What turns you off in a web directory?

You do realize that you can 'set' the distortion level in phpLD, right?
(Not so certain on the 2.0, because I felt the script was 'worth buying', so I came in on 3.0)

 

all my complaints are pretty much covered by others.
another thing to add is,
some directories require to type at least X number of characters for site description (like 300 characters or more). this is annoying when I prepare a succinct summary of my site.

 

Fantastic adsense blending

On my directory I don’t use adsense or other form of contextual advertising I think it takes value from the listings because it competes for clicks. Off course it’s only paid submission directory, on free ones I think it’s ok, but there are a loot of premium paid directories that use contextual advertising.

 

you should add pricing to the "you need to signup" page

 

i dont like adsense on my directory also
i removed the adsense code out of jim west.... from addurl.nu 's adsense sponsor link mod and replaced with a sponsors banner ad.

some very good info in this thread for directory owners!

 

hahaha Did my pricing catch you off guard?

 

Have these idiots not realized if you just put up a directory with some crappy turnkey template and crediblity to your name your not going to gain shit. Its not like before when you can put it up and sell a day after for like 50-100 wihen directories were first flaring up. Now your directroies got to be unique and gain some credibility.

 

Eventually with time some will get a custom skin, but I think will se a big mortality rate among new directories manly the free ones.

 

Turn offs?

Registration and captcha. Please pick one or the other. Not sure that either is necessary initially.

Paying for a directory listing (Featured or otherwise) only to have the directory owner then submit a Reciprocal Listing using my paid for link as the reciprocal url. How do they figure they're reciprocating?

Rejecting a web directory I submitted because it's PR0. I can accept that you choose not to list my submission, but give me a better reason.

Requiring a minimum PR for a Reciprocal Link when your own directory is PR0 and unlikely to gain the minimum PR you require on your home page, much less the category pages.

Not approving or rejecting free submissions in one directory, but quickly accepting the same site as a paid listing in their next directory launch.

Suggesting that I should buy a Featured listing since they've approved a few of my free submissions.

 

A really like this one…
Clever people on the lose…

 

Humm, just run into this one-- featured listing for lifetime and than when you submited its for 1 year.

 

The worst thing to see in a directory is paid sitewide links. Homepage I can deal with (sorta), sitewide links I'll never pay for a submission. Phpld directories are bad for that, seems many people have templates with sitewides on one or both sides.

 

If it's a general directory then it should, in my opinion, have Travel and Shopping as top level categories, not sub-categories.

 

Paid directories that don’t have their own IP and share it with 1,000 other sites.

 

You have to check it out for awhile before finding out if it's paid or not. And then there are the non-seo friendly ones.

 

I would also recommend making Travel and Tourism a top level catagory.

 

All of you have put up great suggestion guys, as said customer is always right maldives your sugesstion will be introduced soon in most of my directories.

Also I would like to add, since alexa is turned of imageview for url, most of the directories are still showing broken images, this really shows how borthered are some directory owners abt their directories.

Most of them have switched to msn its good to see that, I have atleast.

 

At my Ask Directory Travel and Shopping are top categories it made sense for me, but is not a usual thing you will see.

 

I'd like to add some more toplevels, but i have to be careful not to offset the balance that i currently have.

 

I've been wanting to add chitika into my dir for a while, and i've just been able to get to it.

based on people's opinions, I would like to know if you feel i have done a 'tasteful' or 'tasteless' job at trying to integrate it in such a manner that it does not detract from the directory itself.

I'd appreciate that feedback, especially from those who also dislike ads.

I have also wrote a mod to try and be as relevant as possible to the category as far as polling for chitiki keyword phrases and terms.

thx.

Rob