Are there any directories that provide a real service to visitors?

Hi,

I have been looking into the possibility of building a directory and would like to know if there are any examples of directories that provide a useful value proposition to users, thereby encouraging repeat traffic. Of course there are Yahoo and DMOZ, but even these I no longer use (I can't remember the last time I visited either). It is not clear to me the value proposition of Business.com and I am wondering whether that was more of a technology/partnership/alliance/domain-expertise purchased as opposed to a directory/domain-name purchase.

But besides these, are there any organically developed websites (Business.com spent about $100 million in investor money), that are providing real value to visitors and have seen constant growth in traffic over the last year or so. All of the sites I've looked at, including Aviva, seem to be dropping in traffic.

Thanks for any references.

Rich

 

There are many Directories that meet your OP criteria and these Directories continue to develop along with increased traffic volumes

Take a look around DP and you will find many that I am referring to

 

It seems that many are coming into the directory market after the sale of business.com!

 

Hi britishguy,

Thanks for the reply.

I have been actively looking at lots of directories, even the more highly regarded ones such as Alivedirectory and Aviva, and none seem to have a valid value proposition that would promote repeat visitors. I double check against Quantcast and Alexa. I realize that these numbers are suspect, but they do provide some relative guidance, and I can't come up with one good example. Even Business.com seems to be in a precipitous downward direction, in regards to visitor traffic.

If you or anyone else has a good example, I would very much like to review it.

Thanks.

Rich

 

Your keypoint indicators are not relevant and you are not privy to the due diligence facts relative to business.com so your points are again without substance or qualification

 

Yes, I have been looking at the possibility of building a directory, but the value proposition eludes me. If you have seen any directory with a solid value proposition, I would appreciate the link. Thanks.

Rich

 

Hi again,

Yes, I agree, no one has any details about the Business.com transaction, so for lack of any details, and considering the possibility (likelihood?) that there is a lot more to the detail than simply a domain directory deal, I thought I might ask whether anyone knows of a directory with a solid value proposition together with a growing readership. If you have any to recommend, I would very much appreciate it. Thanks.

Rich

 

At lot of people simply set up a directory and expect it to work, competition is fierce and the chance of success slim. At businessservicesuk . com we have intergrated a directory into our business portal, it is working very well at this early stage.

 

Funny... but i think your right

Seems we have many trying to get in now must
be the millions that got thier heads turned

thx
malcolm

 

Thanks much, I will certainly look at what you have done.

Rich

 

Yes it seems that the dormant 'experts' are coming out of the woodwork, but if this thread is anything to go by there is a steep learning curve to be overcome

 

Rich,

If you look at the correct stats for Aviva Directory (avivadirectory.com) you'll see a bit of a difference from what you were looking at (aviva.com).

I'm going to guess that an Alexa ranking of under 10K is an indicator that the site does receive some traffic.

 

The value proposition depends on your target market.

If your demographic target is substantially SEO companies/webmasters, then the directory VP will be fundamentally different than if it was, say, organic farm produce suppliers (OK, I'm being extreme but you get the point).

 

Hi there CReed,

Yes, it looks like it is getting traffic but the Alexa ratings disagree quite substantially from the Quantcast, so it is tough to say. (My own experiences is that Quantcast is more reliable since they can not be gamed like Alexa). But I think both indicate that the traffic has sort of peaked and is now declining. I either case, the Aviva model is a bit risky since it is dependent upon what Google is going to do, and I would prefer to build a directory (if I do go ahead with the idea), that has its own value proposition independent of how Google values it based upon backlinks (this can change to abruptly based upon the Google algorithms).

Thanks for the info.

Rich

 

Hi there deebee,

Quite agree. The problem I have always had with the SEO/Webmaster marketplace is that it is too dependent upon Google's algorithms which is why I stay away from it. I can invest a whole lot of dollars into the company only to see it devalue overnight as Google did with the John Chow site. Therefore, I am looking for a directory that has genuine value to visitors, will show up very high in SERP, and has repeat visitors which would be show up in steadily ever increasing traffic. For example, currently Links.com is a pretty nothing blog, but each month the traffic is increasing. This is the kind of growth opportunity that I am looking for.

Thanks for the response.

Rich

 

I think the best directory in existense is Joeant

 

Hi centime,

Thanks for the reference. I did look at the site and it does seem quite nice. A couple of questions, if you or anyone else can answer them for me:

1) Who are the primary visitors to this site and how to they find it?

2) Is this a custom design or is it built on a some purchased or free platform.

Thanks again for the help.

Rich

 

Hi there OP,

Do you own the site in your signature ? That is a very good site with its domain name. That domain is valued at $500,000 back in 2001 some problems arose though in 2005. Anyway if converting that to a directory and you are searching for a good parameter for building it I think it would be successful. Good Luck and Welcome to the Directory Industry.

Thanks

 

http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=413538&page=3

I think your question is flawed. The whole idea for a directory is to be a reference. The visitors who will repeat visits are those who find it a good reference for what they are researching.

I don't think Joe Q. Public has a real reason to use any directory repeatedly. Webmasters, on the other hand, will find *good* directories valuable for finding potential link partners and focused advertising opportunities amongst the listings for whatever niches they are targeting.

One thing that directory categorization of sites does better than search engines is separate the sites/pages that are on related keyword phrases, but semantically different topics.

For example, business software and software business are two distinct things, but search engines confuse the two in the SERPs. A directory with good categorization on the other hand can be very useful for finding one or the other with a much higher signal to noise ratio.

 

Hi popotalk,

Thanks for response and warm welcome.

On other threads in this forum (and in other forums) it has been suggested that I look at turning Links.com into a directory since it is a natural fit. I agree. However, my problem is this:

1) I don't want to build a site that is solely dependent upon the goodwill of Google and its algorithms. In other words, I don't want to be "John Chowed", at some time in the future.

2) I do want to build a site that has intrinsic value that will encourage return visits.

At one time, directories were very dominant - e.g. Yahoo's Directory. However, with the advent of Google and its excellent search algorithms, I am not sure that directories still have a purpose, other than to "game" Google's algorithms. Google can always choose to devalue such sites. Therefore, I am looking for some good, recent examples of directories that are being used by visitors for meaningful purposes. Any information that you can provide in this regard would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again for your response.

Rich