In the Google Co-op, you can create a Custom Google Search Engine where you can add your own sites and then ask "Volunteers" to add their sites to your Search Engine. Being on Google itself and being able to add your own listings to your "Google" Search Engine, in theory to me, seems like a great way to get sites indexed by Google. The Search Engine you create is hosted by Google also, so it would seem that you should see some linking power come from this. I created a Search Engine here: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=000415324339589727901:krj1whtmhty&hl=en Here's the thing that interests me the most. When you build the Search Engine, there is a function which allows you to add your own sites, but when you add them, you can also choose to add all sites which are linked to the sites you submit. So, if you have a Directory site, that would mean that all the links in your directory would also be added to the Google Search Engine you created. This to me, seems like it could benefit sites in their linking power somewhat, if not indirectly. I know this subject has probably come up here in the forum before and I would like to hear from some of the experts on this. Any ideas?
It's a good idea to create niche search engines this way. For many directory owners though this doesn't make sense at all. I mean, what's the added value for visitors to be able to search all the sites some free directory with hardly any editorial policy links to?