I have spent the best part of the last 2 weeks building a web directory using PHPLD 4.2.2. I have made a lot of customizations to the script to make it easy and fast for submissions. I want to be able to offer a 100% human edited web directory featuring only quality websites. Submissions range from free, reciprocal and paid listings. Paid listings take priority over free submissions, although as it is a new directory, I will be reviewing free submissions within 24 hours. Please take a look and let me know what you think. Visit the directory here http://www.seekmash.com Thank you.
I know you posted this a few months ago but since no one replied, I thought I'd take the chance that you might still check in on the thread, and reply. Design I like the grunge design, and your color choices work well. Your index page fits above the fold, and that is good. The logo is simple, but it's a good fit with the design. Main Menu For the sake of symmetry in the main menu, it is best if every top-level category name consist of the same number of words (one word, two words, or two words joined by an ampersand). That's not a must, but it looks prettier, and first impressions count. If you are going to include a specified number of subcategories beneath each top-level category, try to work it out so that they all take up the same number of lines. In that way, each of your top-level categories are in the same row. Taxonomy You should create your category structure off-page, and add categories to the directory only when you have at least one (3 or 5 is better) site listing to add to it. If you are going to have a regional category, you need to make sure that sites for companies or products that are available only to a specific geographical area be listed in regional, rather than in a topical category. Several of your subcategory names are so long that they wrap to a second line, giving your subcategory menus a busy and confusing look, where it's hard to tell where one category name stops and another begins. Category Descriptions Every web directory script that I am aware of includes a feature for category descriptions, so use it. One of the reasons that directories are having a tough time of it right is that so many of them rightfully look like link-selling schemes, and are being penalized or otherwise not rated by the search engines. In order to become established and to flourish, your directory is going to have to stand out from the crowd, because the crowd doesn't look so good. One of the easiest way that you can do that is to include well-written, uniquely authored, category descriptions, complete with an image or two. While other web directories were losing rank or being penalized, Jasmine Directory gained a point during the last Google update. Take a look at Jasmine's category descriptions. Advertising I would hold off on advertising until you get some content in your directory, and your directory begins getting some traffic. A lot of people view advertising on a web directory to be unprofessional, so it is a tradeoff. It is better to monetize through site submissions than from advertising. That said, your one ad doesn't look that bad. Quality Control From the very beginning, establish and enforce your submission rules. I like that your rules call for perfect English, which would mean grammatically correct, full sentences. Don't be afraid to change submitted titles and descriptions in order to ensure that they comply with your guidelines, or to move submitted sites to more appropriate categories. Ninety percent of general web directories that are started never make it past the first year with any semblance of order and good quality about them, although they may remain online. The bigger your directory gets, the more difficult it will be to make changes. It takes a whole lot of work, resources, and time to make a go of a general web directory, and most of them never get anywhere. Those that do have the resources to hire editors to help populate their categories. In the better directories, ninety percent of the listings were added by the directory staff rather than submitted by paid submitters. You might want to consider a niche directory instead, either a topic that you have an interest in or a regional directory, where sites are listed according to their geographic location. As a matter of purely personal opinion, rather than offering free submissions, I would charge at least $1. In that way, you'll be able to bypass nearly all of the spammers and garbage submissions, since many of them are automated, and few will spend a buck for the privilege of spamming you. In that way, your queue won't be filled with junk, and you'll have more time to spend growing your directory.
I think this person has provided enough review so I don't think i would like to repeat the same things but just focus on contents and put descriptions on each category asap. Overall, It looks great and Good luck for your directory.