Patrick thanks for this opportunity. The Sandbox article http://www.linkbuildingblog.com/2006/09/secrets_to_beat.html was actually written by TLA’s Strategist, Andy Hagans.

Feel free to push any text-link-ads promo stuff as you see fit, but I am hoping for some useful info on your ads and directories.

For your information we have many directories running our affiliate banners but selling links not as many for sure.

Tell us a little about text-link-ads, were the idea and desire came from, and how its going.

Sure, out of college I co founded a reclaimed brick and stone business with my father called HistoricalBricks.com It was in 2000 when I learned about search engine marketing and it helped grow the brick business shipping bricks locally to a nationwide provider. I saw an opportunity to offer these same search engine marketing services to other small businesses so in 2001 co founded with my college roommate a pay per click management service.

Pay per click management services lead you into offering natural search engine optimization services for those same clients and that lead to learning the importance of inbound links into client’s websites. Put simply, the number and quality of inbound links to a website is a top factor in top natural search engine rankings.

This knowledge led to the creation of Text Link Ads Inc which we have been operating under since 2003. We have been growing every year and are constantly trying to improve our system for both our advertisers and publishers.

Ok onto the niche that my readers are interested in, Directories. We can divide your offering to directory owners into 2, selling links and capturing affiliate income. Lets start with the text link sales. What does a directory owner need to do to get into your program?

A directory owner needs a directory that has some link popularity and traffic. We have an acceptance algorithm that takes both into consideration when accepting new sites into our publisher program. You also need to support a server side technology in order to run our ad script. Any site can get into our affiliate program and make money by sending traffic to TLA.

Just how easy is it to install in a directory?

An experienced web master should have no problem installing our ad script.

What is your experience with your ad system in directories?

It really varies on the topic and quality of the directory. They can perform well if the directory has good traffic and link popularity.

Can your system allow a directory with strong internal categories to sell those pages as separate offerings? Or Is it limited to one site, other index page or sitewide for the moment?

It is possible and recommended to submit your main subject pages individually. This allows you to sell more spots off your directory and allows advertisers to target specific niches.

Ok now onto the affiliate part of your program. I have always considered your program fairly ideal for a directory since for the majority of directories most of there traffic are people looking for links! Do you have any stats you can share on numbers of directories using your system as an affiliate of text link seller?

We have approximately 10,000 affiliates but I am not sure how many are directory owners.

What converts better, a text link or a banner for your affiliate program inside directories?

Banner ads seem to drive more traffic but you can always run a banner along with a well placed text ad. Which of the banners is the highest converter? The best banner currently seems to be our “$100 in free Text Link Ads” banner.

Below is the banner that Andy refferes to. (pissstt, its an affilalte link)

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TheDirectoryBlog:
1. How did you get involved with Dans forum?
Thomas:
Long time ago, I saw the link to Dan’s list somewhere. I was just starting my submission service and it struck me to offer it to the Vilesilencer visitors. Dan accepted my proposal, and through time, I became more closely involved with his list, namely helping him moderate the forum.
TheDirectoryBlog:
So you offer a submission service. Feel free to url drop. Do you own any directories? Which ones?
Thomas:
I work with established clients, most of them for over 2 years, and don’t have time for much more. Thus my public site http://www.seothatworks.com/ is kind of abandoned. I also own a directory or two, but these are usually serving me as a test beds, either to test new ideas, monitor the situation on the directory market, or get inspiration on what’s hot, that’s why I’m not very keen on publishing their urls.
Thomas:
I’m not even promoting them anywhere. I just “had to get one” so that I can keep abreast in the business, that’s it.
Thomas:
Oh one more unique I own, but feel ashamed of the long approval queue, www.typodrome.com. It’s built around the idea of using typos instead of keywords. 95% of the submitters don’t get the rules and can’t read, though.
TheDirectoryBlog:
I think all directory owners can understand that.
TheDirectoryBlog:
What kind of work do you principally do for your clients?
Thomas:
All my stable clients are SEO pros. They know  exactly what they want. So for them I serve as a “submission monkey”, ie. they deliver all the data and I just submit. Except I care highly about the approval rates so I’m much more careful and think about what I do, than your usual “link pusher” that just cares to stick the link somewhere. That’s also why I preferred to work on my own, though I had plenty of opportunities to grow the business, I could have easily employed 5-10 people.  Than there is a second kind of client, the irregulars, that just need one site and accidentally find out about my service.
Thomas:
Those I help with titles, descriptions, and adjustment of their sites for the purpose of increasing the approval ratios.
TheDirectoryBlog:
So you use Dans list I suppose….
Thomas:
Absolutely. That’s why I also spend the time helping him keep it up to date.  I had clients pushing me to use some 1.000 and more directories long list, and it was nothing but a catastrophe as most of it was junk from a SEO point, and free submission point. Well…I also use a private list for certain purposes, which contains only the top directories. Select clients don’t want to see their link in “every junk directory around” if you understand what I mean.
TheDirectoryBlog:
jajajaja, sure, that’s clear enough.

