What To Look Out For When Submitting To Paid Web Directories

A good way to get backlinks is by submitting your site to web directories. Backlinks are actually links pointing back to your site. The importance of having backlinks cannot be underestimated,...

A good way to get backlinks is by submitting your site to web directories. Backlinks are actually links pointing back to your site. The importance of having backlinks cannot be underestimated, especially if you are planning to optimize your site for certain keywords to rank well in Search Engines. Basically, the more links the merrier. But it is important to understand that different links do have different value. A link is not just a link. If you have a backlink from a optimized site which Google (or any of the major search engines for that matter) considers important, then that the value of that link is certainly more than that from a link farm (a site without much content, just full of links). Some links are even more or less useless when it comes to Search Engine Optimization (SEO). More often than not, low quality web directories do not have much of a value in terms of SEO. Yes, there might not be any harm in submitting to those directories, but then the time wasted could be put into better use – like writing good content which other webmasters would naturally link to.

I understand the frustration when you spend hours and hours each day submitting your site to web directories and not getting any results. Feels like banging your head continuously on the wall, doesn’t it? Worst of all, you paid good money to supposedly those so-called “high quality” “premium” directories and you got nothing out of it. Why is it so? You might be scratching your head about now. Why are some people so successful in getting backlinks and the results from backlinks but some are so unsuccessful? Well, most likely they didn’t submit to the correct paid directories. Just because a web directory has a sleek design or costs like 100 dollars to list, does not mean that it is good. You will need to do some homework first before you actually submit to all these paid directories. I have listed down a few tips for you to look-out when you are trying to find directories which are suitable for you to pay for submissions.

1. Content – Isn’t it obvious? If a directory does not have content, is isn’t going to be noticed by Search Engines. And if it doesn’t get noticed by Search Engine, then what is the point of submitting your site to it? More often than not, paid web directories owners simply create a web directory and hope that users will just submit to their directory without adding their own content. Would you want to submit to such a directory? Even if they have some content, it will most likely be duplicates since those submitters would probably have submitted to other directories as well.

2. Frequently Updated – A dead directory is just that – a dead directory. There is no point in submitting to such directories because Search Engines do not want to see static directories which have not been updated. In fact, a site which seldom have updates will not be visited by Search Engine bots as frequently as those which have been updated often. And no bots mean no Search Engine ranking. Ensure that there are sites being submitted – at least 3-4 sites per week. And make sure these submitted sites have good descriptions (aka text describing the site) with them. You can check the latest listings of most directories. They should be the first thing you look when you are thinking of submitting to the particular directory.

3. Search Engine Bots – I understand that finding a good web directory is difficult. But there is one tip which you can often use to test the “value” of a directory – how frequently Search Engine bots visit the directory.  Try this, see when is the newest (or close to the newest) site that was submitted to the directory (which can often be obtained in the details page of the site) and visit Google and use the following:

site: domainnameofthedirectory.com newest site name

And check out when the site was cached in Google. It also gives you an idea on how fast your own site will be index by Google once it is being submitted to that directory. A good directory should have their latest submitted site cached pretty quick. Give it about 2-3 days. If longer, then it might not be as frequently visited by Search Engine bots as you would like. You can also check when the main page of the directory has been visited by the bots by using the following:

site: domainnameofthedirectory.com

As mentioned before, the main page of the web directory should be cached pretty frequently.

4. Design – Although not really a good indicator of the quality of the directory in the eyes of Search Engines, it does provide you a rough idea on how well the directory is maintained. Directory owners who spend money and effort to make their look beautiful usually will not stop at just design. Directory owners who take pride in their directory, will usually have a good directory.

5. Price – Stick to a price which you can afford. And just because a directory costs like $100 to get approved does not mean it is a good directory.You should not base your decision to list your site on price alone. You should always check out how many sites are being submitted to the paid directory to the relation of the price of the submission. Furthermore a cheap paid directory might get a lot of submissions, but then it might not be a good web directory since it has (or sooner or later will) become a link farm. Seriously I am kind of surprised that there are still people out there who thinks that just because a web directory is expensive, it is good.

