Google Directory: R.I.P.
August 4, 2011
“Google Directory Has Been Shut Down,” announces Search Engine Watch. A tool for organizing and publicizing websites, the year 2000 project had simply lost its usefulness. Other directories, like Yahoo!’s and Dmoz still function, but for how long?
Writer Rob D. Young explains:
“With search now dominating our web navigation, directories are seen primarily for their link juice value. For that reason, Google has been slowing support on Google Directory for a while; at the end of last year, Google stopped supporting directory search. Now the Google Directory is just gone: Visiting its former location gives you a message that Google just thinks you should use their search engine instead.”
This message is the only notice; no announcement was made about the discontinuation.
This isn’t the only outdated product Google has shuttered as it pursues new projects. Support for the Firefox Google Toolbar, multiple APIs, Google PowerMeter, Google Health, and Google Labs have all met the chopping block.
Out with the old, in with the new. Google+, anyone?
Cynthia Murrell, August 4, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com, publishers of The New Landscape of Enterprise Search
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Google has also retreated from some of its search capabilities.
The Blog Search has recently lost many of its options, including the ability to search by blog author.