A Few Questions for Directory Owners

[what directory scripts do you use? Did you create your own or use one someone else is offering for free or as a license? How hard are the free/purchased ones to modify?]

I've been playing with a new idea for a niche directory.

My idea would include changing the overall look of each of the listing pages from what is typical for a directory but the layout would be consistant for the entire site. (Rather not go into that yet; tis part of my 'new' idea.)

The question is, what directory scripts do you use? Did you create your own or use one someone else is offering for free or as a license? How hard are the free/purchased ones to modify?

I have quite a bit of programming experience, but not in mySQL or PhP. What's the likelihood of being successful without those skills? I have no doubt I could learn them, but would probably put the project on the back burner if they are needed.

Is it totally unworkable to make a directory with static, hand coded pages? I have no vision of this becoming huge like even thetopsites or the100lists as it would be more niche oriented than they are (well, if my 'new' idea works, I guess it could get big). BTW, the niche I have in mind has nothing to do with webmastering, webhosts, computing, programming, content writing, etc.

Thanks in advance for any ideas, suggestions, and recommendations.

mi

ps. I know this is a type of site that requires a lot of time. I realize the commitment it would be to make it a success.

[Free WordPress Themes]

I wrote my own script, I think a part of the script will be available as open source on my website later this year
check the link page at my website or here: http://www.all4yourwebsite.com/links.php


edit: but there are complete systems too...

What made you write your own vs use one of the existing ones? What was missing?

[Free WordPress Themes]

What made you write your own vs use one of the existing ones? What was missing?

I don't know... never used an existing project. I started a simple link list 2 years ago and the script grows to a link directory until now.
and at last my scripts are PHP classes with examples, that will say a user have write his own application. I don't like to have a cloon from some thing...
example:
this three link lists are all powered with the same class:
http://www.finalwebsites.com/links.php
http://www.all4yourwebsite.com/links.php
and
http://www.buitenspelen.eu/links.php

With the idea I am playing with the text at the top of each result page would change but remain static. For example page 1 of category 1 would always have the same content but would have different content from page 2 of the same category.

Is that anything you think would need custom coding? Don't must of the results pages use a common template?

[Free WordPress Themes]

maybe its an idea to have several category descriptions and these are showed random for each page from the same category...

I've seen directories with PR only on front pages and others where link pages have PR too.

Do the scripts actually create static pages that can be spidered, or do they create pages on the fly when people visit the site?

[Promote your blog for free....]

Is it totally unworkable to make a directory with static, hand coded pages?

The first directory I made (back in the  96) was hand coded, and when the site populated, it was a total mess. Don't even try this, it can make you having big problems.

Regarding custom VS open scripts, the problem is that you can't customize your site and make it unique without a custom script, or at least a customized open script. That's why I code my sites too. The whole of the Topsites directory code made by hand.

Do the scripts actually create static pages that can be spidered, or do they create pages on the fly when people visit the site?

Every mySQL driven site creates pages on the fly (including this forum), but that doesn't mean that search engines wont index it. Check my directory. Most of the first level categories have pagerank 4, and that prooves that dynamic sites are search engine friendly.

[http://domain.com/some/nice-url]

Quote
Do the scripts actually create static pages that can be spidered, or do they create pages on the fly when people visit the site?

Every mySQL driven site creates pages on the fly (including this forum), but that doesn't mean that search engines wont index it. Check my directory. Most of the first level categories have pagerank 4, and that prooves that dynamic sites are search engine friendly.

It looks to me that rewritten url's like http://domain.com/some/nice-url are indexed much faster an higher in the SERP's

[Promote your blog for free....]

It looks to me that rewritten url's like http://domain.com/some/nice-url are indexed much faster an higher in the SERP's

I agree with that, but the reason is not because search engine thinks that this url is not dynamic, as there are also headers send with each request that mention that the page is dynamic.

[Free WordPress Themes]

yes right...

Why wouldn't it work for the script to make a static page? If you list the entries by order recieved (oldest first) the list pages wouldn't be changing unless a website was removed.

How can a search engine spider a dynamic page? Does it reside as some sort of temp file in between visitors?

[Promote your blog for free....]

Why wouldn't it work for the script to make a static page?

That would be a very difficult and proccess consuming process for the server. Because whenever you would add a site to the directory or change something in your template, you would also execute the script that will build all the pages from the start.

How can a search engine spider a dynamic page? Does it reside as some sort of temp file in between visitors?

Why not to spider a  dynamic page? The only difference is that a dynamic page is created by a program when you ask for it. There is no temp file. Each time a visitor asks a dynamic page, the script that handles it executed, and the result shows up in the browser.

Ok, I get that the page is created when the visitor asks for it. Does that mean the page is also created when a spider visits the site?

[Free WordPress Themes]

Ok, I get that the page is created when the visitor asks for it. Does that mean the page is also created when a spider visits the site?

yes

Strangely, I am making a small directory without a script. I think that since i have specific rules for only the best free hosts to be in it that it wont be too hard to modify..

[Free WordPress Themes]

Strangely, I am making a small directory without a script. I think that since i have specific rules for only the best free hosts to be in it that it wont be too hard to modify..

this thread is about a comparsion in types of URL's like

http://www.domain.com/address-here
or http://www.domain.com/page.php?var=12&var2=something

both URL's are created by an application. Your site with static links is something different

PHPLINKDIRECTORY is easy to use, there are free and paid versions.
They have a support forum where there are many supporters on everyday to help/

What are some code webmaster resource directory sites?

[Free WordPress Themes]

What are some code webmaster resource directory sites?

? what kind of sites?

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