TheDirectoryBlog:
Off the top of your head please list 5 key steps to owning a quality directory.
Thomas:
1. use good script that has an ongoing development
2. make it unique, though in my eyes unique design alone doesn’t make it, unique content is king
3. strict approval rules
4. work on it regularly, and I don’t mean approval-wise, but promotion-wise
5. the top of the top directories don’t rely on what’s submitted to them. because the top sites that are out there, don’t submit. so the top directory from user point, has to have a content that’s built by editors and not submitted
TheDirectoryBlog:
Thats GREAT, especially number 5.
TheDirectoryBlog:
That seems to me to be the best single idea. You cover a niche area, get the best sites into it.
Thomas:
well…niches…. I think there is a future for those who are sick of the junk general directory business that seems to rule now.
TheDirectoryBlog:
Its clear to me that the number of general directories has really exploded …
TheDirectoryBlog:
why?
Thomas:
Directories are growing, despite my firm conviction that less and less people are using them (in favour of search engines). In my eyes, there are two reasons for this:
1. It is an extremely easy to enter market, there are ready made directory scripts for free that take 15 minutes to install, with category structures included and templates, you submit your directory to a list or two, and that’s all one needs to do. People write content for you, or pay for inclusion, and all you have to do is to sit and review the submission queue.
2. They are very popular for plain link building purposes, as a “more legal” kind of link farm or link exchange.
Thomas:
So it takes 15 minutes, and you have gotten yourself a frequently visited site with no or little effort. You can make it to Alexa 100.000 without any effort what so ever.
TheDirectoryBlog:
Seems to me the road to search engine hell …
TheDirectoryBlog:
I mean by that …
TheDirectoryBlog:
surely the search engines will (i think they already do) downgrade the value of a link from a crappy directory?
Thomas:
I don’t follow this aspect myself much, mainly because in my eyes, directories are past, not future. But they still work. As for downgrading…I think with the BigDaddy update, something to the extent of strong downgrading went on but was later reverted. They still get indexed and such, even though many end in supplemental index largely.
TheDirectoryBlog:
Wow, thats good, I will have to go and look more closely at the supplemental issue with directories in mind…
Thomas:
A link from a directory is for sure much less valuable than a regular kind of link. Especially with Google. But for MSN for example, just directory links are still fine and in some niches all you need to get ranked well.
TheDirectoryBlog:
Yes I agree MSN appears to be the most receptive to directory links at the moment. I suppose  that will change as MSN search gets better.
Thomas:
The supplemental index is a major factor that’s omitted by many people that pay for links. I wouldn’t pay a dime for being listed on such a directory, even if I had an unlimited budget.
TheDirectoryBlog:
I would argue that some links from quality directories are very valuable, the problem is that the great majority of directories are crappy.
Thomas:
Exactly. There are definitely some high quality directories, which will continue for the foreseeable future, no matter which algorithm changes are implemented to devalue the power of links from bad directories. To me,  a link from a high quality directory is as good as any other authoritative site.
TheDirectoryBlog:
Yes I agree.
TheDirectoryBlog:
So I guess that is why we are both fans of Dans seo friendly free directory list, since it is clearly going in the quality matters direction rather than shear numbers direction…
Thomas:
