Think of or already own a web directory? Please read this!

Web directory owners – existing and to-be-soon! Let's do our business wisely, otherwise we are risking to end up very soon!

I am not only owner of a web directory based on phplinkdirectory script, but also SEO manager for few projects and I use submission to other web directories every day in my work and trace and monitor results of submissions.
I've been seeing for the last few months that Google gives less and less value to links from web directories, just doesn't index and doesn't shows these links. Why? I guess because of duplicate content filter.

Just look at the Solicitations & Announcements section at this forum - dozens of new directories appear daily, and hardly half of them have custom design, unique categories structure, relevant unique content, etc. I am not even talking about SEO friendly things like unique metatags, URLs rewrite, PR for inner pages, etc.

And what we have now – hundreds of identical web directories based on the same phpld script, with the same design template, often with default structure and names of the categories, and more often with the same sites links in the same categories, just because when a new directory has been announced people go and submit their links there, then go to another new web directory and submit there, and so on…do they use different link titles and descriptions for the same site in different directories? I am not really sure…

If we will go this way further we'll just bury the idea of web directories. Like it was with reciprocal link exchange, like it happened to bulk articles submission (I run an experiment, submitted 1 article to 300+ article directories, and in few months I could find in Google just few of links, Yahoo and MSN seem to be more tolerant to such things, but again it's just a matter of time).

Do you doubt that G is smart enough to start determining such things one day and eventually apply a strict filter to web directories?

When you decide to launch of web directory ask yourself do you have enough time, skills, knowledge, and money for this? Owning a web directory is not only an easy way of making some money, but also everyday work on making the directory better, more unique, more helpful for people who submit their websites.

If you want to build a well-established, trusted, successful web directory you must forget about concept "all and now" and remember about "work now for results in the future"

Don't be afraid of competition, because web directories sell links, and for SEO and web promotion the more links are the better, so if you offer real value for real money your customers will find you anyway.

So how to make your web directory unique?​

1) Do not use template. Try to find a web designer who will create a custom header and css for your directory. If you still can't afford it try not to use template "as is". Make at least slightly alterations to the layout and style, such as font color, size, decoration, background color, etc.

2) Try to create unique directory structure, with unique names for categories and subcategories. If there is default category Business>Employment, why not to name it Business>Employment and Career to be outstanding of hundreds of similar pages?

3) Try to add unique meta tags to categories pages. Yes, it's quite labor taking task but remember about "work now for results in the future"

4) Try to add some unique content to the pages, news feeds related by theme, for example.

5) Allow long description for the links, 300 chars at least

6) Allow deep links to quality pages

7) If you offer "reciprocal link option" change text of the link 2-3 times a month. By default it is taken automatically as the site name, but can be edited in templates>submit.tpl This will diversify links to your directory and make them more "natural looking" for SE.

I would be happy if other DP members add more advices.

 

Very true competition is everywhere but you have to have differentiators to ensure that your Directory will stand out and be noticed

 

This is the main reason many directories these days can't get good PR or high rankings at SERPs. Many think uniquess is just the design, but how the structure of a directory is made is important as well as real content within directory.

Any phpld owner should consider not to build categories in the same way. You can rename the category names to be more unique for example.

 

Nice suggestions, will surely work on tht..
Thank you

 

Good points, I will keep these in mind.

 

Here is an example of a custom directory I built (I am still adding categories),
but unique design, content, etc.
http://www.theaets.org

 

Very good post, I like it.


The way things seem to be going, honestly I think the directory business will only last another 1-2 years....if not less.

For it to be 3-5 years, webmasters must really do changes on their existing Dir if it follows some of the examples you stated that can result in duplicate content filters.

I also think any webmasters with directories should try spreading the word...perhaps if they have a blog,,,post something similar to this topic.

Cheers

 

Changing the link 2-3 times per month is an excellent suggestion, if you allow recip linking at all. It does have it's bad points.

I would add . . . don't copy and paste when you promote. It's quality not quantity.

 

I'm glad someone else has said this. When I started my first directory 18 months ago my main priority was to make some thing different that would offer better value to visitors and customers.

Unfortunately most people who start a directory these days do not have the experience or the inclination to create something worthwhile.

Many webmasters want to make a quick buck and they will move on to the next moneymaker. This is not too bad for free submissions but if you have paid to submit to these sorts of directories your link will disappear when the owner decides to quit.

If google wanted to it could devalue all PHPLD sites overnight but it is not the script that is at fault, it how people are using them.

My advice is if you want to make a directory make it different. Stick with it for the long run. I never made any money from my directory for over a year.

If you are submitting to a directory look at what they have to offer. Check PR, domain age, alexa rank, wayback archive, yahoo/msn/google indexed pages and links, page strength.

Also check the domain name, if the directory is called du47m.org or bobs-fishing-store.info and claim to be a general directory then thy may be just cashing in.

Finally what does the directory look like. Is it a run o' the mill template or custom. How are the sites indexed, how many link to a page, are the links plain html (do they pass on G juice), do inner page have PR, does the site send traffic.

 

Very good post.

Also, bear in mind your link profile - if you add your siteto lots of dirs which are penalized for duplicate content, your site will be associated with them = bad link profile.

 

Great thing to point out Danner, I've given this a lot of thought recently. You really want to talk about being in bad quality think of all the 1/2 add owners who post in this forum. They get their sigs right along with ours.

My goal for promotion is to get ~5 strong PR links from directories (for theming, we are directories after all) and another 10 strong PR links from other places (preferably where no other directory links are). After that it is all about anchor text in future links but I do not actively pursue them, these should be built naturally. Not submitted to 1000's of directories.

 

Good points in this thread - I hate the cookie-cutter mushroom directories too - I too have a directory unlike any I have ever seen - I made it myself. It's html based and well liked by G with PR4 on all the categories. Check my sig...

 

In the web 1.0 directories are the social search feature.
In the web 2.0 Digg like sites is the new social feature.

Just because there are 1 million Digg clones means that Digg is not good? No, directory links will continue to be valued IMHO.

 

i spend a week programming my own webdir.... and its worth it, it jumped to PR5 in no time.

 

Great tips ! I've been looking for suggestions on how to differentiate my Directory

 

Hi,

Very good post... let's say stay somewhat unique ... or .... combne some things together to something new... Thats why I made a directory-rank-seo combined site?
I code the site myself in ASP ... I'm already found by google...and the rankigs are satisfying...
So what do you think of this combined concept : www.high15.com could it make it (notice also the random cloud of screenshots)

thanks in advance for the advice

 

very very great post indeed. I am worried about the future of web directory too. But hey, you have the point about making it unique.

 

I dont think we have to worry about anything…
The real directories with the names are already unique. The men did them for the interest.
"Spam and scam" noob dirs are already dead, they kill each other for the revenue.

The only thing we can worry about is the time that we lose by fighting with the mirror…

Thank you. Good post.

 

Serious Directory Owners have to invest alot of time and money to make a directory strong & well known and I think everyone around DP at this stage knows the best directory sites worth getting listed on.

 

I agree..People think it's easy to make money from directories..NO! It's very hard infact you will have to invest alot of $$$ to make your direcotry strong and quality one!
Saad