Starting a Directory - What to use? | Warrior Forum - The #1 Digital Marketing Forum & Marketplace

14 years ago

Hi,

I haven't used this before -- so don't know what it is like -- but another member here offers a script for sale that apparently he has been running for a few years now. The link is: PHP Link Directory Script

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aaron_nimocks

14 years ago

The link above is the script that almost every directory is running on now. Its been around for years and support and updates are still done. This is your best bet.

Also since its so old finding templates is pretty easy.

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Oscar D

14 years ago

Thank you for the input. Does anyone else have any recommendations or does anyone else here run a directory and can offer advice?

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Amaya

14 years ago

Hi there,

I ran into that question too. Tried phpLD, which is widely used & recommended. But it has no user documentation and since I'm not a programmer, I couldn't get it working the way I wanted. Also found it difficult to change templates.

There's very few guidelines out there to help people choose the right script for their needs, so I decided to create a site to fill this need. It's online at Directory Script Reviews and currently lists and rates about 22 scripts.
I'll be adding more as I discover them. Feel free to comment with suggestions.

Hope this helps,
Kathee
Directory Script Reviews
The Truth About Directory Scripts!

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Crew Chief

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Oscar D

Thank you for the input. Does anyone else have any recommendations or does anyone else here run a directory and can offer advice?

I own a number of directories and there are essentially three ways you can go:

(1). Use a script and if you go that route, I would only recommend PHP Link Directory Script. It's the best in the business hands down! You can use it right out of the box as is. Or, you can easily change the theme to your liking.

(2). Have a programmer customize phpLD for you. A lot of directory owners do this and by the time they are done, you have no idea that phpLD is the engine behind the site.

(3). Hire a programmer to build/clone a directory for you. In this case, most are going to use phpLD as the shell to build from anyway.

All in all, if you decide to go with phpLD, after your purchase you will need to:

(a). Choose a theme
(b). Decide on if you are going to run any ads, (I would not, seeing that you are just getting started and have not built up a database of sites yet)
(c). Perform a category dump. This will instantly provide you will all of the categories in one shot. Once you create a phpLD account, you will have access to those files, themes and widgets and instructions plus a pretty lively forum of directory owners.
(d). Blitz market the hail out of your directory!

(e). Quckily approve all requests in line with your directory TOS
(f). Blitz market the hail out of your directory C-130 Hell Fire style!

(g). Make sure you get on all of the various directory lists
(h). Blitz market the hail out of your directory F-117 Bomber style!

To be clear; there is a lot of work in launching a directory but once you get a system down, you're good to go. The down side is... it is not set and forget. Especially if you start accepting paid links.

That being said, when you first start off, with no PR, don't expect anyone to pay you for links unless you catch them smoking medicinal herbs at that moment.

Originally Posted by Amaya

Hi there,

I ran into that question too. Tried phpLD, which is widely used & recommended. But it has no user documentation and since I'm not a programmer, I couldn't get it working the way I wanted. Also found it difficult to change templates.!

Don't know what to tell you about that Amaya, there is obviously something you were doing wrong. You can change themes with the PHP Link Directory Script just as easy as you change themes in WP. You can also add widgets just as easy.

Giles, the Crew Chief

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dvduval

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Amaya

I ran into that question too. But it has no user documentation and since I'm not a programmer.

That's not true. Maybe you didn't ask, but we definitely have a manual as well as a support forum where we help people, as well as premium help if neither of those is good enough.

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Crew Chief

14 years ago

Originally Posted by dvduval

That's not true. Maybe you didn't ask, but we definitely have a manual as well as a support forum where we help people, as well as premium help if neither of those is good enough.

That whole statement reeked to social engineering high heavens...

Every person that I have referred to phpLD had it up and running in no time flat and never had any issues.

Maybe... just maybe... those statements had something to do with the link(s) in the post that point to "The Truth About Directory Scripts!"

I checked the site and lo and behold.

All of the scripts in review go to the exact same affiliate program...

I'm just saying...

As others have stated, go with phpLD and you you'll be glad you did!

Giles, the Crew Chief

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dvduval 14 years ago

Originally Posted by Crew Chief

That whole statement reeked to social engineering high heavens...