Dan was going that way right from the start. He only included SEO friendly directories, while others included just about anything that had a submission form on it. Then as the market evolved and become easier to start up a directory,  it become apparent that further steps need to be taken, that’s why he is going to target only top500. If you ask me, I would think top200 would be even better.
TheDirectoryBlog:
Or a listing in order of quality and letting the user decide how far down the list they wont to go.
Thomas:
Yes. That would be ideal. In fact, in a marketing light I don’t think it is wise to only limit to the top40 or 200. The top list should become the shop window. There should still be a list of “others”, if for nothing else, than to serve the majority of people that say “wow, this list has 1000 directories”, or 3000, but for the moment  few are saying “wow, this is high quality list” except of course the truly professional SEO´s.
Thomas:
Yes it does look like people in this market are generally looking for quantity, not quality.
TheDirectoryBlog:
I think that as this market matures quality will become more talked about, rather than huge list numbers.
Thomas:
Quality is being talked about by professionals. I work for a professional SEO who recognized that a long time ago and only submits his clients to a select, high quality list.
Thomas:
There are some submission services that also submit to select lists, but that’s another story, because that list is created on how easy it is to submit to the directory, or they mistake quality for speed and approval ratio. Which is far from my definition of quality. So backtracking, there are people that recognize the quality, mostly professionals working for reputable clients who don’t like to be submitted to bad directories.
TheDirectoryBlog:
At the end of the day this comes down to return on investment (time and cash)
TheDirectoryBlog:
It seems clear that many people are still not maximising there ROI because they see value in poor quality directory back links when there time would be better spent on fewer better quality submissions.
Thomas:
Return on investment would be a factor if the directory economy was normal. But it is heavily effected by people from low income countries, mainly India. They provide a very cheap workforce, no matter whether you employ them for directory submission, or whether they set-up a directory and sell $3 for a lifetime featured link. They are exceedingly price competitive. They are one of the major factors why this market is where it is.
Thomas:
So if you got really low cost, you don’t care much about ROI because with such a low cost, ROI is still fine, almost no matter what.
TheDirectoryBlog:
Yes, I have used submitting services at 7$ for a site to be submitted to a list of 200 directories. I can honestly say I got what I paid for ..
Thomas:
What was the problem with them?
TheDirectoryBlog:
The quality of the directories was crappy, my site buried in page 22 of the category, my site surrounded by poor qualiy sites,  many times not even in the right category … but it only cost 7$.
TheDirectoryBlog:
So we seem to be in agreement that quality is more important than quantity in directory submissions.
Thomas:
Absolutely.
Thomas:
Being approved in the top 40 is way higher value than being approved in the rest of the 400 odd sites in the directory.
TheDirectoryBlog:
So the killer question is …..
TheDirectoryBlog:
Do you care to share with my blog readers those top 40 directories?
Thomas:
Haha. I don’t have it, but have something like that planned, which I will for sure share, as soon as I get my current obligations done. Anyway, it will be as biased as top 40 lists of other people. I remember Bob Mutch published a tool to identify topXX directories, http://www.seocompany.ca/, for example, and there might be few more.
Thomas:
I mean, I have a feel for what I consider the top40, when I go over the list, but I don’t have a selection, and I don’t have classification nor numbering etc….
TheDirectoryBlog:
ok, well thanks for all your time Thomas, its has been very insightful, and don’t forget us when you get that top 40 list down.

