Niche or General

If you were going to start a new directory today, would you think it would be easier to make a successful site with a general directory or a niche directory?

 

I would start one of each to be honest, hit that general market then hit a less than obvious niche that you will enjoy working with.

A tip if i may, before choosing a niche ( although it may sound like a fabulous niche ) ask yourself if the sites in that niche are just run by ordinary folk with a bit of spare time or by webmasters, because you may begin with a niche, only to find that you never get a submission because people with sites in that niche have not and will not ever know of a web directory, let alone one in their niche.

Regarding making it easier to make a successful site, none will be easier, both have pros and cons.

 

pipes is right.

but i would go for the niche.

hard work, but in the end....

 

A general directory if done right should be a collection of neiche directories assembled under one title, with each catagory being the neiche.

 

My preference is niche. They are more time consuming, harder to promote, and by far the most rewarding when things start to eventually turn to the positive. The rewards are multiplied 10 fold when it's a niche you have an interest in, so I recommend that if you go with a niche directory it should be something you have an interest in or based on a subject you enjoy. Just my perspective. Good luck with what ever you do though.

 

General directories are pathetically easy to run, require no expertise to run at all, plus anybody can start one of these as start-up costs are low. Authorising websites to be accepted takes no skill and pushing a button takes no skill either, however making enough sales does. There is no expertise needed to run a general directory, and they don't stand out, also because of the saturation factor, this makes matters worse.

Because of the general nature of a general directory, making it specialist is impossible because it doesn't specialise in any one thing, and the pull factor just isn't there, apart from a little backlink noise, and that's only if a search engine allows that to happen. Probably the biggest problem with the generals, is they rely totally on the SE's, and that's an unattractive proposition for paying advertisers, as the SE's control all directory presence on the web, which depending on page position, determine how much traffic sent to each engine. And the fact the owners run just another copy directory along with the other thousands, this gives the owners no edge over each other. All we have are sites competing furiously, none better than the next one.

Niche requires expertise of the specialist area the site will cover, and just having lists of companies does not a specialist site make. Niche sites must be far more than lists of sites to attract the millions of visitors needed to make it successful.

If I set up say eg: a sailing portal, I need to be able to talk sailing with my visitors, and that requires sailing expertise. A directory that lists only sailing websites isn't giving enough information or value to make people return or book mark it. Not enough returners and noone will buy advertising.

Putting sailing info on a directory isn't enough either, the site must look right, contain real expertise, have fullness and the exacting knowledge sailors want to see, and you will only know what to include if you are a sailor. Okay, one might be able to bluff, but you will be discovered by professionals, and won't be able to maintain the bluff long-term, and the directory fails as a result.

This is why it's so hard to do a niche website, nobody just decides to be a plumber or horse trainer, it takes many years just to become an expert, and it's not something one can do while running a web business at the same time.

I could set up a Sports directory today, as I spent many years selling sports equipment, so for me, it's a fairly easy thing to do. But someone without a clue as to what goes into such a site, will struggle and fail. It takes much more content than is realised or known by most, and with niche sites comes niche visitors, and their demanding -very fussy information hunters, and if you don't get it right, your reputation will be stuffed for good.

So I'd say Generals are okay starting points for webmasters, but niches are for real professionals that know an industry inside out, back to front, upside down, and some....... Going Niche is a different game.

There's only one way to truly win at the web game, and that's to do something nobody else has yet. And that's why it's so difficult, coming up with the idea.

 

Niche would be the right direction to go to, and the right niche will net you quite a profit.

 

Once again some good points, but throwing a blanket over everything is perhaps not the right way to go, if every person that is now starting to make new general general ( crap ) directories started making niche directory well id guess we would have just as many crap niche directories, a directory type alone does not guarantee quality.

the skills and the lengths of work the owner is prepared to place in their work would be more a qualifying factor.

once again labeling a directory type as easy is wrong, i could argue that with a well presented general directory that the skills needed, extra work etc would far exceed a niche so really an unfair statement.

, no directory requires a license to run or experience so once again a leading, suggestive statement.

as above a non founded statement, that leads people to believe the general directory is cheap, last time i looked templates , hosting costs etc etc were the same regardless of directory type.

no but once again the button on a niche directory was the same as a general directory.

same old story, if you can show me where a niche guarantees they stand out or require more experience please do.

is something i don't buy, we are saturated with new cars everyday but they make more, better and faster, times change, if saturation was a factor 99 % of products may as well stop producing

A general comment that makes no logical sense when analyzed, if your telling me a person only ever has one interest then fair enough, but many people have multiple interests.

Lets get out the square for an example, the other day we were discussing the url links.com, that person made some good points re 1 / 20 may make it or hold interest, so if you were to take the say the top 20 hottest topics on the net for example only

real estate
electronic gadgets
people
fashion
celebs

and so on and worked those then as times changed dropped the least added the newest would you not be covering a greater % of potential reader target ?

As mentioned all good points you make and this is not a reply to say wrong or right but to offer another view, be that wrong or right.

