Build Your Own Website DirectoryPosted by reallynicearticle on December 25th, 2021 It seems everywhere you turn on the internet today someone has started another low-quality general web directory plastered with Google AdSense ads in the hopes of making some easy money from other webmasters who are trying to acquire backlinks and traffic to their site. These directories have several things in common that dooms any possibility of them becoming a success: php link directory poorly thought out or copied directory categories To Niche or Not To Niche There will always be a market for specialized directories who focus on one discrete topic and organize the resources within this topic logically. While search engine\'s are the internet user\'s first stop when trying to find resources, high quality website directories within any competitive industry can be found on the first page of results for popular searches at any search engine. If you are going to start a website directory the first thing you need to decide is \"what is this directory going to be about?\". If you want to start a general web directory of resources you will be in direct competition with internet search engines and several directories that are already well established. For the average webmaster that wants to start a web directory my suggestion is to pick a topic you are knowledgeable about and interested in and create a niche website directory about this topic. This approach has several advantages over starting a general website directory including: you are knowledgeable about the subject and will know what categories are important to people in that industry Your goal should be to gain credibility within your industry first not plasture your site with advertising in the hopes of getting a few site visitors to click on the ads you have placed there. Too many would be directory owners place affiliate ads ahead of their directory listings and above the directory categories on their main page. You have to stop and ask yourself, what does this say about your website? Are you more concerned that your site visitors see your paid advertising or your directory listings? What message does this layout choice send to businesses who may want to list in your directory? It\'s a safe bet that no one wants to see Google AdSense results listed above the directory listing that they have paid you for and you should keep that in mind when working on your layout. Paid vs Free Directory Type After selecting the main topic for your directory you should choose the business model that makes the most sense to what your goals are with the directory. There are several popular directory business models on the internet including; Paid Only - as the name suggests, you are required to pay to have your site listed in a paid only directory. Generally, sites in a paid directory are of higher quality since the webmaster\'s of these sites care enough about their business to spend money on them. Free Only - you will not see this type of directory anymore as pretty much every directory script now comes pre-installed with a payment module. Paid & Free - the most common form of directory model. Free links can be considered one-way or reciprocal since technically a reciprocal link does not cost money. Payment will usually make your listing appear ahead of other listings or with bolder styling to make it stand out over the free links. The choice is yours but I strongly suggest using either the Paid Only or Paid & Free model. If you choose the Paid & Free model, after your directory has been in existence for a while and has gained some reputation you have the option to switch to a Paid Only model so you don\'t have to wade through 100\'s of low quality submissions a day. If you want to keep a free option for webmasters you can make the free links \"reciprocal only\" in combination with your paid options. This will give your directory the added benefit of boosted link popularity from webmaster\'s \"linking back\" to your site which will help you become the authority site in your industry that you should be trying to be. Like it? Share it!More by this author |