Mass Delete SPAM Submissions on PhpLD Directories

Many Web directories are spammed with hundred of unwanted links, and deleting these links manually links is just not possible. An interesting discussion took place on
Digital Point forums to mass delete all the spam links from the phpMyAdmin to save time and keeping the directory clean. 1. The following command deletes all the pending links when run from the phpMyAdmin

DELETE FROM `PLD_LINK` WHERE `STATUS`=1

2. The following command is used to delete listings when spammed from specific TLD’s like .ru , .ua, .by etc

DELETE FROM `PLD_LINK` WHERE `URL` LIKE ‘%sblog.cz%’

The % operator in the above command is used to detect any character and will delete any record in the links table where the url contains the characters sblog.cz - regardless as to what characters come before or after it.

Caution : Please before you try to run these commands from the phpMyAdmin take a full database backup so you can always switch back in case any thing goes wrong.

Also to keep spam submissions low, consider Spam Guard mod from
Rob.

How to start a Web Directory

This question of How to make a Directory has been posted again and again on various directory forums. So I planned to write a small blog post to getting started on your own directory. Now let us get familiar with the term “directory“. The prime motive of any directory to organize various resources, so that they can be easily found instead of searching on various search engines.

So below are the steps listed to eventually becoming a directory webmaster.

1. Hosting : With so many hosting companies around like HostGator, BlueHost and many others you can easily sign up for a shared hosting account to set up your directory. Once your directory starts getting some huge traffic and becomes popular then you can move your directory on a dedicated server.

2. Selection of Directory Script : This is really most crucial step and with many directory scripts around like PhpLD, Esyndicat, SiteSift and PhpLynx or (PhpLinkBid for bidding directories) you will not be having a tough time deciding the script as per your needs. Again all these scripts also come in with a free version and also paid version. It is quite obvious that there is a better support and more features with the paid version of the script. So It will be really your decision, how you would like to scale your directory. There is always a upgrade from the free version of the script to the paid version.

Tip : I will highly recommend you to start on with PhpLD, not because I am affiliated with them in any way. But It is the most popular directory script and has largest number of mods, templates and a very big support forum.

3. Niche Selection for your directory : Now after that you have decided on the directory script. It is important to decide up on the fact that whether you want to start a general directory, bidding directory or a niche directory. So accordingly you can modify the category structure as per your needs.

4. Installation of the Directory Script : Most of the directory scripts are easy to install, But if you are not good with the installation or find installation difficult. You can get the script installed by paying some one on the Services forums or various directory forums. Please do not use a category dumps available with the scripts to create categories, instead use unique category structures and that will help you rank better on search engines.

5. Templates and Mods for your directory : Directory scripts generally come up with some default templates and you can use them or you can use many of the free templates available online and the same goes with mods for the directories.
Directory mods really enhance the directory functionality.

6. Promotion of your Directory : Congrats and welcome to the world of directories. There is actually no rule as to how you can promote your directory. You will have get quality backlinks for your directories, do lot of link building, social
book marking and hang around here, here and here with other directory web masters for more tips on directory submission.

Please post in your comments, If you feel that I have missed something in the above post.

Quality Directory selection factors

Submission to quality directory will definitely boost your SEO efforts and also offer a strong back link to your site. Let us try to explore the various selection factors to determine a quality directory. Quality directories can be both free and paid directories. The selection factors displayed apply same to both free and paid directories. I really don’t want to differentiate quality directories on the basis of PR after the recent Google pagerank update.

1. Search Engine Indexation: Before you submit to any site make sure that the directory is well indexed by Google/Yahoo and when the directory was last cached. If the directory was not cached by Google for a long time then there is definitely some problem with the directory. Quality directories are indexed completely and cached on a regular basis by Google.

2. Popularity of the Directory: This is the most important factor as you will be waiting for months to be getting listed in DMOZ or paying some dollars in to get listed in a quality paid directory but what is important is not only the link juice that the directory can offer to your site, but also the traffic that it can send to your site. A highly promoted and established directory can really offer you both traffic and at the same time give you the link juice for your SEO efforts.

3. Unique Category structure: Make sure that the category structure is unique and not from any of the SQL dumps for various available directory scripts. Also the categories should have a deep drilldown so that information is well organized, so that relevant information can be located quickly.

4. Link Attribute : A directory that uses a “rel=nofollow” attribute or places your link with JavaScript re-directs will not be of any SEO advantage and is not counted as a back link by Google. Quality directories will always offer a direct back link to your site.

5. Unique Design (Optional): Content always plays a very important role, but the way the content is presented also makes a difference. Unique directory design shows directory owners commitment and seriousness for his directory.