Dan, creator of the original seo friendly directory list at Info Vilesilencer. I am 31, currently residing in Sydney, Australia

What made you start your list.?

I had a huge number of bookmarked directories, search engines and link farms and I saw a niche (being link building and building backlinks at the time) and I decided to categorise this huge pile of jumbled resources into a clean and clearly focussed list. Originally, I did it for my own purposes, but I decided it would be a useful resource for the SEO community and I guess that is the reason why I released it publicly.

How much of your day/week do you spend on your list?

Hard to pinpoint exactly – suffice it to say it is a very time consuming task. What started as a simple hobby quickly snowballed into a major resource when people realised that all the hard work in selecting quality directories had been done for them. The popularity of the list lead me to spend increasing amounts of time on it to maintain the quality. With the advent of the Info Vilesilencer Forum I have a lot more help from contributors, which allows me to spend time more wisely  discussing aspects of the lists and associated factors.

What else do you do?

In addition to maintaining Info Vilesilencer, I also run a multitude of websites as well as dabbling in design work and collaborating in a commercial IRC server which currently has a few radio networks as clients.  The latter is starting to consume more time and resources as we conduct professional celebrity chats for clients which are a lucrative entry point for us and allow our customer base to utilise our software, hardware and bandwith allocations, as some of the chats can get in excess of 1 or 2 hundred users chatting in real-time. Recreation-wise I just returned from a pretty decent camping trip with a mate and we went fly fishing in the scenic Australian bush. It was only 4 days,  but when I take a break I like to get as far away from the internet and computers as possible.

How long has the list been going for?

I released the initial SEO friendly directory list to the public in October, 2004 (though I’ve been building the lists privately for a lot longer than that), and this begun a massive trend of making directories both search engine friendly (mod-rewriting the URLs to improve indexation in the engines) and SEO friendly (ensuring that the one-way backlinks are counted in the major engines). Info Vilesilencer itself has been around since 2002 though I had it on free webhosts before that time from about 1998 when it was more of a webdesign portal.

Were do you see the list going in the future?

The list evolves as the directory community does. When I first started I concentrated mainly on categorising directories as SEO friendly or not. I was also more interested in the free directories only as this appealed to the end user (my initial market). The community has caught on and most directories are SEO friendly now so this aspect of the lists I spend less time on than I previously did.

Currently the listing is more about separating general and niche directories. Paid inclusion directories have also begun to feature more prominently. So the list has evolved to encompass both directory owners and users. The entire community benefits as a result. Recently I announced that I will be capping the general list at 500. This is to try and curb this trend of people putting up directories with the idea of making a quick buck, which ends up in a lot of abandoned directories when they realise that making money via directories isn’t a simple “if you build it they will come” model.

Anything you would like to talk about in your professional career before the list?

Not much to tell that I think anyone would be interested in hearing. I’ve worked a few jobs in my time from lawnmowing straight out of school to wine-waiting  (I used to call it wine-wasting) whilst I was at university studying Chemical Engineering.

I had a brief stint as a programmer with ACNielsen in their retail operations department, where we ‘band-aid’ programmed using pseudo-cobol language. I say ‘band-aid’ because most of the work was patch jobs, since some of the databases had heavy amounts of hardcoding that required adjustments each time reports were run. Because most of the databases had also been through a score of more sets of hands they were all rather messy, and even the databases that were clean-coded to pull global categories from the system often had some lazy programmers hardcode in them generating errors. Best part of that job would’ve been the introduction to brand awareness. Analysing the data trends for newly launched brands and learning how big companies, like Coke, promote their new and existing products differently.

In your opinion what makes a good directory?

Apart from being SEO friendly? I think ‘good directory’ is such a broad term which makes this a very open-ended question. There are directories that are good for different things. A directory like Hotscripts is great for targeted traffic whereas a directory like DMOZ is good for search engine rank, but lousy for traffic. If we think in general terms of owning a directory, I would suggest that to have a “good directory” the owner needs to create a unique resource that offers its user something over and above just a listing in another directory. You need clever design and unique skins to attract an audience; intuitive categorisation of a quality list of sites; efficient spam control to keep the junk out and to process site reviews with speed; experienced editors who understand the changing SEO and webdesign scene; and you need to build a campaign of marketing and promotion to get your directory known in various circles.

Some long-term directory owners think their directories are the only ones, but I see that as sitting on your hands once you’ve had some success  – and if they continue to think like that they are going to let the competition sneak up on them. It’s an ongoing process (the same as SEO). You don’t suddenly have a good directory one day, you have to continually work at it.

In your opinion what makes for a bad directory?

A lot of the time its the owner, and their inability to listen or acknowledge other points of view. Many people have complained about certain directories not being on the Info Vilesilencer list. It doesn’t mean that I  think their directory is bad per se, it just means they don’t meet the strict criteria for inclusion on the directory list. They continue to argue the point though, referring to the age of their directory; its number of listings; how great it is; but they haven’™t listened – their directory isn’t on the list because it doesn’t meet the original SEO Friendly criteria. The criteria is designed to include directories that provide SEO benefit for backlinks.

