My plea to directory owners

Discussion in 'Directories' started by rhewitt, Jul 29, 2009.

  1. #1
    After having submit sites to directories in the past -- many directories are incredibly annoying to use.

    I'm talking (ranting?) about the huge drop down list of categories that have 100 - 1000 entries that are annoying to find the category you wish to select!

    So I'm kindly asking directory owners to use other methods of category selection. Unless there is a specific reason for using this method.

    G'day!
     
    rhewitt, Jul 29, 2009 IP
  2. pipes

    pipes Prominent Member

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    #2
    Why dont you navigate to the category you need first?

    It sounds like you're going to the submit page first and looking through the categories from there, which isn't ideal.
     
    pipes, Jul 29, 2009 IP
  3. Obelia

    Obelia Notable Member

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    #3
    That's a good point. Drop-down lists are most suitable for small directories with fewer than 150 categories. Once you get beyond that then drilling down through the categories can be a better solution.

    However there's no perfect solution, because going through lots of categories can be annoying as well, because you end up making lots of clicks. The best thing to do is use the search to find and select the most appropriate deep category, and submit from there. The main problems with this are that most users don't search first, and most scripts aren't built this way. It would require a complete rewrite of some of the most common scripts to change this.

    What this boils down to is directory owners running scripts that aren't optimal for the size of the directory they own. And perhaps script developers could be encouraged to differentiate between scripts that are ideal for small niche directories and those that work better for larger directories with hundreds of categories.
     
    Obelia, Jul 29, 2009 IP
    swedal likes this.
  4. linkstraffic

    linkstraffic Well-Known Member

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    #4
    I agree with that one and I plan on implementing this within my dir.
     
    linkstraffic, Jul 29, 2009 IP
  5. Amator

    Amator Well-Known Member

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    #5
    I totally agree with Pipes, I always navigate to the wanted category and then I submit
     
    Amator, Jul 29, 2009 IP
  6. YMC

    YMC Well-Known Member

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    #6
    Navigating to the category will also provide you with information concerning the quality of the directory and the value of being listed. If the appropriate category is full of spammy or mis-categorized sites, you are wasting your time submitting in the first place.

    Additionally, if you look over your competitor's entries you might even find some great keyword ideas. More than once I have changed my description to better match what already appears on the category page to aid the directory's SEO efforts - the better their page is indexed and ranked, the better chance that they will provide a valuable link and even traffic.

    I would recommend never submitting to a directory without checking out at least a few of the categories first. Why support someone who is only promoting spammy junk by submitting your great sites?
     
    YMC, Jul 29, 2009 IP
  7. prashantban

    prashantban Well-Known Member

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    #7
    he he he.. it happens generally with non quality directories.. beware of dem and dont add actually... they just make you fool.. thats it..!!
     
    prashantban, Jul 29, 2009 IP
  8. YMC

    YMC Well-Known Member

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    #8
    Simply having a drop down category list is far from the mark of a poor directory. It is simply a convenience provided to submitters and unfortunately some scripts do it prettier than others.
     
    YMC, Jul 29, 2009 IP
  9. Ed7up

    Ed7up Peon

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    #9
    Isn't the drop down list pretty standard with most scripts? I find that once you're used to submitting to a particular category you can find it pretty quick. Annoying, yes - but its better than having every directory doing different things!
     
    Ed7up, Jul 29, 2009 IP
  10. DSTSindustries

    DSTSindustries Peon

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    #10
    Pipes nailed it think most of us who manually approve submitted links end up finding that the submitted links are most of the time in the wrong category which can result from a mis click using the drop down menu, Which is why navigating to the appropriate section is more helpful in making sure your link is in the right category.
     
    DSTSindustries, Jul 29, 2009 IP
  11. pipes

    pipes Prominent Member

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    #11
    Also another benefit from navigating to the category first is that you can get a quick look at any other sites listed in the category to see if its being kept relevant enough by the directory owner, as sometimes ive gone to a category and its got completely unrelated sites listed in the category.

    This saves you even clicking the submit button and going any further with the submission which would be a waste of time if the categories are not even looked after.
     
    pipes, Jul 29, 2009 IP
  12. jitendraag

    jitendraag Notable Member

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    #12
    I have seen other solutions to this problem.

    1. Ajax category mod
    2. Disabling the drop down list completely. You have browse through the categories, search in the directory.

    I prefer searching the directory, checking details pages for categories and then submitting over other methods.
     
    jitendraag, Jul 29, 2009 IP
  13. swabai

    swabai Well-Known Member

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    #13
    first go to the category manually and wen you are inside the desired category. Click on Submit site or add url button ..... you will see that the category is automatically selected ..... hope this wouldnt annoy you ..
     
    swabai, Aug 4, 2009 IP