In previous post we read some basic information about web directories, web hosting, domain name etc. To continue further, this post will cover few more basics and help you to choose from various options available for starting your first web directory service. Web Directory – if nurtured properly would become a very good source of income for you – as long as you maintain the quality and devote time it deserves!
Domain Name
We all take pride in our real names given to us by our parents. The name becomes the identity for you – the individual. Like every website on the internet, your web directory too requires a Domain Name, thus you should really spend some time to identify a suitable domain name for your web directory service. If you are really serious about this, just any name wouldn’t do – you ought to choose a name carefully for more than one reason such as Search Engine Optimisation, easy for users to remember (for revisit), unique and catchy etc etc. Read more on how to select a domain name, before you settle down with one for yourself. If you don’t already have a domain name, I would suggest to register them with Pubdomains – I have been utilizing services from them for a while and very happy with the performance. As you may notice, the .IN domain has been registered with pubdomains.in and web hosting is provided by Pubdomains.com
Directory script: phpLD version 2.1.3
There are many options to choose from, however most popular and widely known script is PHPLD (PHP Link Directory). If you know nothing about scripts, and don’t know where to begin, I would suggest to begin your first directory project using the free phpLD version 2.1.3. PHP Link DirectoryPHPLD is the de facto PHP script for building directories. Once you get familiar with running directory script and If you are serious about your directory, you may consider upgrading to version 3 (for $25) that would also entitle you for technical support, apart from host of features (such as article directory, better spam protection, better control etc). Visit for more details. OwnHost.in is running on phpLD version 2.1.x and I am happy with its performance – Visit few pages on this directory to understand the structure and explore the possiblities.
Categories
Purpose of a directory is categorize links, and thus the need for categories. You may opt to create your own categories or you may use category dumps available on the web to populate your web directory with standard categories list. Ownhost.in started with a standard general directory hierarchy using the Category Dumps package, developed by Daniel Harrison at Directory Spy. It’s easy to set up a good hierarchy in just a few minutes. This is a very nice tool for quick category set up. If you are creating a niche directory, you’ll probably want to spend a little more time setting up your categories. Of course Admin interface allows you to add / edit and delete categories as and when required!
Look And Feel
You would certainly want your directory to stand out of the crowd, and thus you need to have a skin that reflects the personality of your web directory – making a very good first impression. Many free templates are available on the web, or if you are graphically inclined, you may always create your own. The template used at Ownhost.in is self designed (drawing inspiration from an existing template) Experiment as much as you want, because – phpLD is based on smarty template system that allows you to separate presentation layer with the functaional coding blocks.
OK, So far we are still learning few things you ought to know about web directories. The next post shall cover how to setup your first directory in a test environment. My advice is always to run and test scripts in controlled test environment so that you are the first to notice any errors (and fix them). Once everything is in place, running a web directory on actual web hosting server is relatively very very easy!
Thanks for reading and appreciate the time you have spent with me on my blog. Don’t forget to add your link to Ownhost.in SEO Human Edited Web Directory if you haven’t already done that! Also provide your inputs and feedback to my post, I would love to hear from you!
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