Owners of some of the bigger directories run around the forums whingeing about how great their directory is and badmouthing anyone that has a smaller directory than them. In my opinion if they are feeling threatened by smaller directories then perhaps those smaller directories aren’t as worthless as they’ve made out. Instead of wasting time denouncing the competition their time would be better spent invested in the development and promotion of their own directories.

Any particular choice in directory software?

One of the most frequent questions I’m asked, and up until earlier this year I wouldve pointed you to 1 of 3 (namely EsyndiCat, phpLD and Snowblind). The latter I did offer some advice on during its early development and it was one of the first scripts that provided both search engine friendly URLs coupled with SEO Friendly listings. However, I think after much consideration and with the release of their version 3.06 script, phpLD has shown they are the leader of the bunch in terms of what they can offer you out of the box. Their support forum, and future development is also exceptional.

When I first released the directory list  the most popular script by far was by Biz Directory (now called FreePHPdirectory script) and, whilst they still have a good script (especially their cross-referencing full version model), popularity-wise they have dropped several rungs down the list. PhpLD is by far the most popular on the list with more than 25% of the directories using that particular script. Again, its an ongoing process. Today phpLD is the best, but they will need to continually evolve to maintain their current successful position.

Were do you see directories going in the future?

I think it’s not so much the future as now. Many directories have evolved from merely categorised listings of links to offering additional services such as informative article & news; tagging & social bookmarking; featured content; and some are even fully fledged portals with the directory attached. One directory idea that I am particularly fond of is called Wikidweb. What they have created is a Wikipedia-directory hybrid. Essentially the listings are page-length Wikipedia style editorials (that editors can review and add comment to) and I think this is one of many different directions into which directories are heading.

Niche directories are also gaining popularity finally. Topic relevant links are always going to be more beneficial because they have the ability to drive targeted traffic to your site as well as boost you in the engines, which is basically what everyone is looking to achieve by submitting to directories – a decent combination of traffic and ranking.
How do you see Search engines treating directories now, and in the future?

I think  search engines are forcing the changes I’ve mentioned in the answer to the previous question. Search engines thrive on content, and resources that can offer more detailed, informative and fresh content will be the ones that are treated with most respect by the engines. Again, It’s all an evolving process. Google’s domination of the web allows them to set the bar, and it is up to the internet community to rise to their challenges.

What is your favourite directory.?

Hahaha good question. Rather than picking a favourite directory, that would probably be cliched more than anything else, I will tell you my favourite types of directory. Apart from the wiki-hybrid type mentioned previously, I would say the format run by SEOMA and Octopedia whereby the link anchor is made as part of the description instead of the site title. The link is surrounded by content, and the keywording in that instance becomes more prevalent. Unique, or different ideas like that are what interest me about directories. Thinking beyond the box. Seeing 10-20 directories with the exact same skin, and linking format isn’t exactly exciting.

Anything else that you would like to say?

I would like to reiterate to the people wanting to start a directory, that rather than just buying a script and banging one up, they should take the time to skin their directory and then add unique elements to them (I’ve given enough options above to set them on the right track). Anything that adds unique & useful content to your directory is going to improve its longevity, and possibly generate more revenue through increased visitation. Also when you’ve made your directory come and visit me on the Info Vilesilencer forum and let me know I’m always interested in hearing about new directories and new features.

Cheers,
Dan

My name is Eric and I have a partner – Simon.  I am in the US and Simon is in the UK

What made you start your directory project?

A couple years ago I ran www.phynder.com – it is still around, but Google has pretty much relegated it to obscurity.  It had a good run, but I realized with the search engine oligopoly that we have – and Google’s virtual dominance – that any ONE directory is going to be subject to the whims of the top three engines.  Perhaps it would be better to distribute a directory across multiple domains and class C IP addresses.  Let’s go one step further and allow people to create descriptions of their web site that includes deep links into their material.

Technically, we are not talking about a directory – perhaps the Un-Directory or distributed directory – but not a classic directory. For more info come visit the site at www.oioreviews.com

What we ended up with is a network of blogs that we can post customer created content or have writers develop custom content about a site.  Right now we have 16 blogs and we continue to grow every week.

How much of your day/week do you spend on this product?

