If you have been dmoz, you would find all links in dmoz are in page 1 there seems no page 2. When the number exceeded, make another category and move them in. It is really a hard work for most of one-editor-directory . But why directory called directory, as all the link are in the related category, if not, it only needs 2 categories, Computers and Not Computer So do you think we should make all links in page1?
I see nothing wrong with moving the links to page 2, the category is still relevant. Putting all those links on page 1 looks very tacky and the value of the link would go down. A directory should never have more 20 links on a page, any more than that is just over kill.
But I do not think thousands of links in one caregory is reasonable. A directory is a big one as it has a large number of unique category for sites
I see multiple pages in most categories for one of the largest paid directories -Yahoo! Directory. They pull it off quite well. I guess it would be up to you as to how you structure your categories, but I wonder how many webmasters might refrain from submitting if the number of listings on a page is similar to some of the categories in dmoz. Some might be put off with 50-100 links on a page.
I think it is okay for multi page in directories. Just make sure that all pages is defined in your google sitemap file.
20 links a little too small for me. But 100 links are way too many. Also, having 20 pages is not good either.
It really depends on the category. If the category can be split up, it should be if there are more then 20 links. If the category cannot be split up reasonably well, you can go with page 1, page 2 or - like DMOZ does - go with alphabetical listings.
So if there 200 link in one category, will you consider a new category for more? I think most of us would do that, hundreds of links in one category is not so good. @coolsitez If we started a general one, how could we switch to niche?
But what if a category has more than a several hundred links? Are you saying you make a new category for the sake of it? Say Real estates in A Town? what if it is a big town? Are you saying make a category with 'A Street in a town' just to make a new category? How far do we drill down?
Why not Town > Real Estate > Commercial Town > Real Estate > Residential Town > Real Estate > Builders & Developers etc. If they get too big Town > Real Estate > Residential > A - M Town > Real Estate > Residential > N - Z If the city is big enough since most large cities usually have sections why not something like... Town > Central > Real Estate Town > North-Central > Real Estate Seems to me, for the most part, that with some thought most any category can be split into smaller ones. I would think the SEO impact of having fewer links on the page would more than compensate for any possible negative impact of being listed in "Directories A-C" vs "Directories".
I would always support the idea that splitting into subcategories helps keep categoires from getting too big, and is a good general procatice for growing your directory.
I think this would apply if it was a free directory since most free directories get tons of submissions, but for a paid directory I do not think it is needed, but then again you never know.
I agree some, but if your directory would be alive for more than 10 years, how many category would you have? Maybe it is not a problem now, but you would do that in some day. For my free directory, there are hundreds of submission per day, when the link exceeded the page1, I would like to move them into a new category. @YMC That's my way to make it clear
I cringe when I see a dir with 20 pages of links in a single cat. What good is my link sitting way back on page 21? Nor do I want to be on a page with 100 links. I find there are a large number of older established dirs, still taking submissions regularly, that don't bother to sub divide their categories. And now the dir is so full that nobody would want to have to sort through all those sites and place them in new sub cats. I recently paid someone to do 400 submissions for me. I check all the confirmation emails and check out a few of the dirs I'm being placed in. Unfortunately there is a high number of dirs that are quite full. My link is landing on page 10 or 20, even worse in a few. No complaints for the price I paid. I look at it as a shotgun effect. Submit to 400 and get maybe 20 really good placements, 50 good placements, 100+ so so placements and the rest are crap.