I am looking to purchase a general web directory which gets around 200-250 submissions everyday. It runs on free version of the script "phpLD2" http://www.phplinkdirectory.com/ Will it be easy to manange from a guy like me without any knowledge. Also, does it automatically send emails once a submission is done or do we need to send emails manually?
Maybe there are 2 answers to your question To maintain a directory that stands still can be done with little support But to edit and approve correctly '200-250 submissions everyday' is going to take a lot of time and effort You will get a lot of differing answers but make no mistake to run a directory takes a lot of time, and time is money, its not easy and anyone who says it is ........... well no comment, each to their own
You dont need too much knowledge as the skills needed only go so deep, but if its free and getting that amount and you want to individually check each listing before deciding to approve or decline it will cause you a massive backlog that you wont reach the end of anytime soon. Thats if you do it to a reasonable standard. If you cant find the time for that, and im not condoning this, then you can just approve everything, or skim quickly and approve almost anything, but you will end up with one messy directory. Setup properly the directory automatically sends an email (setup in your email templates) upon approval, rejection, etc, only if you want it that way.
Anybody can learn web directory management. The problem is, it's extremely time consuming and if you don't monetize your traffic, you might as well just volunteer at the local soup kitchen.
You mean free submissions ? You will atleast need to spend around 3-4 hours to approve those many submissions ( taking atleast 1 minute per submission)
Its a little like animals or a less harsh example is a car. The better you treat it, the better it will run. The more time, passion and money invested in it the only way is up.
Running a directory is kinda like being in charge of the old file room in an office. You've got a series of filing cabinets (the main categories) where each has a number of drawers (the secondary categories) which in turn has a number of folders (representing the sites). Just like the files in that room you will have to add new sites, delete expired/dead ones, and refile/move listings elsewhere if the drawer gets full (if the category gets too many listings you will have to create more subcategories to keep your directory functioning well). What I'm getting at is that if you don't care for detail-oriented work like maintaining files, you will hate running a directory. It is definitely time consuming but not necessarily all that difficult. SEO is a bit trickier than the average one topic site but there's tons of information here on how to do that. With that many daily submissions though, it sounds as if the previous owner has already done an excellent job of marketing the site.
Hahahaha. Good one! To the OP, directories are cyclic. Most that start out free, build up a steady stream of traffic and once the owner/editor has approved some good content they convert to a paid model, and do quite well. So I agree with John on monetizing. (Why do I feel like soup all of a sudden? I have this craving!) It's usually then that the directory owner will also improve design, add modifications and features for submitted sites to attract more submissions You really do need to start out with good editing principles from the beginning. You need to ensure that you are keeping bad sites (and badly submitted information) out of the directory, as just like with any other website you do not want to be linking to junk.
Depends on how you market your directory. If it is a free directory getting 200-250 submissions a day then it will take you more time to approve then the money its worth.