We are still in the formative stages and only recently started getting customers, but Simon and I put in a lot of hours per day trying to get things right.  We are still trying to figure out what people need, so much of the time is in creative brainstorming about new services.  We also welcome new ideas from customers.

What else do you do?

I am a data mining consultant and do a lot of programming.  Simon is a student studying law.

How long has the project been going for?

I think the project as we know it now – as it has evolved quite a bit -“ had been going for about two months now.

Were did the idea come from?

Well, it is many different ideas and most of those have evolved over the past several months, but I think the primary emphasis for this project came from lessons learned with Phynder.A  Putting ones eggs in one basket is very risky, so having some type of distributed process makes much more sense.

Were do you see directory software going in the future?

Honestly, I am not certain about the software – I think it is more about how the business model changes.  For a little while back a year ago, it seemed that Google was dropping all directories from the index.  After a brief flurry of activity, it seemed that they pulled back those efforts and directories have continued to flourish since then.  In fact, it seems even more directories are being created now than when Phynder started – and I thought the market was saturated then!

Anything you would like to talk about in your professional career before starting on this project?

Luckily, in my work in data mining – structured data in databases – I had the opportunity to work with some really smart people in the natural language processing (NLP) field.  From that experience I have a better understanding of what is “easy” and what is “difficult” for Google and the other engines to do.

In your opinion what makes for a good directory?

I hate to be superficial about this, but PageRank, traffic and search engine friendly links.

In your opinion what makes for a bad directory?

Redirects for links and little to no traffic.

What do you think of the other software choices out there?

We are using WordPress blog software for our Un-Directory, so I don’t think directory software needs to be “directory” specific – it is limited to the imagination of the developer.

Were do you see directories going in the future?

The directory owners have to give their customers much more for the money.  One link crowded in with 20 other competitors is not a great value.  I think they need to break out of the “links on a page” mentality and start thinking about giving the customer more space to describe their offering and to link into important parts of their site.  I think we will see more importance put on deep links in the near future!

How do you see Search engines treating directories now, and in the future?

I have to admit – I am a little surprised about how WELL search engines are treating directories now.  Honestly, I am not sure that they will be treated this well in the future.  They are easy to detect and to remove from the index – that is what I thought happened with Phynder, but it is difficult to tell exactly what happened there.  To all the directories out there – start moving away from the same directory structure that Yahoo created over ten years ago!

What is your favourite directory?

I don’t know if I have a favourite, but I will tell you the best new idea in directories (other than our own concept!) is http://www.deeplylinked.com/ which allows people to add links to their inner pages.  Since most directories will only link to your home page – this is a major step forward.

Who would you like to see interviewed by thedirectoryblog.

I think the owner of deeplylinked would be an excellent interview – he seems to be ahead of the curve!

What made you start programming your directory?
I first wanted to own a normal directory without coding anything and I looked for good software running on Windows servers. After a week or two I didn’t find anything that suited my needs.

I then decided to create my own directory for Windows as I was sure many people were in my case. It took me about a month to program. At that time I was working for another company so I worked evenings. Since then I created my own company.

How much of your day/week do you spend on this product?
Now that the software is created I spend about an hour answering question from my customers and creating customized options for them.

What else do you do?
I still work with my former company as a consultant and I create new websites. Most of the time I create customized directories for people.

How long has the directory project been going for?
I started coding the software in July 2005 and started to sell it in January 2006. The longest part was to write a good manual. I plan on releasing a new version at the beginning of next year.

Were do you see directory software going in the future?
I think that there will be different kinds of directories for different types of users. Some will need very sophisticated directories where they can manage advertising, recurring payment, get statistics and so on. Others will just need a simple directory.

This means that some directory software will remain very cheap and have little options whereas other software will add great new features and functionality bringing their prices up.

Anything you would like to talk about in your professional career before starting on the directory software?
I passed a Master in programming in France before going to Ireland for about 5 years. Over there I was doing web programming (with asp and asp.net) and web design (with Photoshop). I was also in charge of wireless networks in few towns.

In your opinion what makes for a good directory?
There are many things that make a good directory: a nice unique design, options that a not available in other directories, traffic that the directory brings to your website, high Page Rank.

In your opinion what makes for a bad directory?
Owners who put no effort into making them different from the others. Spam directories filled with bad content. Outdated directories.

