Beautiful new Listing Level Editor in Version 9.8

Posted on

We have a great new feature in version 9.8, the ability to edit features at each listing level.

It is available for Listings, Events, Classifieds, Banners and Articles.
Do you want your Diamond level to be able to add 5, 10 or 20 images in their gallery?  Do you want a URL on even your basic level?  You can now set the options without any code customizations.
To take advantage of this feature visit your Site Manager area, and click Access Settings menu >> Manage Levels – Choose a Module

You can add or remove these features to the listings:

[one_fourth]Page Detail[/one_fourth] [one_fourth]Deals*[/one_fourth] [one_fourth]Reviews*[/one_fourth] [one_fourth_last]Send to Phone*[/one_fourth_last]

[one_fourth]Click to Call*[/one_fourth] [one_fourth]Backlink[/one_fourth] [one_fourth]Email[/one_fourth] [one_fourth_last]Url[/one_fourth_last]

[one_fourth]Phone[/one_fourth] [one_fourth]Fax*[/one_fourth] [one_fourth]Imagery[/one_fourth] [one_fourth_last]Videos*[/one_fourth_last]

[one_fourth]Additional Uploads*[/one_fourth] [one_fourth]Summary Description[/one_fourth] [one_fourth]Long Description[/one_fourth] [one_fourth_last]Hours of Work*[/one_fourth_last]

[one_fourth]Badges*[/one_fourth][one_fourth]Time**[/one_fourth][one_fourth_last]Price***[/one_fourth_last]


*Available only for  Listings
** Available only for Events
*** Available only for Classifieds

What you change here is automatically updated in your Advertise page. And don’t forget that you can still change the level names and enable or disable any of them.

Note If you do not yet have version 9.8, contact support@edirectory.com to enquire about an upgrade.

Navigation Configuration (9.7)

Posted on

With the 9.7 release there is a brand new navigation configuration tool, we heard a lot about the original configuration tool (v.9.3) and the updated HTML Editor (v9.4 Onwards) and many of you expressed a need for a super simple way to edit / add & remove links from the top level navigation. We even added a ‘custom link’ ability so you can easily link any navigation link to a URL of your choice – it really couldn’t be easier.

*By the way, the HTML Editor is still there but is now labeled as a CSS editor, you can find it under Site Content > Css Editor.

eDirectory 9.7 Navigation Configuration Tool

The Simple Explanation

Order
Drag and drop ordering, hover, click and move these items around as you see fit.

Navigation Text
What do you want the link the navigation to actually say? Perhaps you would rather ‘Companies’ instead of the word ‘Listings’,  just tap in your new text here.

Link To
All modules in eDirectory have their links hard coded (the module links can not be changed), but if you’re linking to a module just select it from here. If however you wish to add you’re own link pointing to another page, another site or anywhere else that’s not a module, choose the ‘Custom Link’ option.

Custom Link
This field is only available after selecting ‘Custom Link’ in the Link to column, enter a full URL here and you’re done. (Don’t forget to include the http://…)

Remove
Pretty self explanatory, press this and the row is removed.

You can also pick from the Header or the Footer navigation, and if you check the bottom of the table you’ll find a super handy ‘Add Row’ button. I hope you like the new navigation tool, and our move towards a more streamlined approach.

eDirectory Language Center

Posted on

With the release of 9.7 comes a brand new language center. Pick the language of both the site (front-end) and the sitemgr (admin) independently for any domains or subdomains you own and run eDirectory on – it really couldn’t be any simpler – did you mention you can edit every single piece of the language integration?

*Language switching on demodirectory.com will return shortly.

Why a new center?

From an SEO standpoint, having all of the data criss-crossed across 7 pages (one for each language and translation) turned out to be a bit of a nightmare. By splitting websites into subdomains or indeed entirely different domains they retain a great deal more of their rank (multiple pages are not considered duplicate content anymore), the content is individual, the sites are unique, and if you are writing you’re site in Spanish or Portuguese, surely it’s better for you to host that site with the correct TLD (Top Level Domain) – .com.br & .com.es respectively.

We thought long and hard about the best way to approach languages, they were many ideas on the table, but in the end simplicity won out, a language per site, with the option to pick a global language just for the sitemgr. Read on for some more details of how this all works:

Selecting your languages

Selecting your languages

Simply login into the sitemgr and head to the ‘Language Center’, and on the first tab select both the language for the main site (Front End) and the language for the back end (Sitemgr), that’s it you’re done, these settings can be changed as often as you want or need.

Language Editor

Downloading Language Data

eDirectory requires two language files to function correctly, they can both be downloaded here, simple select the language and section you wish to edit (Sitemgr or Front End), then hit the ‘Download Language File’ button. Edit on your computer until you have the file the way you want, then simple return to this screen and upload – job done.