6. Features – A directory with unique features is a good indicator of the quality of the directory. Nowadays with so many web directories out there, it is kind of difficult to differentiate between the good and the not-so-good. Anyone can get a directory script and start a web directory. It is just a matter of paying a small amount, getting a domain name and a web host. But if a web directory has features which are different from the rest of the directories, then it shows that the directory owner is working hard on his or her directory. Of course, in the eyes of the Search Engine, it might not be that important but a  hardworking directory owner would very likely have a better site than the rest of the “fly-by-night” directories. That is a fact.

7. Advertisements – I usually avoid those sites with tons of advertisements, especially on the submission page. Who would want to pay for submission when the entire directory is plastered with advertisements selling male enhancing drugs? In my opinion, these are not worth to submit to, even if they cost like just $1 per listing. You do not need to have your listings among those advertisements either. They do not look to human visitors, neither will they look good to Search Engine bots.

8. Page Rank – A Google algorithm which is supposed to be part of how Google ranks your site. Of course in recent years, this Page Rank has reduced significantly in value. But no matter what, it still has some value when it comes to checking how high quality a web directory is.  A high page rank directory also means that they have lots of good quality links pointing to it. And since it is an actual figure, it is rather easy to use as a gauge.

If you have any more tips or suggestions, or even comments about the above points, please comment below. I would very much like to hear them.

If You Are Really Bored…

If you are really bored this long weekend and I mean really bored, I have several links for you to enjoy. Basically there are links to random websites which I have...

If you are really bored this long weekend and I mean really bored, I have several links for you to enjoy. Basically there are links to random websites which I have gathered when I was surfing the Internet which I find interesting. No, I don’t think that there are particularly useful to the general public, but you will never know – some of you must find it useful or at least interesting. That is why this is for the really bored. People who spend this long weekend at home with nothing to do, well you can try these links. What I am surprised  is that there are quite a number of you guys out there. I had thought that most people would rather spend the holidays traveling or going out partying, but there are quite a number of people like me. We spend our weekends at home, mainly surfing the Internet. Sad, but I guess it depends greatly on the Interest.

For me, I do go out. But not too often. Usually I go out nearby to buy groceries or meet with my friends for a quick supper or maybe dinner. I seldom go partying or even shopping. Several of my friends spend their weekends going shopping, lunch, dinner and other sort of entertainment, but those kind of lifestyle, only the rich can afford.  Hoohoohoo, I am definitely not rich, so I spend my time at home. Not to say that there aren’t entertainment at home. Surfing the Internet is one of them. Watching Youtube videos is yet another form of entertainment. Chatting, discussions on forums, eBay shopping and building up my websites are what I usually do when I am at home. And the amount of information and knowledge you can discover on the Internet is staggering! Some people say pathetic? Well, maybe true, but then it depends on where you are looking from.

I don’t get it why we must go to clubs and get drunk and then call it entertainment. I don’t get it why we must spend thousands of dollars buying a shirt and then feel good about myself. I don’t get it why we must spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy a car and then worry about servicing the 10 year loans.  I don’t get it why we must go dancing at those clubs when there are so many other venues for dancing out there. I don’t get it why we must go shopping with the crowd when we can easily do it online, especially nowadays when online shopping is much more secure than before. Staying at home doesn’t not mean that I am anti-social either. But then each to their own.

If you are like me, a stay at home surfing geek and you are bored with nothing to do, please check out the links below. They are from my web directories and the links are all found from my web surfing. The last link is full of local sites, so it might be more useful to Singaporeans.

High Page Rank Sites | Authority Sites Directory | Singapore Small Business Directory.

Tips For Paid Web Directory Owners

As you guys might know by now, I currently own about 3 web directories.  The oldest since 2006, which makes it nearly 5 years old and still going strong. Not too...