Were do you see directories going in the future?
I see more and more directories being created in the future. It will all depend on how the big 3 search engines are crawling them and how important they think they are.

How do you see Search engines treating directories now, and in the future?
All those directories are only good if the search engines take them into account in their rankings. That way people are interested in submitting their listings in directories to get higher position in search engines. If search engines change their algorithm then only the big directories will remain.

For the moment directories are very well treated by Google and it helps websites to get better Page Rank. I’m not sure this will last forever.

What is your favourite directory?
My favourite would be Uncoverthenet

Anything else that you would like to say?
Yes, you need to be consistent if you want your directory to work. Creating a successful directory takes time and you need to keep your motivation over at least 6 months to get good results. Once you have passed this first step try to build new interest for visitors by adding new features and by promoting your directory.

Francois site is http://www.creascripts.com/

My name is Constantin Bejenaru, but I’m usually known as Boby. It’s not just my username on forums, homepages and so on, actually all my friends call me Boby. I am 22 years old and was born in a beautiful, medieval city called Sighisoara in the middle of Romania. Almost finished my degree at the university, studying mathematics and computer science, and have been living since 2002 in Cluj-Napoca.

What made you start programming the php link directory?

Last autumn I was looking for freelance jobs to fill up my wallet. Mr. David Duval, the owner of phpLD contacted me for some small improvements for releasing the new phpLD version 3.0. I have started with the captcha library, then some more things until I finished almost all items and phpLD v3.0 was released. Since then, I’ve done most jobs for the new version and become the principal phpLD developer. Never looked back, and never searched for something else. It’s nice to be part of great software like phpLD and it’s large community, to meet a lot of new people and try helping them.

How much of your day/week do you spend on this product?

This varies. Sometimes 24 hours, sometimes 2-3 hours. Usually I spend about 10+ hours including support on the forums. Depending on the current task and the time limit imposed by David, sometimes I really spend a lot of time in front of the screen!

What else do you do?

I spend a lot of time surfing the internet, reading news and programming PHP, MySQL, CSS and XHTML to improve my knowledge. Except phpLD, I am working on some other personal things. As a student I don’t had much time to do many other things.

How long has the directory project been going for?

About 3 years now.

Were do you see the directory software going in the future?

It already is a good business for some people, and it can be in the future for others too. My personal opinion is, link directory owners need to be a little more original to have success.

In your opinion what makes for a good directory?

A good directory always starts with an original idea. It can be a very good design, a unique feature or a niche theme to submit links to. The patience, determination and hard work of the directory owner can turn it into a success. This business is always changing, new features need to be added constantly, and the directory should be part (if possible) of a bigger website including for example a forum, weblog, a news section, etc. This way the users won’t just submit and leave, but come back and probably suggest the page to friends and partners.

In your opinion what makes for a bad directory?

Directory owners who want to build a link directory in 5 minutes and have instant success are always building a bad directory. For a niche directory, a regular template that is already available on hundreds of other websites, could probably work. But for a regular directory, the webmaster should consider in spending some money at least for a custom template, in case he or she cannot build one alone. Most link directories turn today into so called “link farms”, it can bring some money but it won’t last. Who is interested in these? No new features and no promotion have no success.

How do you see Search engines treating directories now, and in the future?

If well configured, like most of the phpLD powered websites, search engines seem to crawl and index them pretty well. If well promoted, the directory can gain a better pagerank, maybe on subpages too, and that will bring new submitters and if lucky new sponsors.

It’s known, Google can penalize “link farms”, and in future this feature will be improved by them, but I don’t think it will affect most human edited and built directories. Yahoo and MSN are not playing a major role at the moment. We hope to improve the optimisation for search engines in our updates and make the script more friendly so search engines treat them correctly.

What is your favourite directory?

Hard question, I think www.allthelink.com is my favourite directory powered by phpLD. The owner is a good guy working hard on his directory business. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying it’s the only good directory, it’s just my favourite.
My overall favourite directory is the well known www.dmoz.org

Anything else that you would like to say?

There’s not much more to say, maybe that I will start soon my own directories that won’t have the basic look and features. But everything else is still “secret”.

So just wait a couple of days and come back, or better yet add us to your feed aggregate.