All of the scripts in review go to the exact same affiliate program...

You are quite right. I was trying to be nice, but there are similar posts on other forums too where they provide "advice" about the best directory script. I was actually able to speak with them, and they discussed what went into their rating system which included there being a manual as part of it. But since that time they have not changed anything about their rating for phpLD. And I think it just has to do with them promoting the scripts to the top that are offering them affiliate cash.

Fortunately for phpLD, when we say it is on 100,000 websites, and the next closest competitor is about 1/10th the size, that makes a statement in itself. When we start to show some of the awesome sites created with phpLD, those sites speak for themselves.
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I.M.Retired

14 years ago

I have a local business directory site and I use Wordpress for it. There are pros and cons to using Wordpress, and I often think about switching to a directory script, but haven't done so, as yet.

There is a nice directory theme for wordpress at http://directorypress.net Very flexible and user friendly.

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2 replies

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AnthonyKrese 14 years ago

If anyone is interested in making a local directory, I recommend you check out the "City Guide Theme" from woothemes.com It's beautiful and has some pretty incredible functionality.
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CocoChanelle

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Val.S.

I have a local business directory site and I use Wordpress for it. There are pros and cons to using Wordpress, and I often think about switching to a directory script, but haven't done so, as yet.

There is a nice directory theme for wordpress at DirectoryPress - Directory Script for Wordpress Very flexible and user friendly.

Hi Val, I have a friend who is using directorypress and he's at his wit's end. I've seen some of his work and he knows what he's doing but he says dp is horrible. Can you expand on what you like about it? I'm trying to decide whether to help him on this or help him find another product.

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dvduval

14 years ago

Originally Posted by CocoChanelle

Hi Val, I have a friend who is using directorypress and he's at his wit's end. I've seen some of his work and he knows what he's doing but he says dp is horrible. Can you expand on what you like about it? I'm trying to decide whether to help him on this or help him find another product.

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Sounds aweful. They are a pretty new entry into the market and probably not as mature yet. phpLD certainly went through growing pains, but we started live in January of 2005, and have worked with 1000s of people on their directories. When you say he was at his "wit's end", is it a case of bugs in the software?

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opiniones

14 years ago

does phpld have support for other languages? (mainly spanish)

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InternetM39482

14 years ago

phpLD, it's pretty good. I've used it in the past and the owner, I think, is a member here.

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dvduval 14 years ago

Originally Posted by opiniones

does phpld have support for other languages? (mainly spanish)

Yes, it is available in 20+ languages. Some are better translations than others. For example, German is excellent, but Chinese is not quite as developed, but working.

Originally Posted by Swastik

phpLD, it's pretty good. I've used it in the past and the owner, I think, is a member here.

Yes, I think you're right.
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- InternetM39482 14 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by dvduval
  
  Yes, I think you're right.
  
  Haha.
  
  I thought I'd seen you around. Great product, mate! :-)
  
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Oscar D

14 years ago

I am glad to see this thread again, I thought that it was gone - but glad it has been brought back to life.

I have been considering PHPLD as it looks like a great option.

Thanks Crew Chief for the advice, I like your idea of promotion - HIT IT HARD!!

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Crew Chief

14 years ago

Originally Posted by dvduval

You are quite right. I was trying to be nice, but there are similar posts on other forums too where they provide "advice" about the best directory script. I was actually able to speak with them, and they discussed what went into their rating system which included there being a manual as part of it. But since that time they have not changed anything about their rating for phpLD. And I think it just has to do with them promoting the scripts to the top that are offering them affiliate cash.

Fortunately for phpLD, when we say it is on 100,000 websites, and the next closest competitor is about 1/10th the size, that makes a statement in itself. When we start to show some of the awesome sites created with phpLD, those sites speak for themselves.

What's so pathetic is when people pull these underhanded juvenile self promotional tactics, they don't realize that they are asserting that "WE" are a bunch of bumbling incoherent idiots who don't know our heads from our butts.

Uh, hmmm, we were supposed to believe that bold-faced lie about phpLD not having any user documentation?

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot! Copy?

That's what they wanted us to believe?

C'mon people...

