To coin a phrase, TexasRef is an internet marketing collaboration system. Our users provide the vast majority of the content on the site. We provide an easy to navigate framework for the user's directory listings, press releases and classified ads. Just as importantly, we promote the user's content on TexasRef to their target audiences of potential customers, business partners and investors.

Search engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN Live Search are critical to the success of our directory. Every premium listing contributes to the overall search engine rank of our site. That is because TexasRef is designed to leverage a number of key strengths regarding search engines.

• Strength through original content. We encourage our users to create unique content for their directory listings. Search engines love unique and original content. Unique content is the single most important criteria to impress the search engines. Sure, it is a lot of work to create an original listing, but TexasRef provides the tools to make it easier.
• Strength through quality. Some of you may think that the registration process at TexasRef is too cumbersome or difficult. While that is a good topic for discussion, the truth is that the registration process is designed to exclude spammers and other less than ethical individuals that plague other online directories. Fewer junk listings equate to higher rankings in the search engines.
  
• Strength through quantity. Most directories provide space for 200 characters or less for each business description. That makes them easy to index for the directory, but they lack enough content to index very well in the search engines. At TexasRef, a premium listing can contain over 135,000 characters. We want to make sure that you have plenty of room to get your message across. Because our listings are potentially so much larger than other directories, there is more content for the search engines to index. It is simple math. If the content is original, more content = more matches in the search engines.
• Strength in numbers. If a single, well written listing gets a good rank in the search engines, what happens if there are ten thousand well written listings? Each original listing or ad contributes to the overall rank of the site. The overall rank of the site enhances to the rank of individual listings. Basically, good page rank attracts better page rank. We all help each other.
• Strength through association. It is impossible to predict what a potential customer may use as a query when they use a search engine. Their query may lead them to another listing on TexasRef, but by using our index and your detailed listing, they decide that your business is better suited to their needs. That is the power of association.

At TexasRef, our goal is not only to become the leading online business directory in Texas, but to become the primary business reference of any kind in Texas. Only you can help us achieve that goal.