As you guys might know by now, I currently own about 3 web directories.  The oldest since 2006, which makes it nearly 5 years old and still going strong. Not too shabby for a web directory which I hardly use any money to advertise either online or on print media. This web directory is a business directory for Singaporean business and companies, which might not appeal to the general public, but probably gives me some advantage over the tens of thousands of other web directories in the world. On the other hand, I have two more general web directories – those didn’t do that well financially but again considering that I never spend much money on advertising, I still think they performed decently.

Hopefully, with all the experience I have learned, I can help other web directory owners on ways to build up their own web directory. Feel free to comment if agree or disagree on my points. I am no expert. In the end, it is still all about making some money from our directories, right? Even the experts will have to learn something new everyday in order to compete.

1. Think big but start small – You need to have a plan and work on it. But it is important to start small and work your directory up. Don’t expect everything to go your way all the time. Accept the fact that the first few months (or even years) will be tough. But you will need to continue on. A directory which has been constantly updated and where content is frequently added will make your directory more attractive than one which looks dead. I would never pay for a listing if the last added site is like 5 months ago or emails goes unanswered. Would you? Don’t give up just because nobody submits a paid listing for the past 3 months. It happens.

2. Age – Submitters do want to know how old your directory is. I definitely don’t want to pay for a listing on a web directory which might just close the next day. So age I believe, does play an important part. And Search Engines seem to love older sites than young ones. That is the reason I would encourage web directory owners to hang on for the first few months or years.

3. Content – A very important tip I can give you is “content”. Keep on adding new sites and you will find Search Engines bots coming after you like bees chasing honey, which is a good thing.  For my general web directories, I try to update them twice every week, probably about 5-6 new listings per week. And yes, I write the descriptions myself instead of just copying from the sites to be listed. As mentioned previously, submitters do want to see that the directory is updated frequently before they would even consider to pay for their site to get listed.

4. Niche – It is very difficult to compete in the GENERAL web directory market. Just look at the number of general web directories available out there. It is very difficult to differentiate yourself from the rest of the crowd. Why would someone want to choose your directory over others? Why would someone want to pay for a listing when there are free ones available? If you can find a niche which has not been filled, go ahead and do it, even if you don’t get as many visitors as a general directory. Niche works, simply because they are different from the rest.

5. Design -  Also a very important aspect. The first thing someone sees when they visit your site is your design. They are probably many templates available for your web directory. Get a custom one even if you have to pay or use a widely available template and do some modification so that it looks different. Or get someone to do it for you. The idea is to make your web directory stand out among the rest. Once you catch the eye of your “submitter”, it will be much easier for you to convince them that your site is unique and worth the 20 bucks to list.

6. Stand Out – Other than design, there are many ways to make your directory stand out among the rest. Having more features is one way. As simple as adding a website screenshot for your listings could help. Or adding your own comments on the website in question. Or even adding some video. With so many other web directories out there, there is seriously a need to “add value” to your site. Just being plain Jane will not cut it anymore.

7. Webhost – Why? With the advent of high speed broadband, everyone on the Internet is becoming impatient. I (and I am sure most people) don’t like to wait for a site to load. Your webhost must be reliable, stable and fast. Spending a little more money on a better webhost can actually work wonders. Would you pay for a listing on a web directory which times out every time you try to load the site? Most likely, no.

8. Advertisements on site - Google Adsense or the like. I think that for general directories, it doesn’t work. If you place advertisements on your web directory in the hopes that one or two of your visitors will accidentally click on them when they do submissions, then you should not be a web directory owner. Let’s be honest here – how many people you know visit general web directories to look for sites?  However, I believe that it might work if you are a niche directory. For example, a directory of car rental companies could get real visitors looking to rent cars. And this is where advertisements would work since you are getting serious visitors. Not so for general web directories. And it can get very distracting. Furthermore, would you pay for a listing if the web directory has plastered tons of advertisements all over the place?

