Tips for promoting a directory website

Posted on Posted in Blog

After creating a directory website you want to start earning from it, but hold on for a minute. Is your directory popular enough that people get attracted to it? Do people really know about it? Does it get enough traffic?

If the answer is no, you need to start promoting your directory. But before you start promotions, do spend some time in developing a Unique Selling Proposition(USP) for your directory because that will help in promoting your directory site.
This will not just help with promotions but also help in differentiating your directory from the other directories within your niche.

Here are a few tips for promoting a directory website.

  • Email marketing

Hardly there would be anyone who doesn’t check his mail regularly. So whenever an email is sent there is a high chance of reaching people directly into their inbox. Plus the benefit is that you can send it to your target audience.

To help you building your mailing list you may use SurveyFunnel, a WordPress survey plugin. It creates an attention grabbing survey to understand the customer’s choice. Also, it helps in collecting your customers’ mail ids. Begin list building the day you launch your site. Plugins like SurveyFunnel don’t just help you in building email lists, they also help you in generating quality leads.

Suppose if your directory is related to restaurants in a city, you may collect and send an email to the restaurant owners(these may be publishing listings in your directory already but it’s good to write to them once in a while) and also to the people who visit restaurants regularly.
If you are building the lists properly, you will know exactly which offer to promote within which list or segment.

  • Keep updated reviews

A majority of customers like products with reviews from other customers. Since it gives them the confidence about that product. Keeping updated reviews about the products that businesses listed in your directory offer, help your listings look more credible and more relevant. If you offer a fresh stream of reviews, your visitors will turn to your site even more confidently. Plugins like WPLocalPlus fetch all such data automatically. Thus you can offer better service and build trust among your customers.

  • Running giveaways

You can run a giveaway of the featured listing spots. Provide special discounts for the new listings. New businesses like to be listed if they are given some discounts. Also, you can offer featured listing offers to your existing customers.

For creating such offers you can use a WordPress Directory plugin, WP Local Plus. It lets you add featured listing, you can turn any word into “hot word”, i.e an offer can be made visible if the user’s mouse hovers to that word. So you can benefit your clients and earn as well. Plus this plugin is automated so your work becomes even more simpler.

  • Social Networking

Social Networking gets active participation from millions of people. Whenever somebody does something different, he wants to share it on social sites. So if your directory is promoted through a Social Networking medium it will reach out a place where everyone likes to spend time.
What you can do is create a Facebook fan page, Twitter account etc with your directory’s name. Post daily on these media, create special discounts for your social followers etc.
Use relevant hashtags.

This will really grab attention of the social sites users.

  • Improve SEO

Search Engine Optimization is a vital aspect in today’s fast paced world. Search Engines change their algorithm now and then. You need to make sure that you update your site accordingly.

It is necessary that you choose proper keywords, meta tags, H1 tag etc. in respect of your site. Create proper links where ever required. Write & publish original content that is useful for your visitors, because it helps your visitors & also improves your site’s search ranking. It is recommended that you read Google’s webmaster guidelines.

  • Guest Post

A guest post is writing a post on websites which have good traffic. You can write a post related to your directory and post it on high traffic websites. It can bring traffic from these sources.

  • Collaborate with other directory owners

You can ask other directory sites to promote you on their site and in turn you can promote them.
Citing the same example, if you run a directory about restaurants, you can partner with the local travels directory owner. He could direct people to your directory for knowing more about the restaurants. You, meanwhile, could direct your visitors to his directory to find out more about the local hangouts.

With this your site and the other directory both will get advantage. This really helps in directory promotion.