Shelf Life of Directories?

[Johan007]

I submit too many web directories but unfortunately apart from the rare few many of them don’t last very long! Even the ones I had paid for. One thing I can say is that do trust John’s to last longer than the others.

[John Scott]

Shelf life depends on how you define shelf life in a way.

One thing that disappoints me is submitting to and getting listed in a directory, to only go back 6 months later and find the category over-run with 90 listings, or my listed pushed to the 10th page of the category pages.

[Aviva]

Yeah - I don't understand the directories that push the earlier listing to the bottom of the category. That really sucks!

[Web Gazelle]

If they keep it alphabetic then that makes sense but when there is no real order it kinda sucks. But hey, a link is a link, right?

[bcombs]

Yes, a link is a link, but links need to age.

If a directory link gets pushed to a new page, wouldn't that start the clock over on aging the link?


Brian

[Johan007]

I am thinking of building an Entertainment directory as I feel there is a niche and I can give it the PR and graphical look it deserves. What I don’t want is a load of spam submissions to filter through so I am only going to charge £5 (that’s almost $10) per listing because I am going to get the person who gets paid to write a detailed description of the site of about 300-500 words. I believe these longer descriptions will help in SEO of those sites compared short DMOZ like descriptions that can easily be identified as a links page or directory.

Has anyone got an Access database driven script I can use or am I better of programming my own? I can pay for the script?

[cldnails]

I agree with you on the Shelf Life of a directory, especially as of late. It just seems like directories are coming and going faster and faster. Problem is that its just so easy to create a directory, so my mom even launched one.

[Johan007]

People launched one and then possibly for what ever reason they die and start again. It’s a sustainable unethical business model.

I think directories need a guarantee. My entertainment directory will have a 10 year guarantee where the directory will be live for 10 years or users get their money back (I site can still be kicked out without money back). I will also charge more for gambling/betting/casino sites to help fund 10 years.

[Aviva]

Originally Posted by cldnails

Problem is that its just so easy to create a directory, so my mom even launched one.

Soon momdirectory.com will be available for purchase as an expired domain:
http://whois.domaintools.com/momdirectory.com

:-)

[Aviva]

Originally Posted by Johan007

I think directories need a guarantee. My entertainment directory will have a 10 year guarantee where the directory will be live for 10 years or users get their money back (I site can still be kicked out without money back).

That's a great idea, but I think you'll need to do something to prove it as anyone can say that. Obviously, your domain should be registered for 10 years. I don't know if it's possible to pre-pay hosting for 10 years or something like that to provide people with an assurance that your guarantee has teeth to it.

[Blonde Jon]

Originally Posted by Aviva

That's a great idea, but I think you'll need to do something to prove it as anyone can say that. Obviously, your domain should be registered for 10 years. I don't know if it's possible to pre-pay hosting for 10 years or something like that to provide people with an assurance that your guarantee has teeth to it.

Besides that what if soemthing traumatic happens to you with-in 10 years so that you can't run your directory any more?

[Johan007]

I don’t see any of my sites going down even if I die.

[Blonde Jon]

Originally Posted by Johan007

I don’t see any of my sites going down even if I die.

Does your directory moderate itself? Who will run your sites if you pass away?

[Nick]

I believe shelflife also depends on how much work is put into the directory.

I find myself submitting to more customized directories, as I know time has been put into them and they aren't just another template based directory that could be sold the next day.

[irka]

Originally Posted by Web Gazelle

If they keep it alphabetic then that makes sense but when there is no real order it kinda sucks. But hey, a link is a link, right?

I share the same opinion, a web directory without listing order (alphabetical, pagerank, alexa ranking, whatever) is just a spam directory IMO.

[gfriedm1]

i never really thought about this concept until recently. i have noticed on some directories i submitted to i have been moved to the second or even third subsequent page. its like the put you there for the moment to appease you, but then bump you down. its quite annoying. i my opinion it should be first come first serve. plus that would be a way of preventing crappy submissions. could i would never submit to a category that is 3-4 pages out of links. those never seem to get indexed and just wasted of my time.

[stoner3221]

Originally Posted by gfriedm1

i never really thought about this concept until recently. i have noticed on some directories i submitted to i have been moved to the second or even third subsequent page. its like the put you there for the moment to appease you, but then bump you down. its quite annoying. i my opinion it should be first come first serve. plus that would be a way of preventing crappy submissions. could i would never submit to a category that is 3-4 pages out of links. those never seem to get indexed and just wasted of my time.

I hate to contradict you but I have categories 6 page deep that have PR and are cached regularly on one directory. Things have changed a bit since Big Daddy with a lot of directories.

[gfriedm1]

contradition is good! it how we figure out what acutally works.

to check to see if a page is indexed, i should be putting the address in the search bar in google. if it comes up with results, its indexed correct?