9. Advertising – This should work well. Although I don’t do many advertising myself, I once advertised my business directory on my local newspapers (alas, a small one) and the number of visitors did jump tremendously. And it was good exposure for my domain name as well. Even if someone don’t visit my directory, at the very least they saw the domain name. If you have a general web directory, a good advertisement source would be those “directories of directories”. Of course, this would make forking out some serious money – a luxury which most of us don’t have.

10. Sell your site – Selling your site is important. Try to explain to your visitors why your directory is better than the rest. For my two general web directories, on the main page, I “sell” my directories as “premium advertisement-free web directories” and that they are “constantly updated”. If you have new exciting features, sell it! If you have advertised on numerous well-known advertisement networks, sell it! If you are included in some major business directory, sell it! If you rank very well in the Search Engines for several keywords, sell it! Yes, ultimately it is the sell that is the most important. Even by just adding a few logos from some popular site or network will add a sense of “value” to your directory. You will be surprised to see how effective this can be.

Two of my general web directories are: High Page Rank Sites as well as Authority Sites Directory. My niche directory is Singapore Small Business Directory.

Authority Sites Directory – Autho-rity.com Relaunched!

Well guys, we have just relaunched Autho-rity.com! Upgraded the code to the latest version available, did a template and redesign change, added some cool features and finally it is done. Completely...

Well guys, we have just relaunched Autho-rity.com! Upgraded the code to the latest version available, did a template and redesign change, added some cool features and finally it is done. Completely tested by yours truly! Hopefully, everything is running fine. Faced some problems with the phplinkdirectory script (Autho-rity.com is based on the phplinkdirectory script by the way) initially but it is now all sorted out. Some of the templates that are provided can give some unforseen problems. So it is actually good to have some professional help when it comes to scripting and coding.

Some of the new features include:

  • News section on the homepage
  • Google Maps available for listings
  • Article submission
  • Advanced Search functions
  • Screenshots in listing detail pages
  • Alexa Rankings in listing detail pages
  • Comments and Ratings for listings
  • Contact form for users
  • And more to come

The prices for site submission remains the same – US$29.99 for a lifetime submission. As for articles submission, it is US$9.99 for a lifetime submission. The main reason why I am charging lower for an article submission is because it is a new feature and we are currently lacking in articles. I am hoping that more people will submit their articles to the directory. In the future, the prices might change. But for now, it is still at a relatively low price. The web directory market seems to be going up recently. Even the prices of the directory scripts (like phplinkdirectory) have increased, even with the current poor economic climate.

Our Autho-rity.com directory is markly different from other directories. First of all, we don’t have any advertisements in our directory. This way, visitors to our directory will not be distracted by the advertisements. Don’t you just hate visiting a website only to find that it is just full of flashy advertisements selling you stuff which you don’t want? Well, you won’t find that in our directory. Furthermore, we just have one type of listing – regular. We believe that having featured listing is kind of unfair to others. We want all the listings to be equal and let our viewers choose which sites to visit. Our directory is search engine friendly. We have done our utmost to promote our web directory and making it accesible to Search Engine spiders to crawl our pages. This way, the listings in our directory will be crawled more frequently by Search Engines as well. I am guessing most of the people who submit their sites to directories are looking for SEO benefits.

For my next project, I will be upgrading Blong.info – High Page Rank Sites. Hopefully, things will go more smoothly than the Autho-rity.com upgrade.

To visit my web directory, please visit this link – Authority Sites Directory.

The Cure For Web Directories’ Problems

Well, after years of trying to figure out what’s the problem with web directories, I finally figured out the problem and the solution. Yes, I have finally solved the old age...

Well, after years of trying to figure out what’s the problem with web directories, I finally figured out the problem and the solution. Yes, I have finally solved the old age problem of web directories. However you think carefully, every web directory owner knows what the problem is and what the solution is. The thing is that most of the web directory owners don’t do anything about it. Let’s not be shy about it. You are right, it’s the content!

