Starting a free search engine / directory

[Sal Collaziano]

Hey all. I've always been interested in starting my own directory and I've just finished getting one running. I'm looking for advice on how to proceed and maybe even pick up a few category editors along the way.. Feel free to submit your site... It doesn't cost a penny...

Infopeek.net (http://www.infopeek.net)

[PhilC]

I'm interested in how it works.

I went to the site and used the default websearch on the front page. I searched on the word "pagerank" (without quotes) and results 1 - 3 were 3 bolded results (4 - 10 were not bolded). Then I moved through the results pages and back down them again, and I found several pagefulls of bolded results. It had changed.

So I searched on something else and the same thing happened. This time there were zero bolded results originally, but when I got back to the low end after moving up and down the results pages, there were 13 bolded results. I did the same search again a few minutes later and there were 19 bolded results.

The bolded results concern me a lot because they are 302ed to the target webpage, and 302s can be *very* bad news for the target page (see this thread (http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/showthread.php?t=2979)). The more that people search in the site, the more listings are added to the database, and the more pages on other people's sites are in danger from the 302 effect.

So correct me if I'm wrong, but the way the site works is by scraping the search results from a search engine on-the-fly, and then adding some of the results to the site's database, complete with "date added" - and 302 redirects.

If I'm right, it's a novel way of building up the number of pages in the database, but it's very bad news for the pages that are added. I'm not suggesting that anything is intentional, although it could be, but you should at least change the 302s to direct links.

My advice is for people to *not* use the site until the 302s are taken out.

[Sal Collaziano]

Let me look into this and I'll get back to you ASAP.. I want to get as many details together as possible..

[Connie]

PhilC covered a lot of ground and I agree with all he said. I will add my thoughts. I have never gone to a directory with only a search box. I expect to see the categories listed on the home page. You did have a link to a shopping
category which is where my site would be listed. Are you only targeting shopping sites? OK looked again and I see a link that says directory and it does give the categories. Either way this is not user friendly IMHO and I think every site should be user friendly.

FireFox shows a grayed TBPR. Doing a site:domain.com search at Google only the index page is listed and that is only a link. Probably not a problem. You said the directory was new. Believe me I'm not a link building person. Since January 2001 I have submitted to about 20 directories, and have never done a link exchange.

Since I submitted to my first directory about 6 months ago I have found I get a little traffic from some of them so I continue (occasionally) to submit to directories.

This is a free directory. I have reservations about every new directory, because there have been 100's if not 1000's that have been launched in the last 6 to 12 months. What is the purpose of the directory. Is it for webmasters, or do you have a goal to build a valuable resource for a user?

Are you going to start using Adsense at some point to generate some income?

I appreciate the fact that everyone has to start somewhere. We all did. In respect to a new directory I have questions before I would submit my site. The jump links you are using will be a definite no from me. I know why you are using them. What you don't know is those kind of links return a 302 response to the SEs, and you could actually hijack the page you are linking to with that type of link.

I wish you success. But you have a long hard road ahead of you.

[stoner3221]

I always appreciate a directory built as a quality web resource but you need to consider seeding your topics with good content, adding your primary topics to the main page and having a mod rewrite done. I whish you the very best of luck with your project.

[I, Brian]

If I'm right, it's a novel way of building up the number of pages in the database, but it's very bad news for the pages that are added. I'm not suggesting that anything is intentional, although it could be, but you should at least change the 302s to direct links.
According to a text credit at the top of the SERPs, the company actually providing the search results appears to be SearchFeed (http://www.searchfeed.com/). So it might be an issue worth taking up with them as their program expands.

[Sal Collaziano]

Hi all.. Thanks for the continued input.. The "Searchfeed" results are what I'm using for my "Sponsored Listings". The actual directory is maintained by me personally.. Would somebody mind sending me in the right direction in regards to learning about mod-rewrite?

[Sal Collaziano]

Okay. The directory is now static.. Any more recommendations? The input here has really been appreciated so far...

Thank you...

[PhilC]

That's much better :D

You have a numbering problem with the transition between the bold entries and the ordinary entries. Do a search on 'uk holiday accommodation' and move up the pages and into the non-bold listings, and you'll see what I mean.

Notice on the transition page (2nd page) there is no "Previous 10 matches" link, and the 3rd page is numbered 12 to 20 instead of 21 to 30.

[Sal Collaziano]

Thank you again. :) Let me see what I can do about that...