One of my sites generates leads for blog design.
If you are a blog designer or web designer in general, hit me up.
I will also link to this category of my web directory from the page generating leads, so feel free to submit your site there as well.
~ Mike Dammann

Check out the new look of Frog Engine and find out how to get 2 free additional listings in my other web directories.
Simply submit your sites and you will automatically be added on Mike Dammann and Directory Contest.
If you submit for a regular listing, you will get 2 free regular listings and if you submit featured, 2 free featured.

Thanks a lot everyone for your submissions! All listings are permanent listings! (More info … )

Mike

If you know some directories that really suck, then please go to Directories Suck and nominate them.

Please leave a comment now or forever hold your peace.

My friend Jeremy, owner of Aerospect has created this thread which I have mentioned voicing my opinion over here.
Google has hit me pretty hard, but life goes on.
Right now is the time for directory owners to focus on maybe a couple of directories (unless they already are doing well and have editor(s) working for them. There is a lot you can do in order to regain Google’s blessing if that indeed is what you’re after.
As we speak, business in the Digitalpoint directory section continues and people seem to not get that that section has been targetted when the directories were penalized (see my previous posts).

When you ask yourself whether or not you should start a directory, you need to ask yourself what you can offer that hasn’t been offered before.
The last thing I would advise is to register 100 domain names, get a reseller hosting account and slap a free php link directory on each one of them spamming all of them on forums.

You won’t get anywhere!
If you think you can build something for the enduser which people want to be listed in for more reasons than just gaining higher rankings in Google, you need to do some work.
As I have posted on the link, you need a good design. You also cannot have empty categories when you advertise it. You need to list quality websites in order to be considered quality as well.
There is nothing wrong with having a few mediocre websites listed if the pay you for submission (whoops, I meant “review”).
You need to make up for it though.
Let’s just say that you happen to get an enduser to search for something and finds nothing of value. You will have missed the chance of getting not just one regular user, but also someone potentially passing your site on to friends or even linking to it as a recommendation.
Tunnel vision is a desease. SEO tunnel vision and directory tunnel vision.
You need to focus long term, because the day and age of quick bucks is over.

I also recommend using a powerful domain name and please … stay away from TLD’s such as .info and .us unless you can use it to brand youself somehow (example: Filecabi.net.

A good name is key for bait. Not just “linkbait”, “talkbait” as well.

Let’s just say you want to invest some money in advertising and wonder where to get it. Here is my advice:

After reading How to: Buy Links Without Being Called a Spammer, find some niche sites and deeplink from there (buy advertising space using a cool banner) to one of your best directory sections like Frog Engine Search - Costa Rica.
If you use a text link, then make it say something like “Find the best Costa Rica websites”.
Indirect marketing can be very good if you do it right. You may start ranking for terms related to what is on that page and you will get website owners wanting to be on them.

Should you ever get penalized, you will still get targetted traffic and as time goes by, you will also get traffic and rankings for other categories as satisfied searchers will pass you on.

Talking about passing it on … pass on this post of mine if it’s been of help. Pass on this message as well. Discourage “entrepreneurs” from giving the web directory business an even worse name.

If you have a question, a comment or just want to say Hi, leave it and say it on this blog.

If you were penalized like me, don’t panic. Many directories (example: Site Sift have been banned before hitting it big.
Nothing is over, the real estate sites came back quickly after taking off their “state pages” and if you continue being positive and get thru this while working on improving your web directory, you too have a good chance coming back stronger than ever.
If you are a Google employee reading this, please consider unbanning at least this blog. It didn’t do anything, and I promise I won’t sell links within my post

Mike

This is something worth reading. You may have read my previous posts about pagestrength. I still don’t recommend using it for more than a filter and then use your judgement when selecting sites which you consider worth getting a link from. If link buying is what you are into, that is.
I still disagree with some of what he says about Aviva.
Here is the interview …

In June Jeff wrote this post on his blog which made Rand out razed. The discussion was about the fact that should SEOMoz’s Page Strength tool be put in the Quick Buck Crew, this website lists the people who cheat, scam and do everything for money!

Well what the issue was that SEOMoz built a tool named Page Strength Tool whose function was to tell the strength of page which by calculating IBLs, they never were correct with this tool! Jeff and many webmasters helped this tool to get popularity among the others on the net. Rand then made that tool used by free members only once a day and for premium members where you have to pay them to use that tool they kept unlimited usage!!!

Now after a month Rand came back up with his white board friday and sued Aviva directory by saying that they are not an authority site based on the fact that they don’t rank for the terms in the title of Aviva Directory which happens to contain “Information Web Directory”. Well as we all know Jeff does brilliant promotion for his directory. He has been in the front page of Digg more than once and has received a lot of organic links! Well every body knows that domain age, organic IBLs are the chief factor of gaining authority!

Well as everybody has a friend John of v7n takes a good participation in this contest. He gives his brilliant SEO insights in this post and a good discussion starts in this thread. Then Rand himself replies to this thread and says doing such type of protection was out of character!

It doesn’t suit a reputed SEO to talk like that on a public forum!

Then we found that Bob Mutch of seocompany.ca joins to protect rand by saying that rand is correct and Aviva is not a authority site (lol he couldn’t make the difference between authority domain and authority site) in this post. John made valid points in his replies but bob kept on disagreeing in this thread and this thread.

Then Mike also had the same view that “Web directory” was a worth less keyword, as the traffic coming from it would be worthless in this post.

Then I too got my boots on and went in to give my opinions of solid analytical reasoning why rand’s opinion was baseless, incorrect, pointless, inconsistent and even not to bob’s own belief!

What i felt is that this is very true! You just can’t judge a website for it’s being authority or not on the base of it’s not ranking for the title terms which are too competitive. If Jeff had known that his directory would be in such a deep trouble for not ranking for his title terms he really would have looked in to the matter and did the SEO of his directory. Well anchor text IBLs are the chief factor of SEO this is again proved. But just mix things up (bob even didn’t knew this, I had to tell him that it is good to mix up things…hehe)!

Well whatever happens to this discussion, let your mind be clear about whom to listen and whom to not! Otherwise you would be losing a hefty sum and get nothing in return!

Manish Pandey,
Proud Member of Frogengine Blog Network.

Believe it or not, but it is. Here is your chance to buy a web directory listed as one of the top55 blog directories world wide. Huge income potential. Here is your chance …

Check out Ablazed and add your listings for only $2.00. Offer will end soon!

You can now submit to the Directory Contest Directory. Permanent listings are $10 only right now and will soon go up!

Enjoy it while it lasts.

- Mike