For my money i am happy if you want to yell to the world all to start a niche directory, and happy for all of the people currently starting crap directories to all run over there and cram it up with rubbish, leaving the general industry to clean up.

Of course this will happen until some one cries wolf and yells general directory again at which point the sheep will all run back to general.

 

there is lot of niche and only a few can make money,
recommend to start a general first if you dont have any experience.

 

I prefer general since if you make it successful, it has more clients. And the actions to promote general and niche are the same.

 

Using cliches (throwing a blanket over everything) to describe opinionated inaccuracies of what I'm explaining, does not make me wrong at all.

Many directories are a clear attempt to scam money and/or contact details, and not offer genuine services. And ignoring what goes on is crazy, why would anybody want to protect or defend a bunch of scammers and thieves.

Who says I can't go this way or that - you? this forum? or the world? It's not upto any of the above to say what I can talk about or not. The reason why directories are discussed so much, is because the self-promoters are only interested in well, self-promotion. Or they don't know anything at all, hence much time spent arguing over the same old stuff again and again.

This promotion talk and the setting up of forums to discuss the directory world, well I didn't start it, this went on years before I even got involved in the web. Please don't blame me for this massive mess we have to deal with now - it's got nothing to do with me. Yes, I don't doubt if we suddenly got a surge of niche sites that it will go in the same direction as General directories, yes I don't doubt it for one second - again, not my fault.

This mess, and it is a mess needs to be sorted, cleaned up, but continuing to develop more general directories cannot solve this, do you not see that. I think people deliberately ignore what suits them financially, morally and legally. Everyone wants a slice of the pie, and they cannot accept the difficulty of what's involved here, but they will never close down and accept the losses of a losing battle. Personally, I think they are mad, but I've always been a cautious fellow, and won't just buy into anything for what's been said on a forum or blog. Many ideas are crap, they will fail and there's just no telling some - for they will never listen.

Most directories will have designed a CMS (Content Management System), so what's difficult about using that. Nothing - it's easy.

Now the time taken to administer a directory, ahhh - now that's different, but not difficult. It's easy.

License to run?, I have no such license with my directory, nor did I have to buy one either. If you mean directory scripts, where you purchase the directory to use for a set period, then doing that is stupid, when you can get directories which are custom built, which are far superior to restrictive programs.

(Such paid scripted directories are easy to spot, known to be small time and easily avoided.)

They are cheap, and nasty looking. Hosting is dirt cheap, mine is about £120 per year - see dirt cheap!

They are completely different in terms of operating, selling and gaining exposure for. You cannot suggest or begin to compare a cheap directory script to what I run on a daily basis. Too many variables to mention.

I can do this too easily, and if your honest, you know I can do this. Question is the time involved, or do I really want to, as I have a hunch if I did, those on here will still say I don't know what I'm talking about.

For a short term solution to another tired old argument, just check out Reed or Total Jobs, Monster, Hotels.com and you have the proof that this works.

Okay, but this doesn't apply to directories. They aren't better or faster or unique in anyway. You know this yourself, so why ask the question.

Selecting some top industry, constructing a directory, then expecting it to work - oh dear. It's just not that easy though is it, you could choose totally the wrong industry, and even if you get it right, chances are a competitor will find you out and crush you to bits. Don't think you can just compete with the big dogs, you may like to believe that - but making it happen is something else. These top web businesses have been doing this for years before venturing on the web, they have mountains of cash to mess about with on advertising, they have contacts, incredible resources at their disposal. Unless the idea is amazing - forget doing what they do best.

Find something different, invent a new service instead of copying established businesses.

 

EK appreciate your thoughts and views, but hope you understand that in a demacratic socoiety i may differ with my views on several points, but no right or wrong but not worth my time to debate as there are no winers in talking the talk, and i'd prefer to walk the walk. cheers for your feedback

 

Is that what your doing here?

 

I wouldn't copy anybody here

~ wouldn't waste my time with a general directory as I've been there before and know the SP.

Your welcome

 

For someone who seems to dislike general directories so much the "travel" directory you claim as yours ( simple-travel.co.uk ) from other threads appears to be closer to a general than a niche.

Take a look at some of the categories... In business there are > Real Estate agents - search engine optimization - publishing fiction - in health > sexual and reproductive.

Looks to me like you have a general directory but are in denial...

 

Naaa, my very first effort of a 'directory' was an experiment only, as I knew the only way I would know if it worked 100%, was to do it myself. As it turned out it didn't make me rich, famous or boost my ego, but then I sort of knew that anyway. But I had to know the truth, as wading through the masses of misinformation I read on blogs and forums, wasn't helpful or giving me the facts I had to know.

So because I've done this already, I can say these things largly don't work.

The only thing I will say, is that I did get a surge of links from it, but I wouldn't call a bunch of untargeted links doing me any great favours. So all in all, I don't rate general directories or even niche directories as easy options for starting a business. There are better ways of doing this, but it's just that directories are cheap to get started, and if done correctly, it's a possible way of getting your name out there. But it rarely happens.