellent for me!). What isn't clear is how the new directory will function (listings still get 3 categories and extra deep links?, cost/pricing?).
It's also unclear if the directory will continue past 2008. http://www.bcentraltransition.com/SBD/ Q: What will happen to my listing on the Microsoft Small Business Directory after 2008? A: The Microsoft Office Live Team is looking into ways Microsoft might utilize Small Business Directory assets to enhance or augment Microsoft® Office Live services. How such assets may be reinterpreted as new Microsoft Office Live offers is yet to be determined. You will be notified in advance of any changes and updates pertaining to the Microsoft Small Business Directory.
I think they don’t know what to do with it.. It’s to bad, but looks like recurring on popular directories remember Zeal and Go.
Zeal/LookSmart's business model fell apart when MSN stopped paying to include their listings in search results. Go was a messy situation with infighting amongst the owners that eventually spawned a couple of derivative directories. The SBD situation is different - Microsoft just hasn't decided if its a business they want to pursue.