how long did it take you to build your directory?

I have a couple of new directories, one with 2500 categories and one with 1200. Frankly the thought of writing meta-description tags for them all scares the life out of me.

how long did it take to make yours, and what have you done?

I see so many that just say something like...
"This is a directory and you can submit your URL" on every page.

 

build is past tense. I'm STILL building, so let me say since forever...

 

You dont need to write meta tags for each category. They are created automatically...
It takes minutes to build a directory...
But it takes months/years to make a successful and strong directory.

 

Those who build in week, take submissions for a week, then tell those that have submitted they will all be deleted they go by the name of
The We Remove Links Directory also known as QBC's

Professionally run Directories are continuously editing, adding mods, new features, re-design its 100% on going

 

Agree 100% with what Pete is saying.

The difference between QBC and real directory owners is passion. A great directory is never satisfied and demands constant attention and care.

 

Building and improving is a continual process, it's the same as any site.

 

if u have $$$$, then may be it's gonna be shorter than what you thought.

 

All of my directories are ongoing projects, they will never be finished, only improved as time and money allows.

 

Try doing a handful a day. It'll be worth it in the end.

When you create new categories, be sure to add the info before making them active. It's an ongoing process.

 

Well, it took me almost a month to get to a point where I can Announce the directory to public. Doing necessary testing and making sure everything is working perfectly need some time.

Well, I agree there. Directory building is an ongoing process and will never stop. Its your passion that make you do new things to your Directory.

I also think that I have actually started it today and will keep working on it.

 

How crucial is meta tags for categories? Just wondering if better things can be done using that time like marketing....

 

I'll bump this up since this thread's very close to home right now.

I'm in the process of building my first directory. I've been writing categories by hand for a week now. I'm writing the META keywords and description as I go along. The user above me asked how crucial the META information is, I'm also wondering the same thing, does anyone know?

As of now I'm not writing Descriptions but at some point I would like to go through every one of my categories and write unique descriptions.

I'd love to be able to go public after a month of working on it but I'm not sure how feasible that will be.

Goals before going public:
- Finish creating my categories.
- Go back through every category adding RSS feeds to each one (going to be a daunting task)
- Purchase and install any other mods I feel I'll need.
- Decide whether I want to spend the money on a custom template. Might not be a good idea to drop a sum of money on a template and then find out that the directory biz isn't right for me.

 

Exactly thats what happens!

 

I think if you'll look at directories with a high number of supplemental pages that a common factor most noticable to me about these pages is the similar or identical meta description/kws - ie. using the default meta description/kws.

The less content on the page, the more likely these pages will end up as supplemental as not much of a difference is noticed during a crawl.

It doesn't take much time at all for me to add a unique description and related kws when creating new categories or adding new listings. I think the return can outweigh the slight inconvenience.