Starting your own business is an incredible way to make yourself happy and profitable, especially if you’re passionate about something. Creating a directory listing website can be quite lucrative if done right.
With the ease of access to free or low-cost web hosting through services like Google Cloud or Amazon Web Services, it has never been easier to start your own site.
By and large, anyone with a smartphone can create a mobile responsive (mobile friendly) website for just about anything! Gone are the days when only big companies had their own websites that they would manage and update themselves.
Directory listings are one of the most common type of sites out there. They are similar to search engines in that users can add and find new information via them. The key difference is that directories offer more targeted content than a general search engine.
This article will go into detail about how to pick a niche, launch your site, grow your audience, and earn money online as a directory listner. It will also talk about some easy ways to make extra income as a directory lister.
Write and publish a listing of the website
The next step is to write an interesting, solid description of your site. This will be where people can find you online! Most good directory listings have clear instructions for setting up your own domain and website with it.
Check out Google’s very own directory-index style websites like google.com or youtube.com. They use their company name and product as the content in the description field.
Don’t make it too long though, most people won’t read more than about the first two lines of content.
Gain website traffic
A directory listing site is an excellent way to get more exposure for your business or service. By creating a domain name and offering it as free content, you are inviting other websites to add your URL so that their visitors can find what information and/or services they offer.
By having more exposure, this will help promote your business or service. Many people make money online through advertising revenue or through selling products or services, so being seen by many people is very important in making sure your income stays steady.
There are several different types of directories where you can advertise. Some only allow companies to list their own sites, while others don’t. But no matter which one you choose, you should always try to include accurate info and good quality content. That way your ad won’t be overlooked!
What makes a good directory advertisement depends on who is looking at your ads. If your target audience is made up mostly of students, then using education related keywords and bullets with testimonials may work better than if targeted towards parents, for example.
As with any type of marketing, doing your homework and testing various styles and strategies is key to success.
Purchase a domain
After you have done some research, determined your budget, and picked your name, it is time to purchase your domain!
You will want to make sure that you are purchasing your domain from an excellent website hosting company. This article has discussed some of the best web hosts for blogging, so I hope you took notes.
I recommend using Hostinger as my recommended host due to their low price points, easy-to-use interface, and fast load times. They also offer very affordable 1 year plans which is enough time to test out the service before investing in longer term services.
Set up a website
Now that you have your domain name, hosting space, and most likely WordPress installed, it’s time to set up your site! You can do this very easily using one of the many easy-to-use web interface tools like Google Sites or Wix.
Both of these services offer free plans, which are enough for creating an informational website. They also have paid tiers that give you more features and additional functionality. It is totally okay to use their free plan if you want to test the waters before investing in your site, but remember that you will not be able to access all of the advanced features of WP such as custom domains or mobile responsiveness.
There are several ways to go about configuring your new site depending on how much customization you desire. The easiest way to start off is to create a basic page with just a header, content area, and footer. Then, you can add pages to link to other sites, documents, videos, etc. within your site via a widget tool called “Static Pages.”
You can choose from different layouts, colors, and styles for your static pages.
Design the website
Now that you have chosen your domain name and are ready to launch, it is time to design your site!
When designing your site, one of the first things you will want to do is pick your platform. This should be determined early as most web hosting companies offer you different ways to create websites (we will go into more detail on this in the “Website Platform” section.
Most people start off using either WordPress or Blogger for their sites, but there are many other options. You can use Squarespace, Wix, Shopify, or any number of others to build your site. No matter which one you choose, the important thing is to find one that you love and that matches your style.
You also need to consider what features you would like to include on your site. Would you like to add pages, videos, images, etc? These can be done through the various interface types mentioned above. It is very common to purchase an account from these platforms and then customize the look and feel they provide.
Build a website
Starting your own business is always a big step, but it is not as scary as some make it seem! Hiring someone to create or design your site can be expensive, so before you start looking for web designers, you must first determine if creating your own website is something you are willing to do.
Many people begin their online search by checking how easy it is to create a simple website using a free template or pre-existing platform like WordPress or Shopify. These websites offer many features that would cost money to purchase, making it very accessible to most anyone.
The hard part is deciding what types of content and styles you want to include on your site. It’s great to have an artistic side, so choosing a theme with rich colors and pictures may be helpful. If you are more technical, then designing in Photoshop or other software is good way to hone your website skills.
Promote your website
Now that you have spent time creating your site, it is time to promote it! When starting out, there are two main strategies to gain exposure for your site. You can choose to go all in with social media, or focus more on blogging to build your online presence.
With social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, you will need to make sure that you have enough followers and engagement from posts to ensure that people notice your site. If you start to see growth, then keep up the good work by promoting your site further.
Blogging is an excellent way to spread your online message. With blogs having the highest conversion rates of any type of content (with the exception of advertisements), it makes sense to use this tool to boost traffic and conversions on your site.
By optimizing your site for search engines, people will be able to find you much easier than if you didn’t have one. By adding new content frequently, even if it is just a short note about what you posted on your site, others will know you keep a steady schedule and maintain interest in yourself.
Get advertising on your website
Now that you have chosen to start your own directory, it is time to find ways to get visitors to your site. Creating a free WordPress account gives you the chance to create an online profile or webpage using their software.
You can choose to be anonymous or not with your profile, but most people use social media sites like Facebook to connect. By creating an Instagram page for your business, you can begin to target those users who are already invested in other parts of the web.