I have recently started a new article directory as a way to learn some new tricks to Internet marketing. I won't put the link here unless asked for so as not to spam the forum. But, I was curious about a couple of things. One, what is the best way to monetize an article directory? Adsense? I am using Article Dashboard and they have some easy ways to add Adsense to the site. Two, my main question, what are some good resources to market an article website? I am looking for specific directories, sites, link partners, forums, etc. Thanks in advance for all the help
what works best for one article directory will not work best for another. I can guarantee you there are better methods of monetization than adsense however. as far as your second question, good luck. it's incredibly difficult to market a site that's simply a clone of thousands of other sites out there. it'd be a much better use of your time to develop something unique and useful.
I would have to agree. you have to go further then the competition. Take advertsingknowhow.com It is an article directory, they have a traffic exchange system, and much more. Since you have an article dashboard type of site you will need to do something that makes your site different. Probably more then adsense. I saw a lot of these sites when I used article posting software and they were all the same. None of them got my attention. You have to grab the attention of your traffic and make sure they do something that you want them to do. Maybe you can offer something so you can make it more viral and more of a reason to come in and stick around longer then normal. Usually people will go to an article site, take an article and then just leave. You have to make them stay. I hope some of that made sense I felt I rambled a little... Thank You, George Christodoulou
I agree.. there are thousands of article directories already. Why on earth would you choose to compete with that many people, who are already established and have enormous followings? And then hope to earn a few cents with PPC? Why not create the web's first web based mirror? That would be original, very unique and you'd have no competition. Traffic would be enormous from places like Digg, and if you could come up with a creative way of monetizing all that traffic (*not* PPC), you could make a packet. -- Will. PS - Online mirrors are impossible to do with current monitor technologies. The closest you can get is pointing a webcam at yourself. But hey.. even doing that and pitching it as a "mirror on a website" could get a few laughs
Here's the thing though...the guy who posted this probably thinks it is impossible but I know a few people who make 3k from there directories and they are not any of the top 5 directiores... it can be done... You can become one of the best if you offer something no other offers. think about that... Thanks, George Christodoulou
Submit your article directory to as many web directories as possible to market your site. To monetize it, there is no better ways than adsense.
That wont help you get the people there sending in articles other people will actually use. That makes me think of a way for you to create a quality article directory. One important thing is to make sure you have quality articles coming in all the time. You have to review all the articles because webmasters will not take junk... You know the audience you have to reach...get them to come to your directory and submit articles. Entice them with some kind of offer...
I am mainly looking at this as an SEO experiement and a way to drive traffic to my other network of websites. Also, I am building a resouce page for my turnkey customers and I want them to see an article site in action because that is one of the things I will be talking about in marketing websites in general. Thanks in advance for all the tips so far
The above advice is great - if you're going to do what tons of other people are already doing (creating an article directory website), then do it different... One thing you can do is to "niche it up" - make an article site that ONLY features articles of a particular (and popular) topic. Not only will that make it easier to filter incoming article submissions, since you won't be getting as many, but - all things being equal - it'll likely rank better for related keywords and be found by people specifically looking for articles about that theme. It's also correct that adsense is a viable way to monetize an article directory, although everyone seems to do that and likely most or all of your incoming traffic will be "adsense blind", unless you're creative with your placement etc. Another option would be for you to consider who your traffic will be - ie. if it's a niche article directory, obviously the people coming in would have SOME interest in that topic. So find some clickbank or consumption junction (or eBay or Amazon) related products and pop up ads for them... even if 1% of your traffic buys something, it may very likely exceed any adsense earnings you'd make in its place... Although of course you can test putting adsense ads on the page along with those other advertisements, but test it both ways (with and without adsense) to see which is most profitable, since adsense ads may be taking away someone who'd otherwise earn you a $15 commission on a product sale vs. 30 cents for the related adsense click as they leave your site. And when you get your article directory finished, submit it to my own Directory of Article Directories. If you create a niche directory, mention that in your email subject line and I'll fast-track it for inclusion. http://www.arcanaweb.com/resources/article-directories.html Hope that helps and best of luck! -Steve