myContentWebsite.com

We, at myContentWebsite take great pride in trying to ensure that ours is a blog that will be of use to webmasters, whatever their niche. Based on the feedback that we get, we know we are somewhat successful but there is a long way to go. In our quest to provide our readers with data and resources that will save time, we sometimes review sites and products. Today, we check out one such site - www.bloggst.com. Even though this may be sponsored, we ensure that our review is honest and provides constructive feedback. Read the rest of this entry »

Now that we have seen how best to design web directories, we look at ways we can monetize them. Note that in order to monetize directories, they need to have good quality sites listed and thereby get quality traffic.

The most common ways to monetize directories has been through the use of contextual pay per click advertisements like Adsense or YPN but these usually are not very good performers when it comes to directories. For directories, the best way to monetize them is to sell paid directory listings. The paid directory listings could be in the form of featured listings, sponsored listings or one of their variations including but not limited to banner advertisements etc. Read the rest of this entry »

A directory is a website business that needs to get the basics right just like any other business. And customer service is among the most important. Sites which make the user’s life easier will do better without a doubt.

When a webmaster visits a directory to submit his site for inclusion, it is very important that all required information including the terms and consitions are prominently visible and are easily understandable. For example, most directories do not allow deep links to your website. Then it is important that this be mentioned in the submit page. But there are other directories like DeepLink.us directory that allow the same. So when you visit the submit page, you find this information prominently displayed in no uncertain terms. Read the rest of this entry »

The business world is all about core competency. Concentrate on your strength and outsource the others. This will ensure that your cost is lower and your customers are satisfied.

Running an online business is not easy. You need to maintain inventory, market your products, process billing, provide customer support, analyze competition and more. When you do all this, you suddenly find that you don’t have time for strategy planning. These are the times you should opt for a time saving cost effective solution like BarracudaSuite to handle all routine activities. Read the rest of this entry »

We discussed earlier about directory niches and how they determine if a directory is successful or not. In this short article, we look at the ‘look and feel’ angle to any directory.

Since we have agreed that a directory is a success only when real humans use it, it becomes extremely important that the directory is user friendly and pleasing to the eyes. That is why it is pathetic to see half baked directories with no thought for the end user springing up all around.

Take a look at Link-exchange-network.com Directory. This directory, even though is not a niche directory has a very simple and soothing user interface. Read the rest of this entry »

There are thousands of directories and only some of them are successful. The mark of success is not necessarily having thousands of listings but on how many ‘humans’ use the directory to find what they are looking for. Obviously when people use the website and benefit from it the webmaster also profits from it. And we have a successful directory website.

This brings us to the question what type of directory can be useful to ‘real humans’. It has to be ones that have information and links to sites that are what the people are looking for.  General directories usually do not fit the bill because they are too vast to be really targetted. Exceptions though are the real pioneers of the directory segment. But for new entrants to this business, it is important to build a niche directory. A niche directory will necessarily have better targetted sites listed and will be more useful to ‘real humans’. Read the rest of this entry »

Your website is your business. Just like you take various insurance policies to cover your risk in case of unforeseen situations, you need to prepare yourself for the worst scenarios regarding your website also. This is especially true if your website is database driven. Online backup of websites is very simple if you have the right tools. For example, iBackup.com provides Web-Manager, a browser based tool that makes managing of backup activities very simple. Read the rest of this entry »