As a web directory owner myself, what I first started into web directories, I had this feeling that I don’t need to do much work at all. After all, it is supposed to be just a site for users to submit their websites and all I have to do is approve or reject the listings. Nothing to it. Just a few clicks and you are done. Not to mention, you are getting money for users to add content to your site. First of all, it was true when the web directory market was first setup. It was because it was rare and the web directories were of very high quality. Another importance of web directories is that it helps Search Engines to categorized websites. Let’s say for example, a site was is listed under automobiles in the web directory will most likely related to automobiles, as it is human edited. Definitely better than those algothrims used by Search Engines. I am not saying that Search Engines were completely relying on these web directories but let’s say they had some value.

Nowadays, all you have to do is to take a look at the huge number of web directories out there. Especially general web directories. I estimated there are probably more than 5000 or more general web directories on the Internet. Each of them offering the same categories and sadly the same content. That’s a major problem for web directories. What’s there to differentiate them from the rest? None whatsoever. Web directories owners look at this problem and they figure why not make my site more beautiful and stylish than the rest? Some thought they can differentiate their directories by adding some features like RSS feeds, news and what not. Sure those things do help. But let’s think for a moment, what’s the purpose of a web directory? Do the majority of your visitors come to your web directory for looks or for news? No, they visit your site for another reason, to get information on websites to complement Search Engines’ limitations. In fact, that’s the only reason why web directories exist in the first place. And the only way for you to differentiate yourself from the other web directories is more unique content!

Don’t wait for people to submit to your directories. Do it yourself. Add quality sites to your directory. Add more sites to your directory. Best of all, go niche. The Internet is too big for any one web directory to really categorize even a small percent of the websites. So, it’s better for the web directory owner to aim for a market where they are comfortable or have experience in instead of a general directory. It definitely makes it easier and most importantly, you enjoy your work. And you attract like-minded visitors. Don’t worry about making money first. It won’t happen so quickly anyways. Be patient. As your directory gets more traffic, you will find that others are even more eager to sign up to be listed on your site and you can even charge higher for listings.

Looking Back….

I had some free time yesterday and so I decided to look a hard look at myself and what I have done FOR myself. I realize that I really didn’t do...

I had some free time yesterday and so I decided to look a hard look at myself and what I have done FOR myself. I realize that I really didn’t do much in life. No seriously, I didn’t accomplish much and I don’t have anything to show for. I have just this blog and a few web directories. The worse thing is that they suck big time. I don’t get much visitors at all. This blog gets approximately 30-40 hits per day and most goes to the DNS Host list which I have created. Sure it is a constant stream of visitors but hardly anything to be proud of. Although my web directory do get a decent number of hits (maybe about 150-200 hits per day) but again it is nothing to be shout about since most are just spammers.

When I first started my web directories, I thought that I will soon be rich as thousands of webmasters will flock to my web directory and start submitting their sites. And paying me good money for it. Be alas, it never happened. I was just too naive to think that it would be so simple. Looking back, I am not surprised. I didn’t really do much to improve my web directory. The listings in the web directories are all submitted by webmasters whom are usually all SEOers. The reason why they are submitting to my directory is just to improve their site’s visibility and Search Engine rankings. However, since most of these sites have also been submitted to other web directories, my web directory has became useless as a resource for visitors.

A web directory main purpose is to categorized sites into different categories for easy reference. However, if all the content could be found in other directories, then it is just a replica. And most of the sites which was submitted aren’t exactly high quality stuff. Most high quality sites won’t waste time, effort or money to get listed in web directories, especially a small web directory like mine. If the site is high quality and useful, then the owner of the web directory should have added the listing himself. Well, this I never did. Thus, it never attracted the kind of visitors which I wanted. Most visitors come to submit their sites to the directory. Very few goes and browse through the various categories in the directory.

Well, first of all I was extremely naive to believe it was easy money. Start a web directory, wait till people start submitting and then money will flow in fast. I mean sure others have done it but they did put in a hell lot of effort and time to build up their own web directories. It’s not EASY money. If you were to browse through the Digitalpoint forums, you can see just how hardworking some of these directory owners are.