A lot of site users ask for a really easy way to edit the language data – this is it.

Add Languages

Adding a language to eDirectory

So, eDirectory doesn’t support a language you want? Not a problem, all the tools are here for you to add you very own language (providing you do the translation of course). Head off to the ‘Add Language’ page and simply follow the 5 steps for creation of a new language, tap in a few bits of information and the language is instantly available for use – we love it.

The Tiny Things

Changing names and flags

You know how it is, you make a change, upload a language and then find out you used the wrong flag or even worse names the language incorrectly – open the ‘Name & Flag’ tab in the site manager area and edit these oh’ so important settings here.

We hope you like the new language center, it’s really a much better way to organise the languages, it’s simple, clean and easy to use.

Reminder: SEO Crash Course Webinar tomorrow at 10:00AM

Posted on

A quick reminder that we’ll be conducting a complimentary SEO Crash Course webinar tomorrow, October 10th at 10:00AM EST.

Some things we’ll cover in the webinar
-What is SEO?
-A brief History of SEO
-Black Hat SEO
-First steps to Optimizing
-It’s All About the Keywords
-On Site Optimizations
-Off Site Optimizations
-Leveraging Social Media
-How can eDirectory Help?
-Additional Resources

For those interested in learning the basics of SEO and what you can do to better optimize your directory site, this is a great presentation.

Hope to see you there!

New Webinar Dates Posted

Posted on

Check out the list of new webinar dates posted in the ‘resources’ section of our website.

A quick synopsis on each of the upcoming presentations

How to Steer Your Site to Success – an overview on steps to making your site have better potential for success. These include strategy in selecting a domain name, introductory SEO tips, engaging with your listing holders and putting the right partnerships in place to help your site

SEO Roundtable – Submit your site or watch live as your peers sites are critiqued on they could be better optimized to increase search traffic.

Free Group Training – Free of cost introductory training course conducted by Jessica Delucchi. Great for new users as well as those hoping to become a bit more familiar with the system

SEO Crash course – While a lot of people know about SEO, very few people know what goes into making your site a well oiled SEO machine. We’ll cover the history of SEO, the basics of on site optimizations as well as the best approach to launching a successful backlink campaign.

A Case for Calculated Image Name Optimization

Posted on

I work with dozens of clients on their sites, from marketing, to SEO, sales and package creation.

I was looking over the Google Webmaster Tools account for a client that’s running a local search site. They get about 20,000 impressions a month and for a niche concentrated site, the traffic is pretty good. They’ve found success in producing unique content via the blog (news aggregation) and rank pretty well on alot of their targeted search terms.

One thing I noticed on their webmaster account:
Webmaster Tools

While this is a local search site, take a look at some of the terms their ranking pretty well on, and consequently, getting traffic from:
“You Serious Clark” and “Robert Stack”

Robert Stack is the famous voice and face behind the television show Unsolved Mysteries. We’ll let this video explain the other one:

I went through the blog and found well optimized images — the only thing that can explain WHY a local search site would get traffic on these types of terms.

The image was called “you-serious-clark.jpeg” and the other was called “Robert-stack.jpeg” Two completely off topic images put in a blog in a well optimized format which is driving traffic to their site. Imagine how well this can work on more relevant, appropriate images where you’re optimizing your site on such keyword-heavy terms?

Top 5 Ways to Jumpstart Your Directory’s Search Traffic Today

Posted on

1.) It’s all about the listings. While it may be a bit difficult to generate traffic from long tail search terms via business listings, they will eventually be what bring people to your site, what keeps them on your site and what will bring them back in the future.
2.) Quick, easy and relevant back links. Find online publications, websites, blogs, forums and other relevant publications where you can market your site and what it offers. Remember, as much as it is a backlink, it’s also an opportunity to share your site with others and tell them what it’s all about.
3.) Pump out the unique content. Search engines love fresh content, so feed them what they’re looking for. Consistently publishing blog posts, articles or whitepapers is a great way to serve search engines the fresh, unique content they’re looking to index and serve up in search results.
4.) Be the authoritative voice of your space. Similar to #3, getting more involved in topics most relevant to your site’s subject matter and covering relevant stories through interviews, feature stories, grand openings, conferences, tradeshows or events. If you’re running a local search site and a Mario’s restaurant opens up in the neighborhood, a feature story about their grand opening and an interview with the owner or Chef are exactly the types of content people look for. In addition to producing unique content, you’re also producing content that is likely to get back linked. After all, how likely is Mario to post your article in his ‘reviews’ section on his website, or share the story on twitter, facebook, etc.
5.) Keep the site up to date. Out of date, inaccurate information can really damage the integrity of your directory. Keep your site up to date is huge to drawing more search traffic in. At the same time, keeping your site up to date gives your site visitors faith in publication. The more they know your site is getting updated, the more often they will visit your site.

