So you setup your directory but are you doing everything thing you can to make your directory the most successful SEO tool. These are just few ideas on taking that next step to improving your directory and getting that much more out your directory.

1) News and RSS

A good aggregate of RSS feeds from the niche your directory fits whether that be Cars or SEO Directories will improve the quality of your site. First of all, search engines bots are going to want to come back to your site on a regular basis and index your site due to the fresh content. This will help generate organic traffic which is key to a successful directory in the long run. Secondly, by taking the few hours of collecting all the RSS feeds on your directories nichesand providing this your visitors you might actually catch a visitor for a minute to read the feed. Your visitor is already at your site because they are some how involved in the niche of your so providing a nice little resource of all the RSS feeds of that niche might actually be useful to your visitor. You want to your visitor to remeber you site and comeback.  Finally, your site is going to look a little different compared to other directories which will be key to being remebered.

2) Extra Features and Tools 

Extra features on your directory can be anything from SEO tools to additional resources. You want your visitors to remeber your site and want to come back. iwebtool.com has a huge selection of, well, web tools to add to your site. Even being a little creative and making your own might actually generate a little traffic. Even tools like a PR updater are nice to have on your site because people see that your site is up to date and that you care to keep it up to date. You might even want to write some code if you can to make a mod yourself that others can use. Always a good idea for link baiting. Also, you can either design or pay a designer to make you a some templates to offer for free to other directories users. Make sure to put your link in the template footer so they know you made the template and get the link credit.

3) Affiliate Revenue 

Affilate revenue is great source of extra revenue for your directory. There is lots of affiliates out there including text-link-ads.com which I find to be the most succesful.  A fex extra bucks never hurts, I always like to put the cash to advertising but hey that is up to you and whole other article. I found a good article on affiliates for directories a while back but can't seem to find it now. I will add it later if I can find it.

4) Link Exchange 

This is almost given but I don't see enough directories taking advantage of this. I find this is a great way to get yourself those few extra links to get your directory from a PR 2 or 3 to PR 4 or 5.  There is many places to exchange links, the phpld forum, digitalpoint forums and many more. Get out there and make some relationships with other directory owners. Just to keep in mind, it is usually better to do a three way link exchange if you can.

5) Design a custom template 

This is one part of owning a directory that needs to emphasized. It shows your visitors that ou care about your site, that you are willing to invest a little money and that you are going to stick around. Most of the people that submit to directories, submit to a lot of them. If you want to be remembered you want to have a nice looking directory or else you won't stand out to the thousand other directories that look just liek you.

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