How is money made through directories?

[charlietree]

What are you guys doing to make money on directories?? Are you guys incorporating Adsense into it, Adbrite, or is there something I am not seeing here?

I am thinking about starting a directory...I already blog and am kind of successful with it, but building a directory seems like it would be a one time big step plus the everyday upkeep of accepting links and what not...

[maxchanwl]

People pay for listings review in your directory according to the rate that you have set for your listings. Adsense does not work very well on directories, AFAIK. However, I should advise you that money should not be your goal if you want to earn something from your directories. I know it sounds weird, but I am now earning from my directories and when I first started, I had no intention of making any money at all.

Build a quality directory and the $$$ will eventually follow.

[dcristo]

If your goal is to make money with adsense on directories, you have your priorities wrong.

[M.IMRAN]

in directories Adbrite do better than Adsense...
But if you have directory with page rank then you can use paid listing in your directory to earn more money.

[mixke]

What are you guys doing to make money on directories?? Are you guys incorporating Adsense into it, Adbrite, or is there something I am not seeing here?

Usually, directories make money by selling paid reviews and advertisment spots. You won't be able to make much by using Adsense on directories.

[hhheng]

If you want to make money from a directory, you need at least 3 years and spend some money to improve its pagerank and traffic. Especially the pagerank, people will submit to a paid directory based on the directory's higher pagerank. Adsense will not make too much money for you except that you have a daily IP visitor of 10000 or above.

[karlsult]

Hi,

Sponsored links, adsense, promote affilaite or your own products via banners and in the confirmation emails... put an optin list box somewhere...

Karl

[richrf]

My goal right now is to build a quality directory with reviews and ratings and hope that I can drive traffic to the site. If I can drive traffic, I hope to make money via advertising (direct revenue) and increasing the underlying value of the domain itself (asset appreciation). In time, I hope that sites will pay to be listed, but I would only accept quality sites and the payment would be for the time required to review the site. Similar to Yahoo. But that would be a little ways off.

Rich

[charlietree]

Wow, sounds like a directory can do well if you do things right. So do any of you guys like hide opt-in check boxes or whatever in the signup page for urls?? I could see you getting a lot of emails to promote to if you guys did that. Also, whats the average charge for signing up...is it more effective to charge money or have it completely free???

[pipes]

Wow, sounds like a directory can do well if you do things right. So do any of you guys like hide opt-in check boxes or whatever in the signup page for urls?? I could see you getting a lot of emails to promote to if you guys did that. Also, whats the average charge for signing up...is it more effective to charge money or have it completely free???

What do you mean? so they have opted in but are not aware that they have?

[charlietree]

Well I dont know if you want to trick people, but who actually reads that stuff when youre submitting to 2,000 different directories you know? I mean would that be good if you did that? And then send them updates all the time about your site so they return to it?

[MeetHere]

Take a look here
Ways to make revenue from your web directory ! (http://www.dirkut.com/ways-to-make-revenue-from-your-web-directory/)

[pipes]

Well I dont know if you want to trick people, but who actually reads that stuff when youre submitting to 2,000 different directories you know? I mean would that be good if you did that? And then send them updates all the time about your site so they return to it?

Well you would be tricking people though wouldn't you, go ahead and do it if you want but expect to get a bad repuation quite quickly, your asking in the wrong place here too i dont think half the people here will approve of this, i dont personally know anyone using their directories to do this.

This is the sort of thing that annoys people.

[charlietree]

Oh alright, well I dont want to offend people...just didnt know if thats how people were conducting business or whatever...I just figured that people would maximize the amount retained from others be listed in your directory...plus you could put a claim on there that says you are signing up for optin...like put a box that they can check if they want to...then only reason im asking is because people like me who are signing up to multiple directories at the same time dont always read the fine print...well any print at all really.

[hyper]

What are you guys doing to make money on directories?? Are you guys incorporating Adsense into it, Adbrite, or is there something I am not seeing here?

I am thinking about starting a directory...I already blog and am kind of successful with it, but building a directory seems like it would be a one time big step plus the everyday upkeep of accepting links and what not...

1. get yourself a decent relevant domain name ( not a dropped one )
2. signup at PayPal
3. Buy phpLD 3.3 or any other directory script
4. don't add AdSense, Adbrite, etc, into it because it is waste of time
5. establish fair review fees
6. and the rest is all about quality & marketing.
7. ask in here if you have something to ask, we will be here.

Thanks,
hyper :cool:

[sray]

Are directories still profitable? I think many people are making directories because either its their hobby (those are serious directory owners) or to sell them after 3-4 months with 2000-3000 links and a mere 2-3 PR.

Before launching a directory, you have to think which one suits you. If you want to become a serious directory owner then you have to work hard...harder....hardest. Otherwise just launch a directory with a free phpld script and get a nice free template, announce it S&A, accepts thousands of links until it gets a PR2-3-4, then sell it on DP or Sitepoint. ;)

[tsukara]

Maintaining a directory site is not a simple task. You need to monitor it everyday just to make sure that the submitted sites are in the right category. Although you can make money through it, but I think image ads will work on directory. Adsense is good on blog since it needs to be placed in keyword-rich content.

[ASPMachine]

If you want to make money from a directory, you need at least 3 years and spend some money to improve its pagerank and traffic. Especially the pagerank, people will submit to a paid directory based on the directory's higher pagerank. Adsense will not make too much money for you except that you have a daily IP visitor of 10000 or above.

This is the only answer what i am looking for. Thanks guy!

[Lonny.P]

business.com was sold for 300 mil so that should give you some indication

[recipe for...]

