Having run a directory for a while now, I’ve certainly come up with a few ideas on the best way to maintain a directory. However, I wondered what other directory owners did to keep their directory in excellent shape. I’ve collected a number of the ideas together that were posted on the Digital Point Forums in a “What’s your top tip for running a directory?” thread.
These tips are not in any particular order, but represent the ones that I agree with most for my directories.
britishguy (Forplex Business Directory):
Running a Directory is not ‘a part time pastime’ it is a Full Time Business
olddocks (Best Paid Directories):
The most important technique for processing links, is make your visitors to submit them in the most appropriate category. For example, in my directory I normally don’t allow people to submit without selecting a particular directory at the main submit page. I make people who submit, work in selecting a required directory, as otherwise most of them are lazy and throw their submissions from the main page. Because i make them work, I am amazed that people picking good suitable categories and submitting there. While reviewing links its very easy for me and cuts most of my time in picking suitable categories and placing links there.
Obelia (Stiff Upper List):
If you own a niche directory, word filters can be very useful for sorting out the inappropriate submissions. They will never be able to catch them all, of course, but certain keywords tend to come up time after time. Sending them all to the back of the queue, or to a page where they can all be deleted at once, is very handy.
YMC (Craft Tips)
If you have any sort of paid listings, just because someone pays for a link doesn’t mean you must list their site. If the site would have been unacceptable as a free submission, it should be unacceptable as a paid listing.
The biggest way to turn away potential submitters and link purchasers is to allow your categories to get off topic. Always keep the categories on topic. If a site is submitted to an inappropriate category, move it to the right one, create a new one or simply delete the link.
Sabian1982 (Voisd Webmaster Directory)
I think my top tip is use your .htaccess effectively.
Firstly I’ve always found that the majority of spam I get comes from a select number of IP addresses. Using your .htaccess file you can ban those specific ip’s from accessing your site and hence stop the spam!
Secondly you can (I think) use the .htaccess file to stop people from accessing your submit page directly. Implementing this will obviously help to reduce submissions via completely automated submission software.
Bernard (Strongest Brands Business Directory):
publish your submission qualifications and guidelines - and yes, they are two separate conditions. In addition to publishing qualifications and guidelines, be consistent in applying them. If published listings obviously violate them, no one will heed them. phpld owners using a 3rd party template should edit any stock guidelines to reflect their own parameters (It’s disturbing to see directories listing phantom limits on description fields).
use symbolic categories - help your visitors find what they are looking for when topics could logically be found in multiple places. It helps folks understand how you are organizing information and where they should submit if they have a site.
Blogmaster (FrogEngine Web Directory):
I think that you need to follow your instinct, simple as that might sound. You can’t accept just anyone because they pay for inclusion. The best way to run a directory is to look for value in the sites that are submitted. If you find none, then don’t accept it in. Look at things from the end user’s point of view. If you can’t provide any quality or value for the end user, your directory is worthless and will go downhill eventually.
Thank you to everyone for their great tips. For further reading, I thoroughly recommend reading the Internet Marketing Blog article about running a directory.
