let's say your best friend were to start a directory and is asking you following question: "what were the two most important things you learned while building your directories?" i'm starting my first directory and that is the reason for the question. thank you all for your input!
1. Choose between a niche directory and general directory. This will be the biggest decision you will make. 2. Make your own category structure and give custom title / meta to your categories.
1. Review every submission, and be strict about which websites you choose to include. 2. Once you've determined which websites to include be sure to Edit the site information that has been submitted (if applicable) so that it doesn't contain spam, repetition, or incorrect spelling. By doing both 1 and 2, you will ensure that your quality of listings remains high. Everything else to do with your directory can be worked on, but your content will be good from the outset.
1. Make sure you have a good budget for promotion. A good directory is still useless if no one else in the Whole Wide World except you knows about it. 2. Stick to the rules you have set for your directory, if it is supposed to be family-friendly then stick to that. Don't suddenly allow unrelated sites into the directory and disregard your own rules.
I'll try to answer 1. Always get a unique design. 2. Never open free general web directory, normally you will have no time to review 100's submissions every day. Make it pay, even as little as $1 or $2 to filter spammers and low qualily websites.
I don't why if it will bring some profit for me to have directory site but I think it benefit for me to have one... Welcome to submit to my directory
Theres so many important tips, but you will get a good collection of advice combined, il say: 1. If you intend for it to be a paid directory then begin it as paid from day one. 2. Dont use a category dump.
1. Dont bother - you will get flooded with spam and thats about it. 2. Dont bother - you will spend half your life editing the submissions. 3. Dont bother - you will not make any money out of it.
1. Make the directory easy to naviagte and clean 2. Dont accept spammy websites, its easy to do so to make your directory look full but if you want your directory to become one of the best you mustnt accept them!
Well there are many good suggestions already so I do not wish to repeat those. I would rather like to add a point here. If you are really looking to have it optimized, one thing that you can do is, add some content to the directory, like you can add something in each category and their sub-categories. If your content is unique then it will be held in high value in the eye of any SE bot...
this is going to be a link directory for a town near me. i know that a town is not going to have a large directory but i still want to do it. in addition to a link directory i'm also developing a business directory. i think that this is going to be an interesting mixture. i'm not only planing on making money with ads but also try to get to know the businesses and offer web design (i'm a designer) web hosting, domain reg. and few other services. so, in building the directories i'm also (hopefully) building my clientele.
1. Create a unique simple category structure and gradually increase it as you... 2. ...Populate your categories with good quality sites, and write your own unique descriptions for them.
First off, decide on a name that is brandable for what you are offering. Secondly, work towards creating a true resource than just another directory.
Make it pretty, and actually buy the script. It's worth it. Don't post it on DP if you know what's good for you, it'll get spammed with autosubmitters.