PHP Link Directory Or Directory Press- Which Link Directory Software Should You Choose?

Starting a link directory on your domain is a great way not only to get backlinks and traffic to your website but to make a little money as well. Inviting people to come to your site place their free ads and articles has always worked for me as a traffic generation method.

I had been using the infowizards link exchange software but that really had become outdated and I was looking to upgrade my act. I saw PHP Link Directory which is the most popular link directory software out there and it looked pretty good so I bought it.

$30. is a bargain for this software. Quite a bit of work has gone into it and you pretty much have every feature you could want in a link exchange directory. It also has a section for articles though it really is not set up as a full fledged article directory.

$30. Is A Bargain For PHP Link Directory

For $30. they insist you keep a link back to them. They are quite insistent upon this. If you want to remove the link you must pay an additional $50.

PHP Link Directory is an absolute pain to set up. Features that should just work need tweaking. For example there are no line breaks in the article description area. You actually have to search the forum post after post to find out how to code your article description so that when people submit articles the lines do not run all together.

PHP Link Directory Is A Pain To Set Up

I found the instructions in the forum, I fixed the problem but this is something that should just work. PHP Link Directory is full of such delights. What saves PHP Link Directory is that it is completely open source code. If you need to modify something you can easily do it yourself or hire a programmer to do it for you.

The support is there but it is not that friendly for PHP Link Directory. You must register the same username with the forum as you did when you signed up and you must register the software in the members area before anybody will give you help. And you will need help. PHP link directory is not that intuitive.

The problem is that this really is not clear when you purchase from them. So when you go to the forum most of the posts are telling people either to register their username or to look in the forum for answers.

So you find the subject addressing the problem you wanted to solve but instead of giving you the answer you just read post after post of the moderator chastising the poster about not being registered. This really is maddening and not necessary.

You Must Keep A Link Back On Your PHPLD Installation

However, once you spend the hours necessary fixing all the glitches, and pouring through the forums you get a very sophisticated link directory script for $30. I wish they would charge $90. and have everything work perfectly. It would have saved me hours of time.

Basically the PHP Link Directory script is in semi-beta mode. You get a low price for a feature packed sophisticated script. You just need to work through all the little problems and the enfuriating forum. I tried their latest version and it did not work at all. I had to uninstall and install the previous version which worked.

Two major disadvantages of PHP Link Directory are that you must keep a link back to them and your license is only good on one domain. If you want to install on more than one domain you need to purchase additional licenses.

Directory Press is a link exchange directory based on wordpress. You need to install the latest version of wordpress on your server. If you are used to wordpress Directory Press is a breeze to set up. I only needed to go to their forum once and I found the answer immediately.

Directory Press has actually more features than PHP Link Directory. A great feature of Directory Press is the ability to capture screenshots of the websites and place the thumbnail screenshot directly next to the associated link or articles.

Directory Press Shows Screenshots Of Links Automatically
You can even charge people to have their feature picture and add featured in a slideshow at the top of your directory.

The price is $79. but you can install the software on as many domains as you wish. I am installing this software on 7 domains so this is a big advantage for me. Also I am not required to leave a link back so this is another advantage.

Both Softwares Are Open Source Code-Directory Press Is Way Easier To Set Up

Both softwares are open source code so you are free to make modifications if you need. They both allow you to create different sales packages, add additional fields to your forms, charge recurring or one off billing, require reciprocal links or not require.

I would say that Directory Press is way easier to set up and actually has a few more features. Also not requiring a link back, great support and especially the ability to install the software on as many domains as you wish makes it my favorite.

That being said, PHP Link Directory, for $30 is a great bargain. Once you get it up and running it is a top notch bit of programming for infinitely less that it would cost you to try to get this programmed yourself. If you are a real techy type who likes to tinker and you just want a directory on one domain it might work well for you.

One advantage of PHP Link Directory is that it is the most popular. People are used to using it. It is also very easy to get your directory listed in lists of directories because it is a PHP Link Directory script.

Here is my PHP Link Directory

Go ahead and put some links and articles on there and see how it works.

Here is my last set up of Directory Press. You are welcome to place your links and articles there as well.

From a marketing perspective I was surprised how many people are willing to pay $1. to have their articles or links on my site for a year. On my packages I charge $1. if there is no reciprocal link. It does not seem like a lot of money but if 500 people per day pay you $1. it really can add up. Both scripts allow you to set up packages like this.

You can learn more about Directory Press here.

I would appreciate your comments and if you would share this link on Facebook. Thank you. Matt.