6. Links in the Category: Check the quality of the links that are present in the category that you are looking to submit your site. If the directory has spam links (low quality links), then there is really no point in submitting to such directory & as it will really not pass any link value. Quality directories do reject lot of links.

Please post in your comments, if you have some more selection criteria’s for quality directories.

Amit.

Planning to start a New Web Directory - Read this

It is really easy to start a new directory these days, with some amazing scripts like PhpLD, Esyndicat, Site Sift, PhpLynx etc. The best thing being these directory scripts offer free versions which can allow almost anyone to start a web directory easily at no cost other than the hosting (this again can be free).

Now we are here to discuss, what happens to an average guy who plans to start a web directory (wants to really make it BIG and also wants to make some money with it easily) & his journey along the directory market.

Here is the story, I hope you will enjoy it. Let me name this new directory owner who is looking to make a quick buck with web directories as “BigLoser”.

Now BigLoser plan to start a new directory, so he searches for some free directory scripts and also gets in some free hosting from friends, manages to install the directory script. He plans to start a general directory, uses one of the category dumps available online and in 10 minutes, he has a brand new directory ready!

So assuming that he is using PhpLd script, He selects one of the many free templates available online and has a directory ready to be launched. Now our Big.Loser has goes to many directory forums and makes posts that he is launching this directory and the submissions are free. Long before he has finished posting threads on various directory forums, he realizes that he is already getting tons of submissions. Traffic really makes him excited. So he starts working on his directories 4 hours a day.

He submits his site to various other free directories, dying for an approval and that precious backlink. Now this goes on for some days, finally making him realize that out of the 800 submissions he is getting daily 775 submissions are either spam sites, adult content, MFA sites, Casino/Gambling sites or racist material which he cannot approve as per his own TOS. So now he spends around 6 hours/day just in approving submission.

Now he reads on some directory forums, that converting his free directory to a paid directory will result in a fewer number of spam submissions and it is also good way to earn some money. So that makes him convert his free web directory to a paid directory with regular links at $1.00 and featured links at $5.00, only to realize that the traffic on the site has dropped by 90% and also there is an amazing bounce rate. Now since there is really no way of going back. He just prays that he gets a good pagerank so that there will be some featured link submissions to fulfil his objective of making money.

Finally after months of free directory submissions, PageRank updates our Big.Loser and the directory gets a Pr3, which makes him very happy and he is all set to make money. Only to again realize that there are already many PR3 directories, his site lacks custom design, no premium mods. So our Big.Loser now invests arounds $300.00 and gets a cool design and some directory mods installed. Only to again realize that he has no traffic to his directory and there are no featured link submissions coming. Big.Loser ponders that he burnt a hole in his pocket and wasted some really good time and the fact that he could have made at least 100 times the money he has made with his directory, working part-time a pizza parlor.

Many guys planning to start up in directory business have experienced the above scenario and it is really not that easy to make money with directories. It requires a lot of hardwork, link building skills, SEO and also money to invest to build a quality directory or in other words a resource site which is useful for everyone.

I hoped that you liked the article, please post any points that I have missed in the comments. I will update them in the blog post. This post is written with the prime objective of helping new webmasters trying to venture in the directory business with the motive of making a quick buck although it may look really easy.

Amit

Effective Web Directory Submission Tips

Directory Submissions are really becoming very popular these days. Packages like submission to 1000 or even 2000 free directories (I don’t know that If so many free directories also exist!) are really hot these days and best thing is that even an Excel Report is provided as a proof of by these submission service providers. Now the topic that we will be discussing today is that how are we going to make the best use of these services in terms of SEO and Link Building.

Here are some of the tips that we need to follow while submitting to Web Directories.

1. Randomize the use of Anchor Text’s : This is absolutely important to randomize the anchor text’s when you submit to directories as If you get 1000 incoming links (in the ideal case, I am sorry but sometimes we have to use that) all pointing to your domain with the same anchor text, then this will definitely make Google raise a Red flag against you. Randomizing anchor text’s and description really become a key for a successful directory submission effort.

2. Writing Quality description about your site : I have seen that many sites that are being submitted to directories for review are without any quality descriptions and by this I really don’t mean that you need to type in a sales letter in directory description box or just hype your product. Use realistic descriptions that will encourage the users to click on your link.

3. Stop submitting to Spam directories : I really don’t see any advantage of submitting to tons of spam directories (directories build on dropped domains, no backlinks & directories made just made to make a quick buck). Submission to these directories will not help in terms of SEO, But will surely make your life more difficult as being associated with SPAM. Submit to a fewer quality paid & free directories which will surely help you a lot with link building.

So the next time you opt for a directory submission service for your site(s), Ask your service provider a sample of the directory list that he will be using for submission & then make an decision based on the above mentioned points.

Amit.