What’s Buzzing in the World of Online Directories – Top 5 Types of Directories

Posted on

One of the best parts of my job is seeing the creativity people bring into our software. The ideas entrepreneurs and businesses have to run sites that user our software are sometimes nothing short of mind blowing. From some of the biggest publishers in the world, to directories of certified mold inspectors, the truth is, we’ve seen it all.

A lot of people will call us or write an email outlining their idea and how they would use eDirectory power their site. What many people don’t often ask is, “What are the most popular kinds of directories” or “What are some of the most successful types of directories you see.” While some of the most successful sites using our software seem to often times be the most niche and obscure, there have been a trend of types of directories that are gaining traction.

1.) Green Directories – Everything today is about being more conscious of our carbon footprint, and most importantly, recognizing our environmental ignorance for the last few thousand years. Hybrid cars, solar powered buildings and shopping bags, much of our world is focused on green-powered products and online directories can serve as a great resource to connect people with all that is green. Whether that is businesses, products or events, eDirectory’s software has powered countless numbers of green directories. This trend isn’t going anywhere, either.

2.) Local Search Sites – Still perhaps the most popular use of our software, local search sites and portals are on the rise with the buzz and growth of local search. We’re seeing local search site owners compete with newspaper and other print publishers in their market.

3.) Magazine Directories – if you run a magazine, online directories can not only provide an additional revenue stream to your business, it can also provide a valuable tool to your site visitor. Supplier/Vendor/Parts-Acccessories and other industry-related directories are becoming increasingly popular with magazine publishers.

4.) Dispensary Directories – with the growth of medicinal marijuana dispensaries in states like Colorado and California, we’re starting to see a significant increase in dispensary-related directories that help patients find nearby facilities.

5.) Legal Directories – in addition to other professional directories, one that seems to always be most popular are legal-related directories. The trick here is developing these types of directories in either a limited geographic region or with a limited scope of practice.
Examples: Pittsburgh Attorney Directory or a Nationwide Medical Malpractice Attorney directory. Either a thin vertical focus or thin geographic focus.

If you’re interested in discussing your directory idea or strategy, shoot an email to marketing@edirectory.com

eDirectory releases version 9.5

Posted on

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

eDirectory releases version 9.5

eDirectory has released version 9.5, and with it, a significant restructuring of the base code in order to develop a more robust platform to build upon in the future.

While users won’t notice many changes in the layout or appearance of the sites in version 9.5, the eDirectory base code team, under the leadership of recently appointed Product Manager, Darren Cornwell, has made a multitude of changes in the way the code is structured.

Notably, the import tool has been completely redesigned to be a bit more effective and seemless upload process. Imports are now limited to 100mb or 100,000 lines. With only a single file able to import at a time, the system will see significant performance improvements in a shared environment.

“With the new release of 9.5, eDirectory is now considerably faster. The basecode has undergone major rewrites in various sections, there is now the addition of a new import / exporter which makes updating and retrieving data much easier, based on customer feedback. In addition to these, there are a whole host of tiny fixes and updates which serve to continue to keep eDirectory as the leader in the online directory space,” said Product Manager, Darren Cornwell.

Additionally, the blog has seen several updates to it in 9.5 You can now add banners to the blog, through an ‘Add to Blog” module in the banners section, as well as have the ability to feature and disable categories as well as add subcategories to blog categories. For SEO purposes, the sitemgr now has the ability to change settings regarding SEO on blog components.

Like the blog module, the Deals section also saw a few notable changes. Site owners can now show recent reviews on both the deals home page and deals results page and like the blog, site owners can now add banners to the deals section. Lastly you can now access traffic reports from deals section, as well as pull statistical reports.

###

Case Study – American Ceramic Society’s Implementation of eDirectory to Increase Member Engagement

Posted on

It’s not too often we have the opportunity to talk about the work we do with non profits and member-based organizations. When you think of online directories and the implementation of eDirectory, you often think of local search sites, buyer’s guides, yellow page sites, dining guides or vendor/supplier directories that are focused on driving traffic and generating revenue.

While most of our users are focused on revenue and site traffic, non profit organizations use eDirectory as a way to improve member engagement. Most not for profit industry organizations, like the American Ceramic Society, have a strong editorial presence in their field, producing magazines, journals, yearly reports and other online content. The other facet to their organization is very much member focused. These organizations work to understand issues going on in their industry that may be causing their members pain, and providing the resources and tools to help advance the industry as a whole.

When I learned that the American Ceramic Society was using our software, I was interested in sitting down with their Director of IT and Web Services, Scott Freshour, to understand how eDirectory worked within their organization. I found that after developing an internal system, and working with one of our competitors, they came to us to try and develop a advertising and marketing vehicle to their members, but also, develop the foundation for a directory that would also be printed to a paper-based directory.