Hi I was thinking about starting a web magazine-directory. I have 2 very good domains. Attorneylistings.com yogatraining.com and another very good music domain. I have an edirectory.com software script that I bought second hand. I wanted to get any information on Directories. I cant find any books on the subject or internet info. (i have read some info. on this website but I did not get a clear understanding on what needs to be done.) Thanks Bob
You will have to build your directories nice so people will actually want to have a listing in them. A good question would be - Why does someone want a listing in your directory ?
Think about the information you would want to know before picking up a phone to call a lawyer or join a yoga studio. Obviously you don't want to build a complete site for each submission. But, creating a directory that offers more than just a sentence or two about each business is far more likely to garner interest of both submitters and non-submitters. By the way, there's tons of great information buried in these forums. Check out the stickies and go about 2-3 years in the history. Also check out http://info.vilesilencer.com/forum/ Good luck.
You need to make sure that the directory gains reputation or in other words you need to get traffic. Need to accept the fact that building directories is pretty easy when compared with running and widening its presence. Its always better to start from the niche, identify single sector and a known domain of yours where you have ample number of known contacts. Invite them to add their listings and gain momentum from known to unknown, Niche to larger market. Grow wider and GROW WILD all the best