Anyway, this is a lesson learned. Pretty valuable lesson.

PhpLD v3.3 Released!

After like 9 months or so, the latest version of PhpLD (PhpLinkDirectory) has been released! Finally, those people at PhpLD are being forced to release some software which they have been...

After like 9 months or so, the latest version of PhpLD (PhpLinkDirectory) has been released! Finally, those people at PhpLD are being forced to release some software which they have been promising for such a long time. And it looks like a big one. Mainly the biggest change is on the article submission. If you need the article submission features, this is a upgrade for you. You can take a look at the new features here.

Some of the new features include a submit article function. I guess this is the same as those article directory scripts which allow your users to submit articles to the directory. This used to be an afterthought by the designers of PhpLD. With this version, it’s a whole new ballgame! So now you can allow users not only to submit links, they can also submit articles as well. You can force users to register or submit articles annonymously. Article writers can also have their very own info page. Of course, users can also comment and rate the articles that was submitted. Wow, that’s good! Finally, PhpLD is throwing away it’s amaetur feel and starting to have very good features, especially when article submission is concerned. Another interesting feature is that the script now allows you to add business listings with their locations included. Yes, exactly like those professional business directories. Furthermore, it allows you to add Googlemaps into your detail listings. If only they have this feature when I first started my business directory. There are also some changes and additionals to the administration pages of the directory script.

As you can see, the main upgrade is the article submission portion of PhpLD. If you don’t need these features and I think a lot of us web directory owners don’t need, then I feel that this upgrade is not worth the effort. Remember, when you do an upgrade, it is very likely that you need to modify your template again. Not to mention all those mods you have already done as well.

Here are more links to information on upgrading PhpLD.

1. Templates changes for PhpLD v3.3

2. How to Upgrade

3. Downloads

Just hope that this version will be stable. I remembered when I started using PhpLD, the version I had had some really serious bugs in it. And after 2 years (I didn’t upgrade) I am still suffering from it. But at least it was usable and I had a very good time with it.

Life Of A Typical Web Directory Owner

Have you guys wondered how’s the life of a typical web directory owner? I mean, those people eagerly who approves your sites when you submit to their web directory? What do...

Have you guys wondered how’s the life of a typical web directory owner? I mean, those people eagerly who approves your sites when you submit to their web directory? What do they do all day? I am sure you don’t believe that they spend the entire day in front of their directory administration console and approves sites right? They do have a life and they are mostly human. And because I myself is an experienced web directory owner and have been doing it for over a year now, I have complied a list of things which web directory owners usually do so that you guys can understand what we are all about. You will then see how difficult it is to be a web directory owner.

1. Check PayPal account and see how much is earned. Laugh loudly if there is enough dough to buy over another web directory or that new action figure at Toys R’ Us.

2. Curse and swear at spammers in different languages, especially in French.

3. Curse and swear at spammers even more.

4. Surf Digitalpoint Forums and try to get own web directory links into the forum posts.

5. Surf Digitalpoint Forums and try to see what other directory owners are doing and steal their ideas. Or just go and beg for free mod scripts.

6. Surf Digitalpoint Forums and try to advertise/spam own web directories there.

7. Clean up the messy room before mom comes back and nag. Hate all those nagging. If not possible, switch on loud music and wear headphones if mom around.

8. Surf some porn sites to relieve stress.

9. Play computer games like the latest Crysis. Draw money from PayPal account if graphics card not powerful enough.

10. Hire some Eastern European kid to spam other directories. Value for money. Hundred of thousands of directories for just US$10.

11. Smoke some weed and get high. If no weed, take from parents. If still no weed, then smoke that ten dollar bill which is supposed to be for that poor Bulgarian kid.

12. Go to school and try to get there in time. School Internet access is faster than home. But beware of wedgies by school bullies.

13. Chat on MSN. If chatting with older generation ancients, use ICQ.

14. Find ways and means to get more adsense advertisements on web directory. Attempt to put adsense just next to the submit button.

