Creating a web directory? factors you should consider

I am not sure anyone who really want to create a web directory will take any notice of what I recommend or do not recommend but I will go ahead and make a recommendation any way, and my recommendation is that you should not bother! there are already thousands and thousands of web directories online, most of them identically, a significant number of them do not even bother to change the default categories and sub created by the directory script owners.

As the saying goes, what is wort doing at all, is worth doing well so if you want to create a new directory, here are a few tips as to how to go about it the correct way.

DON’T create a general web directory, only niche directories can be of any good. Look for a niche that is not over done online already, for example green web directory , online dating directory is already over done, do not reinvent the wheel.

DON’T accept just any site into your directory, be very choosy and enforce your submission guidelines rigorously.

DON’T ghetorise your directory. Many directory are just sites with loads of links, invest in quality content to differentiate your directory from all the others so that visitors to your directory will not just be webmasters who wants to submit their site but visitors will come for the contents and then click on the links on your site.

The don’t above can be expanded to cover other qualities that will help you build a quality web directory includes:

DO a short survey of webmasters to find out what they are looking for in a web directory. Go to web directory forum like the one at Webmaster Serve and gather useful data that can help you build a unique directory.
DO something radically different, if you keep doing exactly what the existing directories are doing, there will be nothing special about your directory.
DO introduce an introductory discount when launching your directory to ensure it is populated quickly.
DO use social media in your marketing to ensure your directory gets quality SEO ranking withing a short time.

You can find more information and links about web directories creating and managing web directories here.

Google Panda/Farmer Update – Turning Content Farmers to Endangered Species

Google Panda or Farmer Updates – Making endangered species out of content farms

Google’s recent algorithm changes, labelled Panda update by Google and dubbed farmer update by some in the SEO industry is reminiscent of the algo change of a few years ago which signal the beginning of the end of scrapper sites. The Panda or Farmer update is expected to impact just under 12% of websites served on Google SERPs, most of the sites expected to affect negatively are websites know as contents farms such as Articles Directories and sites that provide information on how to do this or that such as ehow . co .uk .

The main factors deployed in Panda update is mainly a shift on the wight given to some of the factors used to evaluate site ranking, no new factors were introduced and non was taken out. The main factors that plays prominent role in the Panda algo update are are :
i. Uniqueness of contents. (Contents created specifically for a website, not copied to zillions of other pages on the net.
ii. User interaction with contents. (Is your content really valuable, is it what users were searching for or did users just exit once they are take to your contents by Google?

The Panda update is consistent with Google’s move towards using TrustRank to evaluate and rank website rather than in the past when linking carries the largest with when ranking a websites. It is claimed by some in the SEO industry that Google has shrunk the weight carried by links pointing to a site significantly from the days when over 60% of what determines your site position on SERPs was linking.

How does Panda update affect my site?

It really will not affect your site much (well, assuming you have unique contents and you are not a running a contents farm). It is said the sites that will feel the effect of the Panda update are mainly the large content farm site such as eHow, Ezinearticles and other large article/how to do this or that type websites.

Do you need more information about Googles’s panda / Farmer updates? You can read the Google Panda Update by David Amerland at UK webmaster forum. You can join the discussion at webmaster serve or comment on the article right here at Temi .

Domain Name Extension for Porn .XXX Gets Approval Finally

Domain Name Extension .XXX given final approval

After over a decade or wrangling, a short lived green light that turned to red light, the sponsors of the domain name extension .XXX can now celebrate because the approval to go ahead with the domain name extension that promises to carve out a digital red light district on the worldwide web has finally be given the go ahead by the body responsible for approving domain name extensions; ICANN.

Dot XXX domain name extension was given the initial approval at the last ICANN meeting, the consultation check it promised to carry out after that approval before the final approval is given was completed recently and the registry sponsoring .XXX domain extension ICM Registry is now set to sign the document that will give lice to .XXX domain names.

When the dot XXX was first proposed almost 11 years ago, there was definitely a lot of opposition to it, not only from religious groups who argue that having a .XXX domain legitimise pornography, but some pornographer object to it as well, saying it will degrade their contents.

When the initial approval was given to the domain last year, over 100,000 pre-reservation for the .XXX domain name has been lodged with the sponsoring registry.

It is now clear at the moment whether the domain will help porn sites or work against it as it will be very easy for businesses and other organisation to block the entire .xxx domains name using their firewall or other filtering technology.

You can comment on this article or discuss it in details at UK domain name forum .

Can You Lead a Search Engine Optimisation & Marketing Forum?

Search Engine Optimisation Forum Leader Wanted

Search Engine Optimisation Forum Leader Wanted
Webmaster Serve is a leading UK focused search engine optimisation and search engine discussion forum, it also discuss issues relating to web development such as web hosting, web design, domain name registration and related topics.

Webmaster Serve is currently looking or a forum leader in its Search Engine Optimisation and Search Engine Marketing sub forums. The ideal discussions leader will be familiar with and should be able to discuss and create threads relating to the following SEO topics:
- Link building techniques
- Identifying quality links
- Directory submission
- On-Page search engine optimisation
- Off-page optimisation techniques

You should also be able to know and be able to discuss search engine marketing and optimisation for specialist website including:
- Optimising a website for local search
- Optimisation for specialist product/services directory such as Google Base
- Optimising an online dating site
- Optimising an eccommerce website
- Social media optimisation and marketing
- Pay Per Click advertising

Other tasks you will be expected to do includes:
- Link building for webmaster serve
- Basic forum moderation task
- Encouraging forum members to post

Experience required
The right person does not need to be a person with extensive forum posting experience but you must be eager to learn and have the enthusiasm to help the form grow. Preferably, you should be a native English speaker who can write grammatically correct and well punctuated post.

Hours and Remuneration
You can work hours to suit you so you can fit the job around your current commitments. To apply for this position, please get in touch with Temi by joining webmaster serve and sending him a private message or use the contact form found here.

Facebook Business Pages to suffer an upgrade

Last month, Facebook announced quite a major design change on personal Facebook profiles it seems that a new one is to be launched for all business pages on March 10, 2011. The new business page can be upgraded if you want, however as with any new launch it is advisable to wait until it rolls out by itself, only 10 days left.

Here are the major changes one will see on his Facebook business page:

1. Profile pictures – the new design will only allow pictures with 180 x 540 pixels in dimension (the actual page allows up to 200 x 600 pixels)

2. Choose whatever category you want – when setting up a new business page you have to choose a category from a well-defined drop-down menu, well not anymore; with this update, businesses can edit their categories and subcategories for better relevance

3. Featured pages – with this new redesign one can reveal “featured likes” and “page owners” on the left side of his Facebook page; featured likes will show pages you have liked in the past

4. Most recently tagged photos – just exactly like personal profiles, from now on recently tagged pictures will be displayed horizontally on top of business profile page

5. “Like” as a normal user – with actual Facebook Pages, you as a brand owner could not “Like” a certain page or make a comment as your page; from now on, things are to change, thus adding more communication channels for your brand; this is one of the most beneficial changes Facebook is to make while you can definitely increase your brand’s exposure and build your awareness on the most popular social networking site ever

6. The box with little details about the business will be removed and the “Info” tab will feature all the necessarily information

7. Notifications – you will be able to add notifications regarding to whatever activity is on your page, like someone posting on your wall and so on; also, you will be able to build a list of “banned words” you want to block on your Facebook Page

As with the Facebook Personal profiles change, there will be business owners that like this update and others that were fancying the previous one more, however it seems that the new design will come with some great improvements, for both users and brands exposing their businesses online.