Niche Switch

Directory market boom seems to be neverending. Many directories fail, but for every closed one, two new are started every day. This guide is written as an answer to the evergreen question “how do I make money with my directory” that you overhear on webmastering forums all the time. Because…selling paid featured links is not the only way, and Adsense in this case is mostly for the lazy ones. Thus…largest part of this guide are links to affiliate programs that you can use on your directory to make money from.

(This guide is being updated with newly researched information and programs all the time. For suggestions, please email to info at nicheswitch.com)

Selling paid featured and standard links

First step, to sell paid links in your directory, you need a directory script that allows it, not all do.

Second step, choose from one of the payment service providers. Paypal is an undisputed king. If for some reason you can’t accept Paypal, try 2Checkout. It is an alternative to standard merchant gateway (in practice they will become reseller of your services) and will allow you to accept payments by credit and debit cards and cheques. Long after the two above are Moneybookers, very reliable and reputable service, not much wide-spread beyond UK and Europe. Rumours are there is one or two directory scripts that will include Moneybookers as one of their payment options soon. Then there is Stormpay, doesn’t enjoy high reputation, and at the moment not supported by any script, except some home-made hacks.

Adsense and other pay-per-click programs

Not recommended, unless you have little time to implement other solutions. Webmasters, who are probably the largest groups of visitors to your directory, are even more ad-blind than general internet population. I would be more prone to recommend Adsense for non-general directories with natural traffic, though.

Affiliate programs with other directories

You join affiliate programs of other directories and suggest your visitors and customers to purchase links in those. Some of the best established directories have one.

• Aviva Directory
• Uquick Directory
• LinkLasso Directory
• Best of the Web
• V7 Directory
• Uncover The Net
• Massive Links - offering both 1st tier and 2nd tier commissions
• All The Webmasters and 12 directories
• Allestra

Run your own affiliate program

Of course! And easier than you thought. If you could promote for others, you can as well have others promote for you. Or better yet, you can form a network with other directory owners, where instead of promoting each others services on a link-for-link basis, you will have more balanced form of cooperation where those that deliver more value also get better value in return.

Free scripts for affiliate programs management include Post Affiliate and Sheddtech affiliate manager, which is a recently released free version of paid software manager from Sheddtech.

If you prefer a powerful program hosted elsewhere, PayDotCom is one of such solutions, handling payments with Paypal and Stormpay to your affiliates.

More affiliate management scripts will follow soon.

SEO related affiliate programs

Let’s face it. All directory owners claim high natural traffic and boast about their Alexa. I’m not that easily impressed. We all know where 99% of the traffic for 90% of general directories comes from - people submitting their or client’s websites. So, instead of feeding them with Adsense ads for cat food, scientific conferences and various other nonsense of no interest to them, offer them what they need for their jobs and lives. Well…coffee for pulling those allnighters and mousepads to keep wrists from hurting would be nice, too, but first let’s start with something more realistic: seo and webmastering related services and products.

SEO books

There are two that I can recommend.

Aaron Walls famous SEO Book - industry standard and bestseller, no further comments needed

SEO Tutor© Ebook & Tool Suite - less priced seo book with good content, more Barnum-like marketing copy, lower price and lower awareness of seo public, is a good alternative to Aaron’s book

SEO related software and services

There are many probably, be creative and differentiate from others. Safe bet is Axandra SEO Software.

Directory scripts

There is always a need for a better directory script:

eSyndicat and Focalmedia with their PowerSeek and Turbo Seek, are good options that you can safely recommend to your visitors and earn money for referrals at the same time.

Directory submission tools

Where else to offer better directory submission tool than on directory submission form? Roboform and Directory Submitter are two of many, that I could find have no complaints about and offer affiliate programs. There are plenty more that are free, or don’t have affiliate programs, or completely suck - thus they don’t appear here, makes sense I hope.

Hosting and domains

everyone needs a good host, and there are so many: Hostnine is an example of good affiliate program

Moniker has most secure domain registration in the industry, and domain escrow services for safe settling of your online deals.

Traffic

Two networks that help to deliver and exchange traffic are Digitalpoint’s Coop and Text Link Ads. (Digitalpoint offers nofollow links only at the moment.)

Other general affiliate programs

Do your research. Especially if you have real visitors in a good niche. You can place banners on your directory, or you can place your affiliate links as featured for each relevant category. Just make sure the directory script that you use, allows entering affiliate links, because some are a bit touchy in that respect.

CJ, Share A Sale, Linkshare, and many other places - basically all around the net.

Selling own services

It has become fashionable. Every second directory now seems to offer their own submission service. If you are creative, you can come up with some better ways. Free directory drives free traffic from webmasters, think what would they need that you can offer, and advertise that throughout your directory and on the submit page.

Running or building mailing list

Email addresses submitted to directories are often junk ones, that their owners don’t use. Still some strong and well earning maillist were built with free directory as a basis.
Speaking of email…most directory scripts allow sending of confirmation and approval email messages - yet another space to stick an affiliate link or two, or an ad place to sell to other people.

Other forms of monetization

Don’t sell just links, offer one-page articles on any topic with deep links.
Offer complete thematic article sections for more demanding advertisers. I have seen one or two directories doing it already, you can go the complete article section way, or a thematic section on demand way.
Use a blog section of your directory to sell blog posts.

Be creative. Don’t follow others. Offer what there is or could be demand for, not what everyone else is offering.

Credits

Though credits where they are due are considered old-fashioned by many trying to make their fortunes on the internet, I couldn’t resist to satisfy my conscience. Kudos and thank you’s go to:

• the best specialized directory owners forum on the web, and its members for all the freely shared expertise
• Vilesilencer’s directory list for standing at the root of spectacular growth of the directory industry
• Digitalpoint forum for the same, also for being the largest non-specialized directory forum, and for all the support we all later-comers have received there (though…it has been almost years for me already).
• Cristian of SEOpedia fame for kicking my butt unknowingly to finalize my long postponed article right after I have seen his post about directories with affiliate program, and for sourcing from his post. Same to Z-Blackfox for similar directory affiliates blog post.