I've put up a few general directories and had good success getting people to list...both free and paid. Mainly by getting my site listed on some seo friendly directory lists. Then I got ambitous and decided to write my own software and create a couple of niche directories. They are www.whenwegetthere.com and www.whenwedine.com. The sites are new and I'm finding it hard to get listings because of the recreation, entertainment, and restaurant focus. Add to that the fact that I'm trying to get only brick and mortar listings and you might see my problem. I'm only getting someone submitting their site about once every couple of days. Has anyone had any experience with niche directories and getting listings? Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.
I used to run a couple of extreme niche directories. I know some believe that niche directories are more profitable than general directories, but for my experience this was not the case. I had some success with one of them, but it took a great deal of time and money to promote. One thing in particular that worked well was trading direct links with sites that were in the niche. Don't get me wrong, running a niche directory is by far more fun and interesting, but if you are looking to profit from it, it's going to be a long hard job.
Thanks for the advice and moral support. So far I'm optimistic about the money potential since the new sites have higher click through rates on my ads. I'm guessing that it is due to better keyword and page targeting due to the niche. But at 50 hits a day the jury is still out.