Hey DP's, Can anyone give some advise of how to target which keywords for a general directory or niche directory? It seems that targeting each categories would be too many to rank.. Cheers
I think your just target to popular keyword "website directory", or something like that for general directory, and just target somthing like "chemical directory". "technical directory" if you have niche directory.
I recommend go through all your keywords and rank them, then take the top 100 or so. See my web directory for an example (url in the sig). I use this ranking method and have used it successfully countless times. If you are purchasing keyword through AdWords or similar service, then you may want to limit your list to the top 10 or so. It is important to note the differences between words and phrases during your analysis. I prefer individual words over phrases because its usually cheaper, IMHO, and you're more likely to catch "accidental" visitors. Accidental visitors are those that click on a link not knowing for sure if you have what they need, kind of like hooking a window shopper with a nice display. YMWV greatly though based upon your site history and the generality of your keywords. Over-saturation of certain keywords will need to be considered as well.
If you are only targeting submitters, then chase directory-related phrases. If you want actual visitors, you're going to have to optimize every category like a mini-site.
Read this answer from YMC -> http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=2325367&p=16972420#post16972420