Hello dir owners, i want to ask what's the most profitable and successful dir ( Paid or Free ) ? Thanks in advance.
Do you mean which out of all the ones of the web is the most profitable and successful or do you mean which is the most profitable and successful type of directory to start; a free or a paid directory???
i think he means which one is best to start, I'm also interested in this, so many people have directories there must be some money in them...
i think it depends if you can invest money on it from the first day .. if you can't then free directory with paid featured option is a good choice to make it grow and get some money from featured links to reinvest.
Spend as little as you can get away with until you start making something from reviews submitted to you. There is no need to cram your directory full of content. But make sure your top level categories give everyone a place to submit their site. You then offer top tier listings at a bargain price and the buyers will find you. They are not wet behind the ears. You should also find a category which interests you and you need to start adding sites which you believe offers users value. Once again dont over do it. Focus on quality rather than quantity and recognise that you need to feed the spiders to keep them coming back. Get into a regular routine and rather spend your time networking and learning your trade.
Paid directories are profitable if you make it STRONG.. But first of all you have to invest before you start getting $$
What do you have to invest in? Why do you have to spend $$$? For what? The only cost I see is the time one has to spend looking for buyers. And the ones that give you repeat business are looking for a value for money.
Do you mean directories are built free ? You have to invest and spend $$ for : -- Web hosting -- Domain -- Script -- Template - design and coding -- Advertisements -- Promotions -- Backlinks -- More, more and more.. Just installing a directory script and sitting will not help you in making any $$
The script can be had for free and it will cost $5 or less to get one installed. Hosting can be had for $4 a month and thereafter the only cost you need incur is the cost of the time you spend letting the buyers know that there is a bargain to be had. Why spend anymore? Do you really need eye candy to convince a buyer that you know what you are doing? What other promotional expenses do you need to launch a new directory?
Let the buyers know You have a following www.directory.com (there 100000's of directories, how buyer will know which one to select ) Backlinks, backlinks and more backlinks. Banners and most important TRAFFIC
No directory passes traffic until it has been established and recognised as a resource that is useful to users and more often than not this is resticted to a niche community. So lets scrub that for star u purposes. Back links. Why does a directory need back links? If it gains recognition as a resource it will get all the back links it needs, organically. Sowhat are we left with? So far I dont see that there is any need to spend anything more than what it costs for a cup of coffee these days.
With this attitude don't even bother with a directory. Also the most precious commodity we all have is time... The scary thing is you want to start an association too. Basically this market is very competitive and unless you are willing to seriously get into it and throw some $ at it(for a long time) don't bother! If you want to spend 0$ and hopefully make some money try affiliate marketing or adsense with a blog or something and don't be disappointed if you only get what you put into it ($0) Directories are businesses and they need $ to fuel the fire. I believe most online businesses fail because the owners feel they can get something for nothing. Web business are just that businesses that operate on the internet. Unless you have a plan and $ to invest I wouldn't recommend starting any business online or offline. There are billions of websites. People don't visit because you setup shop. Regarding the Original Poster and Paid vs Free: There are soooo many free ones out there now you'll also spend hours deleting spammy submissions. I"d put aside good $ and go paid or forget it. Frankly with SOO Many already out here I'd buy one at a good price in the SITES and then dump more money into it. (That is what I did). If you choose to go from scratch you need alot of patience and even more faith as you won't be seeing results for a long time. Rob
Agreed and thats what makes a quality directory. Not $$$. Spend sometime adding sites to a category that specifically interests you but dont go overboard. If you are in this for the long term just make sure you keep adding sites on a regular basis. The rest of your time needs to be spent on forums like this one, sticking your finger up the noses of those who think they know it all and who have one thing and one thing only on their minds. Buyers are not directory owners. They are looking for value for their $$$. They will make a plan and they will find you. Then once you have started generating revenue, start adding to your site and build something unique around your directory. But avoid the company of fast talking sea lawyers and their kin. ....and for some very good reasons. But just to correct you. We have already formed and are running an association. And its working very well thank you.
workshop, without spending money on advertising and promotion you will not earn money in the directory business. No matter how much time you spend "looking for buyers." You have the exact attitude of 99% of the new directory owners out there and that is why most will close down in the first 6-months. I suggest you spend some time reading the posts in this forum by some of the more successful directory owners. That paragraph makes so little sense I won't even go there. Here is a blog post I made about my experience owning a free directory.
Why not? Who in their right mind buys PR or PS or any other artifical measure of value this industry comes up with? What are buyers looking for other than long term value for their $$$? Prestige and status? I think not. Are these the same diectory owners who are still wondering why Google is taking so long to upate their PR? What can they tell me that I should be listening to? Cant fault it. Its close enough but whats the moral of the story? Are you saying that all criticism is bad?
Definitely paid directory. I have a free directory and never make any money from it and plan to sell it.