People pay for listings review in your directory according to the rate that you have set for your listings. Adsense does not work very well on directories, AFAIK.

What does AFAIK mean?

[hyper]

What does AFAIK mean?

As Far As I Know

[richrf]

business.com was sold for 300 mil so that should give you some indication

To be fair, business.com was much more of an advertising network (http://www.business.com/info/advertisewithus.asp) than a directory, though the directory was an integral part of their delivery platform. I doubt anyone would pay $300 million for DMOZ, which is more of a pure form directory, if it was put up for sale. Though I could be wrong.

Rich

[Event_King]

No adsense doesn't work that well for directories, as I had it on mine last year. I only made about £60 to £90 for the year.

You'll also get competitors or jealous directory owners come and click on your adsense blocks, thus getting you banned. Adsense is a mad idea for directories.

[charlietree]

Oh dang, wow this all is helpful...I guess I will just fork out the dough for PHP LD and get started on that.

[Event_King]

If you want to make money from a directory, you need at least 3 years and spend some money to improve its pagerank and traffic.

It will take a lot longer than that to just fill it to a decent level. Making it work takes longer, so you can be looking at 7, 10 or 12 years before a brand new, unheard of offline directory 'makes it'. The web isn't that fast!

Spend some money? ....anything you get designed will need to beat Google, Yahoo etc and that won't be cheap. This will cost you more than you think,
and you're not going to be able to do this with some off-the shelf directory script. Not if you truly want to be successful and make a good income, and I mean 100k per year.

This is such a tough game to survive in, and you can get crushed so easily. The sheer amount of directories that come and go, claim to be the next Yell.com - well, I've lost count, that should tell you something, and there is a ton of evidence to back that up, so I'm not inventing this. These are facts.

Just35.com anyone - yeah, where are those guys now.

192 closed down and that was owned by BT.......... MSN small business directory shut down.......... The Arndale, Jsearch, Jini search and many others.

That is some pattern there, and BT/MSN have fortunes to pump in and keep them running - but they didn't. Why? simple, it wasnt making enough money, so they cut their losses.

I suggest you make the directory specialist in some way. :)

[charlietree]

What if I took my Lawof Marketing.com site and turned it into a business directory for SEO sites/advertising sites, and others?

It will take a lot longer than that to just fill it to a decent level. Making it work takes longer, so you can be looking at 7, 10 or 12 years before a brand new, unheard of offline directory 'makes it'. The web isn't that fast!

Spend some money? ....anything you get designed will need to beat Google, Yahoo etc and that won't be cheap. This will cost you more than you think,
and you're not going to be able to do this with some off-the shelf directory script. Not if you truly want to be successful and make a good income, and I mean 100k per year.

This is such a tough game to survive in, and you can get crushed so easily. The sheer amount of directories that come and go, claim to be the next Yell.com - well, I've lost count, that should tell you something, and there is a ton of evidence to back that up, so I'm not inventing this. These are facts.

Just35.com anyone - yeah, where are those guys now.

192 closed down and that was owned by BT.......... MSN small business directory shut down.......... The Arndale, Jsearch, Jini search and many others.

That is some pattern there, and BT/MSN have fortunes to pump in and keep them running - but they didn't. Why? simple, it wasnt making enough money, so they cut their losses.

I suggest you make the directory specialist in some way. :)

[Event_King]

What if I took my Lawof Marketing.com site and turned it into a business directory

No, no, no, that wouldn't be specialist now would it. Business directories try and serve everybody, and it's so a failed business model to pursue - unless you think you will beat Yell.com (400 million company).

I doubt you could turn Law of Marketing.com into a niche type site, as there's probably a string of directories all doing what you just thought of, so it's pointless doing that - no edge you see!

No you need a really strong edge, gimmick for a directory to work anymore.

The press won't touch many directories, as they aren't very newsworthy and difficult to adapt into anything that creates more news stories for their paper.

A portal of sorts may work, but everything 'marketing-wise' has been done tenfold, so it's silly doing that. You got to think of an industry where there is 100% no sites representing it, but even then the industry might not welcome such a portal. It's very tough to do.

:)

[pipes]

I'm guru codec especialist in adsense and I can help you to make much mony in adsense codec. To beliving me, I can do free cheap job for you to make much money with adsense. For the start I gaved free quota space on my blog spots and I can give you some much clicks so you will have much mony to really open your eiyes and see how good is much money from adsense.

What is a guru codec especialist in adsense?

Tell me of your SEO expertise mentioned in your profile.

[Toolz]

Find some webmaster related products that have affiliate programs and feature those on the submit pages.....

[wdirectory]

There are usually 3 kind of web directories

1) Free - that may have lots of links and traffic, and you can earn through adsense and adbrite at the same time
2) paid - need some investment for advertising it's listings, and you can earn by charging webmasters for listing their links there. It can single linking or deep linking
3) bidding - need lots of inverstment for page rank and promotion and you can earn alot by this, if you get successful in one or two years.

i hope that this would help you. http://www.linksleader.net/24/are-bidding-directories-good/ if want to know the other perspective of bidding web directories

[redz]

Well I remember a year ago when google still did not bother the directory owners, directory owners made money

[hillord]

Take a look here
Ways to make revenue from your web directory ! (http://www.dirkut.com/ways-to-make-revenue-from-your-web-directory/)

Thanks for the tips!

[pipes]

Find some webmaster related products that have affiliate programs and feature those on the submit pages.....

Couldn't that potentially lose a paid submission, they reach your submission page, see an affiliate ad that catches their eye, become distracted and completely forget about using your directory?