oh....just reread the original question.... all we are talking about is JUST ONE PARTICULAR directory? or did you have that problem after submitting to 100 directories, with most of them? if it's only one directory.........it's common... The only kind of advice for that situation: don't submit more than 2 or 3 sites at a time to directory. While some admins are happy with multiple submissions, some will delete them no matter how quality they are.
Well i did a few more then 2000 and i have made the right category and i did make backlinks and been a VERY gooooood boy but still. They directories that actully send you an email tells you that you are so few that i can count them on my fingers, and i am no alien.
Did you ask why your sites were rejected? In my opinion your sites are good. I normally delete any website submission because it does not qualify for my requirements or wrong category (ex. top category). But I often get many submissions that I don't accept (they waste their time and my time).
They never answer so i stopped asking i guess they do not have time i do not blame them. I have many sites and some i understand but like this one www.walkingwithtigers.org i do not understand
Best trick is to submit it to 500+ directories and calculate it as 200 links. Put a 300 buffer margin in it. I usually get my link builders do it to 1500+ directories and I get 900 or so links.
Since two of the sites in your siggy would qualify on topic for my directory I took a look around. I do not reject a site when it has ads, particularly when it is offering free information. That said, on your art of stained glass site, the ads are by far the most prominant thing on the page - they have the loudest color and the prime real estate on the page. Also, with a 4 word hyphenated domain, you might be setting off folks MFA filter before they even visit your site. While I consider my directory part of my business, my core business is writing. I took a look at some of the content on your site. I would recommend you have someone do some proofreading for you. While the article was readable it did have some subject/verb agreement issues, spelling (Hazzard was a writer, a hazard is dangerous), and other grammar errors. You use the same three ad configurations on every page - perhaps use shorter ones on the pages that have less content and you would eliminate the suspicious empty space on the page others have talked about. If the site you are discussing in this thread is set up the same as the one I looked at - it screams MFA. Under topics you have page 1, page 2, etc. It just doesn't look like original content. It's only when someone delves a bit further that the pictures and content are more obviously originals. A part of my directory has a similar problem and it is sometimes a challenge to take an article site and make it not look like a bunch of articles. So, I understand that can be tricky to overcome - I have redone my pages several times and have another modification in the works to get folks to spend more time there. I hope you look into what I and others have offered in advice. If the site in question offers the quality of information that the one I looked at does, it would be a shame if you gave up. I would strongly suggest you see if you can get any feedback from the Adsense placement thread, as I think some of your issues are coming from there. Good luck and don't give up on directories just yet. Remember, there are literally hundreds of them opening and closing every week.
I have said it before and will say it again here. You get what you pay for. If you go the free route it is a shot-in-the-dark. Many free directories disappear within six months. I agree with some of the above posters, pay for someone to do submissions to a few hundred free directories and then pick 10-20 paid directories and get listed with them. good luck.
Submitting to free directories doesn't need to be a shot in the dark. People that have trouble getting listed generally say that. If the original poster would be willing to show me the information they submitted for a couple of the sites that were rejected (including the sites themselves), I could almost guarantee that I could get those sites an acceptance. It's all about following a formula that 9 out of 10 directories follow. The majority of directories I find accept sites very quickly (I've just run a speed experiment - and over 150 on Info Vilesilencer add within a week) - I'd say thats pretty conclusive.
"and over 150 on Info Vilesilencer add within a week" - Is that out of your list of 453 directories? I do agree there are things you can do to increase your chances of getting accepted but I still think that the biggest problem is that many directories start off free (and that is the time to try and get in) and after a while either they change to paid (because no one likes to work for free) or they stop listing free sites and build up a huge wait-time of weeks or months to encourage paid "express" and "feature" listings. Personally I love free directories but I am getting more picky about which ones i will spend my time submitting too. If they use a free template or no template or have no logo I tend to not bother. If they have unrelated site names that are obviously from dropped PR names I also won't bother. If they are selling site-wides at ridiculiously low prices that is also a warning sign to me that they are likely in it to hit-and-run. I should say that the things above are just my personal opinions and are not foolproof by any stretch. And yes I run only paid directories now because my experience with many free directories has made me understand that the best way to have a direcory become succuessful long-term is to charge for listings. thanks