Starting a successful directory website is a huge undertaking. You don’t have to spend more than a few minutes searching the web to find a long list of directory sites that were clearly started with a flash of motivation yet quickly died out just as quickly. It’s sad but true. There are many directory websites out there that look like they had real potential if only someone had stuck with them long enough to generate results and ROI. The problem is that too many people start looking for ROI before they’ve actually invested any serious time or effort into the project. If visitors sense that your site is about little more than making a quick buck, there’s a good chance they’ll disappear in a flash and never come back. One of the great things about directory websites is that there are so many different ways to monetize them. That said, monetization isn’t something you want to jump into too quickly — especially when you’re content is still thin. Our last few posts have been about the importance of creating high-quality content before anything else and I’d recommend you read those posts first. Here are the links to our previous posts: The Importance of Creating Engaging Content for Your Online Directory Website How to Define and Serve Your Audience Of course, once you put in the required work to create plenty of great content and your traffic numbers have begun to prove your site’s value, it’s time to start thinking about how to monetize. There are plenty of ways to monetize your website and 6 of the most common ones are covered in this post. When it comes to selecting a monetization method, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. The ideal method varies with every website and will depend on things such as topic, location, traffic volume and authority. One of the smartest things you can do is subtly experiment with a few different monetization methods. Figure out what monetization method works well for your site and then work on optimizing it. 1. Sell Directory Listings Not surprisingly, selling directory listings is often the default option when it comes to monetizing a directory website. It’s also one of the most challenging ways to monetize your directory site because anyone paying for a directory listing will want to see some kind of return on their investment. You’ll need to demonstrate that your website has adequate traffic... Read more »
The post 6 Ways to Monetize a Directory Website appeared first on Templatic.