Throwing a few links on a website can technically be called a directory, but it’s not going to get big results. Certain things are crucial to a quality directory, and nobody will respond positively to a poor quality web directory. Why would they when there are so many better ones out there?

Design

The most basic concept in a good directory is starting with a high quality design. The design should scream competent professional, and all elements of the website should echo the same sentiment. Paid directories especially should make a potential patron feel comfortable and confident about doing business and paying you some of their hard-earned money.

To this end, consider the color scheme, layout, and content of a website. Directories should have adequate descriptions and all content including instructions, frequently asked questions and more should be completely free of errors and be consistent with other directories of the same quality standards.

Categories

Categories are what make a directory more than a list. By categorizing links to other sites or directories, you are making order from what could be chaos. Most individuals looking to list with directories want to feel important. If there are already fifty or sixty links in a category, they won’t feel very special in that niche. It is perhaps better to have too many categories than too few.

When your directory’s top categories begin to fill up, subdivide links into smaller categories within each parent. This not only makes your directory larger and more impressive, it also simplifies navigation and helps with niche marketing tremendously. After all, there are tons of niches within each niche on the internet. Why shouldn’t they be reflected in your directory as well?

Human-Edited

The final, and to some, most important aspect of building a better directory is to screen websites. If you place criteria on submitting a website to your directory, but fail to follow through on those criteria, what is the point of having them? Dead links, redirects, and inappropriate content will try to sneak into the site, and it is your responsibility to keep it all away to protect the integrity of your directory and maintain the quality that others have paid you to have.

Most paying customers won’t be happy if they had to follow guidelines to become listed only to suddenly find themselves in competition with websites that should not have slipped through. Try not to become blinded by potential income or set low standards so that categories fill. There is no point in filling your wallet or categories with junk; it will just hurt you in the long run.