If you're going to shoot down a great product that is proven and that has a myriad of very happy users, please come up with a much better underhanded tactic to at least make things interesting.

ROTFL...

Originally Posted by Oscar D

I am glad to see this thread again, I thought that it was gone - but glad it has been brought back to life.

I have been considering PHPLD as it looks like a great option.

Thanks Crew Chief for the advice, I like your idea of promotion - HIT IT HARD!!

Go for it, phpLD will be a great move and yeah, promote the heck out of it blitzburgh style.

P.S. phpLD has a GREAT user/owner forum and you'll want to jump in and let the pros show you the ropes.

Giles, the Crew Chief

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dvduval

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Crew Chief

What's so pathetic is when people pull these underhanded juvenile self promotional tactics, they don't realize that they are asserting that "WE" are a bunch of bumbling incoherent idiots who don't know our heads from our butts.

Uh, hmmm, we were supposed to believe that bold-faced lie about phpLD not having any user documentation?

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot! Copy?

That's what they wanted us to believe?

C'mon people...

If you're going to shoot down a great product that is proven and that has a myriad of very happy users, please come up with a much better underhanded tactic to at least make things interesting.

ROTFL...

Go for it, phpLD will be a great move and yeah, promote the heck out of it blitzburgh style.

P.S. phpLD has a GREAT user/owner forum and you'll want to jump in and let the pros show you the ropes.

Giles, the Crew Chief

Thank you very much!

And at the same time I just like to keep hope that people like Kathy are just in a different place, and will come around one day and see that phpLD may not be what they first thought. I try not to hold a grudge, and when people sincerely need our help, they are welcome to come back.

We've had our support forum going 7 days per week since 2006. And we have gotten better over time. In some of the "formative years" we definitely had a few bugs in our software. I think that is normal for any software company, but it is the ones that don't listen to people (even people that bash them) that lose market share.

We've been very fortunate, and have been able to grow our team, and it truly is amazing that 100,000+ sites use our software. The best thing I have found to do to show thanks is to try to be as "brilliant" as possible in finding what people want, and helping people who ask for help.

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eflo

14 years ago

Is the online directory market a saturated one, or is there room to still profit?

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dvduval 14 years ago

Originally Posted by eflo

Is the online directory market a saturated one, or is there room to still profit?

It depends on how you look at it. If you are talking about cookie cutter sites (not saying you are) where all they do is stick up a directory and some categories, then I would say yes, that is saturated and not worth pursuing.

However if you are talking about people finding innovative ways to use a directory to organize information in a useful way, then there will always be entry points into the directory industry.

What I find most successful people are doing (at least with our script) is they do some customization that appeals to a niche or offers something unique, and then they repeat that idea with a few other sites as they see their profits increase. And some just work with one site and really develop it.

Take for example Delightful Blogs that started in 2007. They had a great concept that worked for them for a few years now. They made a few customizations (to focus on blogs) and built a user base, and they get lots of traffic. But the main point here is they did something special. They didn't just through up our software, and start begging for link submissions.
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eflo

14 years ago

Holy beautiful sites you can make with this thing... If this is possible why are there so many ugly looking directories still out there?!?

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dvduval 14 years ago

Originally Posted by eflo

Holy beautiful sites you can make with this thing... If this is possible why are there so many ugly looking directories still out there?!?

I think the same thing could be said for ALL websites. That said, I think some of the newer templates are more stylish.
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hotftuna

14 years ago

I own a number of directories. Most run on phpLD and a couple run on eSyndiCat. Both scripts work great. PhpLD has good support and it is a great way to get going quickly.

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amiman

13 years ago

I own several directories.
5 run PHP Link Directory Script
2 run Mosets Tree a Joomla component

Both are good but the latest version of PHPLD is excellent.

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thomaspaylor 13 years ago

Is the online directory market a saturated one, or is there room to still profit? - Good question!

The answer is yes, depending on your niche. I run a very profitable hyper local website for a very small town in the UK. I was amazed when I checked out the search numbers for the place. The site makes around 10-12K a year, and took a few months to build up the relationships with the local businesses, through both phone and email. Now the website is almost on auto pilot. It also brings it about £5-£10 a day in Adsense revenue depending on the time of year. Traffic for tourist directories tends to be seasonal depending on the location.

