Dear Mr. Directory Owner
• Web Directories
This morning - mostly just for the heck of it - I submitted this site to a bunch of directories. They were all new ones whose webmasters had solicited readers to add their site.
Mostly, I don’t see much future for these directories. Is there a need for another general directory of the web? No.
Two characteristics struck me: paucity of listings and lack of inventiveness.
If start a directory don’t expect a real variety of people to rush in and list themselves. You’ll mostly get the same webmasters who add themselves to any directory hoping for PR magic.
You need to stock the directory yourself as well. List the top sites in various areas, the folks who’d never bother to visit and ad their sites. Put in at least - say - a couple of hundred. And add a few each day: you’ll get the “blog effect” from fresh, um, content. (I’ve tested this and it does work.)
Don’t just clone the typical directory. And - really - don’t buy a category list. How many of you really expect to have a bunch of listings for parallel computing? Give your category names a fresh spin. Without individuality you’ll just vanish amidst all the similar directories.
Most webmasters I suspect their directory will grow nicely buy user submission and they’ll be able to charge for featured listings. Maybe, but never for much or by many.
As with most things on the web you need to find a niche. And make your directory as distinctive as you know how.
Comments
Poor idiots think buying a directory script will make them lots of money. That webmasters will be begging them for a listing or - HA! - paying them.
If you want to be a successful directory publisher you need to be up to toil, sweat and boredom or go work at Wal-Mart or McDonalds.
A script alone won’t make you enough to pay for much more than a Big Mac!
Posted by: Big Time Joe! | June 8, 2006 07:31 PM