Google decided to no longer continue one of its service, “Google Directory”. For those who have not used Google Directory, it is a web directory where websites are organized in a hierarchy of categories. Unlike Search engine listings, where bots automatically add websites and display a lists of web pages based on keywords, the sites on a web directory are hand-picked by Human beings.
Finding a website on web directory is not easy and frustratingly a slow method. With Advent of new technologies, the search engine capabilities keep on improving over the past few years. So, there is no surprise in closing down Google Directory because undoubtedly, Google Search is the best way to search information on Internet.
The snapshot is showing the message you will see on visiting Google Directory
Side Note : DMOZ (free) and Best of the Web (commercial) offer high quality entries as of Google.