15. Take long nap at around 2. Wake up just before dinner. Eat dinner in bed if still feeling sleepy….hmmmm….mummy’s roast beef.

So you guys now know that life is hard for web directory owners. It isn’t all a bed of roses. The list which I have complied isn’t complete, as we have a lot more mundane things to do like eat, bath, sleep and stuff. Plus we need to check our directories and ensure that we approve the sites which paid. Life is indeed hard for us.

Tips To Get Your Sites Approved In Directories

Well, I am a owner of several web directories and I would like to share with you some of the tips which website submitters can use when they submit websites to...

Well, I am a owner of several web directories and I would like to share with you some of the tips which website submitters can use when they submit websites to directories. I have seen a lot of websites being submitted and to tell you the truth, a lot of people submit sites without thinking or even any consideration. A lot of these are SEOers and paid submitters, who spend hours and hours submitting websites to directories. The problem is that a lot of these “SEOers” are just kids without any knowledge of SEO. Hence, for a serious web directory, these sites are usually rejected immediately. And these directories are ones which you would want to be in. So, I would recommend everyone not to use such services. And if you don’t have the time to do the submissions yourself, I would recommend you to engage a professional instead of those “US$10 for 1000 submissions” kind.

Okay, here are some of the tips:

1. Submit to the correct category. That’s pretty important. Note that some directories get a lot of submissions and it’s frustrating for the editors to spend time to change categories for you. Don’t piss off the editors.

2. A proper description for your site. Ensure that you don’t try to “sell” your site or make it a marketing slogan. Just tell the readers what your site is about. And make sure your spelling is correct. It’s embarrassing to have spelling mistakes as it looks unprofessional. Seriously, would you approve a site with a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes?

3. Have a proper title. Yes, this is very important as the first thing the editor sees is the title. Do not have long winding titles or titles with too many repetitive words. It looks very spammy to the editors. In fact, the title should be the title of your website. Some directories allow you to have keywords in your title, but some don’t.

4. Avoid submitting your site’s subdirectories or inner pages. A lot of directories don’t allow this. This helps build some sort of trust between you and the editor. For me, I won’t be approving any website with long URLs, URLs with huge number of keywords and those with very deep URLs too.

5. Read the FAQs or any terms and conditions first. Some directories will allow certain criterias while others do not. Although it can be very tedious, but it can really help to get your site approved. If you get rejected once, perhaps you can read the terms and conditions again to see what went wrong.

 Hope these tips will improve your chances of getting approved. Do note that some directories are just not meant to be, so you shouldn’t waste a lot of time trying again and again to get approved. You will never know what the owners are thinking.

OpenLD – Alternate Web Directory Script

I am here to introduce to you again directory script – OpenLD. This open source directory script is a newly setup project. I believe that it has only been in development...

I am here to introduce to you again directory script – OpenLD. This open source directory script is a newly setup project. I believe that it has only been in development for less than a year or so, but it’s feature list is quite impressive. If you are looking for a free alternative to PhpLD or other paid directory script, you should take a good look at OpenLD.

Basically, it has all the important features for a web directory script – the ability to store, arrange and display links into categories, link validation, search function, a powerful administration console, numerous category options, template (theme) support, word censoring, IP banning, domain banning, paypal integration as well as support for different database backend. You can also create SEO friendly URLs, very useful for those looking to improve their Search Engine rankings. However, one of the most important feature is it’s ability to allow extensions (or plugins) without too much trouble or modification to your code. This would be a god sent for those webmasters who do a lot of modifications and are looking to upgrade their script. Usually this is a nightmare for upgraders, wondering whether their mod will break their script.

Although OpenLD is currently not that popular, I think it will gain popularity in time. From my brief trial of the script, it seems stable and relatively fast. I also didn’t face any issue with this script. Of course, the community support for this script is not huge, in fact, it’s pretty small. It’s support forum is rather bare. But everything starts small right? The latest version is now version 1.2. Go give it a try and join the community!

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