To gain higher rankings within search engines, it’s a good idea to submit your website to the following two directories. They hold the most weight of all directories as they are two of the oldest and considered legit. 

DMOZ:  ODP – Open Directory Project

Yahoo: Yahoo Directory

Directories are slightly dated in my opinion. They were originally created to help organize content on the Internet and organize information by assigning websites to categories.I think of them as the opposite to search engines since they are intended for users that have a general idea of their interest, but don’t have something specific in mind.  For example, let’s say you have an interest in “science,” then you’d go the yahoo directory and click on the “science” category. You’d then go through sub categories to find something your final destination. 

It’s a good idea, but just didn’t catch on to the scale that “search” did. Search engines took over since they were easier to use and since users that didn’t know exactly what they wanted would simply start with a broad search and then narrow it down as they sorted through the information they found.