So i would say there is defiantly still money in directories, but for me, super targeted niche directories are the way forward.

If your interested in the URL discussed here, please PM me and id be happy to share it with people.
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shuvo

13 years ago

I would recommend to use PhpLD.I have seen lots of directory owners use this platform.

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dvduval 13 years ago

Originally Posted by shuvo

I would recommend to use PhpLD.I have seen lots of directory owners use this platform.

Thank you, shuvo. There are so many different ways to configure phpLD now that it is getting more difficult to even recognize if a site is running phpLD sometimes. A couple that I like in the last your are Socialrific.com Directory - The Pinnacle of Next Generation Web Directories and Delightful Blogs Directory :: Cutting through the Blog Smog. Discover Stylish Blogs
We've got lots more coming in 2011 and appreciate everyone's support and hard work on their directories.
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I.M.Retired

13 years ago

Post deleted - info no longer relevant.

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I.M.Retired

13 years ago

dvduval: The sites you provided are great! I'm certainly taking a closer look at phpLD for another site I have in mind!

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dvduval

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Val.S.

dvduval: The sites you provided are great! I'm certainly taking a closer look at phpLD for another site I have in mind!

Thank you very much. And note that we have "Secrets of Our Success" forum over on phpLD for phpLD directory owners similar to the War Room here where we help each other. We'd love to have you join us.

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cblanke

13 years ago

I also have a few directories running phpLD and my take is the script is great. With all the new options, it is unlimited as to what you can do. Great support and some really great guys in the forum.

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dvduval

13 years ago

Originally Posted by cblanke

I also have a few directories running phpLD and my take is the script is great. With all the new options, it is unlimited as to what you can do. Great support and some really great guys in the forum.

Thank you cblanke. We just got a note from a customer who purchased some other software. They said about the other software:
"It's great if it does everything you need, but if you need to customize it, forget about it." We have always tried to help people customize phpLD, and that leads to new features and options, and we become better at support. Anyways, thank you so much for your comment.

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NerdGary

13 years ago

Not sure what script to use... but my advice is to find a niche and create a directory around that....

There are literally MILLIONS of broad based internet directories that have all types of sites..

Narrow it down to one new niche... You'll have better results, faster.

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hotftuna

13 years ago

Originally Posted by NerdGary

Not sure what script to use... but my advice is to find a niche and create a directory around that....

There are literally MILLIONS of broad based internet directories that have all types of sites..

Narrow it down to one new niche... You'll have better results, faster.

In my experience, niche directories don't make money- general directories do (or can).

Reason is that the bulk of business comes from SEO firms. Folks at these firms want a simple list of directories that they can submit any cient site to.

add: LOL the financial directory in my sig is a perfect example- only 100 paid listings.

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ntemple 13 years ago

An alternative can be a Joomla site running Mossets Tree (take a look at the Joomla Extensions Directory for an example), SOBI2 (has paid listings support built in), Zoo (very flexible) or one of the other many directory extensions.

WordPress may have something similiar, I'm just not familiar with any directory specific WordPress plugins.

Part of the decision could be whether you want "just' a directory, or the expandability of a more general CMS with directory capability.
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dvduval

13 years ago

Originally Posted by NerdGary

Not sure what script to use... but my advice is to find a niche and create a directory around that....

There are literally MILLIONS of broad based internet directories that have all types of sites..

Narrow it down to one new niche... You'll have better results, faster.

Originally Posted by hotftuna

In my experience, niche directories don't make money- general directories do (or can).

Reason is that the bulk of business comes from SEO firms. Folks at these firms want a simple list of directories that they can submit any cient site to.

add: LOL the financial directory in my sig is a perfect example- only 100 paid listings.

I see we have two different ideas here.

It has been my personal experience that newer entrants to the directory business that were successful were niche directories. However, there are also examples of general directories that did well.

In either case, what I find common among the money makers is they came up with something special that helped them make money, whether that be added value for people submitting links, or some special way to exploit a niche.

Now that financial directory could mature still and make more money, so don't count that one out yet!

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evazk

13 years ago

I would suggest "phpLD" it is really a great script, easy to use also.

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