Do you want to start an online directory?
Want to start a new directory?
Lately there have been a lot of new webmasters that wish to start a new directory. In this post I will take you through the basics of starting a new online web directory.
First things first are to layout a plan. A plan is always good to have before starting a new business.
Step one; decide on what domain name to use and where to purchase it, you can get a domain name from places such as http://www.namecheap.com, http://www.godaddy.com, http://www.register.com, http://www.enom.com, ECT. You can search for other registers via yahoo and Google.
Step two, decide on the hosting you wish to use and whom to purchase that from. You can get quality hosting from places such as http://www.crystaltech.com, http://www.hostgator.com, http://www.dreamhost.com, http://www.hostrocket.com, ECT. You can search for other hosting companies via Yahoo.com and Google.com.
Once you have decided on your domain name and hosting options, you can move on to step three choosing which directory script to use. There are several scripts which run any where from free to several hundred dollars, the trick is to find the script that most suits your needs. Here are just a few of some of the directory scripts you can choose from.
eSyndiCat Directory Software: http://www.esyndicat.com/
Demo: http://www.esyndicat.com/demo/
IndexU Directory Software: http://www.nicecoder.com/
Demo: http://www.nicecoder.com/indexu/demo/
PHPLinkBid Directory Software: http://www.phplinkbid.com/
Demo: http://demo.phplinkbid.com/
PHPLinkDirectoy Directory Software: http://www.phplinkdirectory.com/
Demo: http://www.phplinkdirectory.com/demo/
PHPLynx Directory Software: http://www.phplynx.com/
Demo: http://www.cantufind.com/demofulldirectory/
Site-Sift Directory Software: http://scripts.site-sift.com/
Demo: http://scripts.site-sift.com/demo/
Now you have your domain name, your hosting, and the script in which you want to use, the forth step will be to install a template. Again, this can run anywhere from free to several hundred dollars. Simply do a search on Google.com or Yahoo.com and you will find tons of free templates to use. Also check out the templates forum on digitalpoint.com: http://forums.digitalpoint.com/forumdisplay.php?f=81. However if you are serious about your directory, I suggest getting a custom template done. Using a custom template will let others know that you are serious about your directory, and give you an online presence. This can run you several hundred dollars, but in the long run it is worth it. You can get this done by visiting places such as, http://www.realwd.com, http://www.futuristicartists.com, http://www.osdesigner.net, ECT.
Next step is step five, setting up a category structure. Most new webmasters use a category dump. One place to find this is doing a search on Yahoo.com, Google.com, or Digitalpoint for directory category dump. You can also develop your own. Use directories such as dmoz, yahoo, ECT; as guides to create your own categories. Creating your own category structure is very time consuming, however in the long run it will pay off. Once you have created your categories, I also recommend adding several sites to your categories. Make sure the sites are relevant to those categories that you add them to however. The reason for doing this is simple; most people do not want to submit to an empty directory.
Step six is to add mods to your directory. What exactly is a mod? A mod is a type of modification that you can make to your directory that will enhance the look and feel of your directory. This adds benefits to both the webmasters that submit to your directory as well as those that visit your directory. A few examples of beneficial mods include but are not limited to, deep links mod, recent featured mod, a-z mod, link popularity mod, site of the day, news feeds, ect. You can visit forums such as the forum you purchased your script from, digitalpoint.com, sitepoint.com, Directory-Owners.com, ect, to find mods that suite your needs. You can also do a search on google.com and yahoo.com for directory mod.
Once these steps are done you are ready to open your directory. However, if you are a serious directory owner this is where it really begins.
Step seven is site promotion and advertisement. Directories are not like most other web sites, and you can not simply create a few links and sit back and watch the money roll in. You must promote your directory constantly and consistently. To create a quality directory you need to build back links to your new directory. A good way to do this is by submitting to other directories, place a bid on bidding web directories, social sites, blog posts, article submissions, press releases, and announce your new directory on forums, such as on digitalpoint.com in this forum: http://forums.digitalpoint.com/forumdisplay.php?f=65, sitepoint.com, v7n.com in this forum: http://www.v7n.com/forums/directory-announcements-promotions/, httppoint.com, Directory-Owners.com, ect.
A few good web directory lists are:
http://www.directorycritic.com/
http://info.vilesilencer.com/
http://www.seocompany.ca/directory/web-directories.html
http://www.webdirectorylister.com/
http://www.strongestlinks.com/
But remember, you must continue to build back links to your site in order to continue to build a quality place for other webmasters to submit to.
Once you have done everything listed you should start receiving submissions to your directory. This is also another place that really depends on what you want to do with your directory. You can simply approve every single submission that comes your way, or you can build a quality directory with quality links and accept only quality sites. If you want to create a quality directory, make sure not to forget that your directory is a business and you need to also provide good customer service for your clients.