Hope y'all enjoyed this one! Really enjoy bringing transparency to my directory websites because it was really difficult to find straight forward advice when I started. Thinking of doing something fun too. I wanna start "roasting" your directory websites, where I audit your directory in a video and tell you where I'd improve it from a user experience + SEO perspective. All in good fun, of course. If you have a directory site, feel free to send it to me at shipyourdirectory@gmail.com. Also, join my newsletter for extra tips on building directories: shipyourdirectory.kit.com/ Timestamps in description
Ok, you convinced me to also build my own. I'm in Belgium, Europe. I'll build a directory that actually solves a problem I met and that should have saved me much time and money. Today is 2025.01.04, I'll come back in March to share how it all went.
thing is also build a directory and offer an API. and also build something that FEEDS something else, create a chain of sites. NOT just an ISLAND-SITE.
@@SmileZephyr nope, I am a fantastic fantasy thinker, but useless at actual application...thats my life. BUT somewhere between "MAKE", "NOVICE" Loveable and FIGMA there is that chain.
Haha I know right, keep in mind this was my first ever directory. I didn't know much about anything. There's a bunch of ways to automate this whole task once you have a cleaned dataset. Just wanted to show the barebones way
Bro, awesome stuff! Straight to the point, massive value. I've been interested in building directories, but all the content I've seen has been super vague - you have great, tangible tips & content. Very inspiring - keep up the great work 👏🏽💯🔥🚀
Noted on SEO strategies. What type of high competition key words? A high KD keyword doesn't mean the keyword clusters related to the keyword are equally as competitive. Welcome to share them to my email at shipyourdirectory@gmail.com
I definitely think there's scope to do what you do with some more structure on the backend, rather than manually doing it. I don't mean using a directory plugin, or using automation, but more based around creating a backend that's easier to update and add. Like, having a custom post type called Dog Parks on the backend, where you can add a park, add a photo, click checkboxes for attributes, and the state, and save... then the front end just shows it all automatically. That's what I've been doing
You're 100% right, there's a ton of ways to streamline this process. Just wanted to share the barebones method, but it definitely doesn't have to be done as manually as I showed. Think there's a way to do this with just the native elementor pro plugin
Good job, again, with this video. Just a quick question, I am assuming that you would display the ads where you are showing the reviews or would you insert them somewhere in the middle of the listings?
I actually just leave it up to mediavine or whichever ad partner I'm using to decide where they want to place the ads. Mediavine Grow has been awesome at placing them in areas that don't break the design of the listing template. Only had minor issues with ad placements being in awful spots that really affect user experience
I've seen a few other comments addressing this, but just curious - any particular reason you don't create the template for the long page and then fill it with info from a database on the backend? Could save a lot of time and make updates much easier, just kinda changes what you click and type.
That's a great way to do it (wp all import or have a plugin with custom post types). I just showed how barebones i did it for the first directory I ever built. So many ways to do this faster and easier, should have mentioned this in the vid!
You can use other tools that integrate with elementor that will allow you to create one template fill out the info and it generates your page for you. Pictures included
What are rules around using content from google maps . Can you just copy photos, descriptions and reviews and paste them into your directory ? There must be some copyright laws about it.
Another fire video 🔥 What’s the start up budget to build a similar static directory? Content, Links, Plugins, Theme, ect? Also what are the monthly maintenance costs and processes to keep it ranking and banking?
It really depends! For me, I use elementor pro and it costs to use, whereas you can easily just create a static directory with the default gutenberg editor. If you want all the nice fancy tools from keyword research to website design and plugins, i think $300-$500 is a super healthy startup budget. You can get started for as little as $20/month (domain + web hosting). These are my recurring costs for the most part, but really depends on how big of a directory I'm trying to build
if you were to do a B2B directory (like sobernation with rehab centers) would you have to reach out to the businesses before you put them on your directory or only when you want to offer a featured listing? Love the content and am looking to launch a directory this month!
Nope, you can just go for it. In fact they will likely appreciate it for any extra exposure and linking to their sites (great for local seo). B2B healthcare is lucrative, but can be competitive! Just make sure to research well before starting. Goodluck!
Great video, Frey! You’re so good at breaking this stuff down. Quick question-if someone lands on the California page and they’re looking for La Jolla dog parks, won’t they have to scroll forever to get to that part? Or is the idea that they’d use the table of contents to jump straight there? Just wondering how you’re handling that.
Thanks Jamie! Yes, that's exactly it. There's really two ways to improve the user experience here. 1) add the clickable map of the state (i use the plugin interactive geo maps on wordpress) so people can visually see and click on a pinned listing. Put this near the top so it's one of the first things people see. 2) you nailed it, the table of contents. I usually clean up the TOC a bit more so it only shows the [keyword + city] and [listing name]. For example, Dog Parks in Long Beach and Rosie's Dog Beach. All other headers I don't include in my TOC to make it more visually easy on the eyes
Thanks Frey! Very informative. Wanted to ask, for each specific dog park, along with all the other info on the park, do you also provide the website link for the specific dog park, if there is one? Thanks!
Yeah you can absolutely Include the website link! It’s a bit sneaky, but you don’t necessarily need to include it if it’s not crucial to your user experience (in the case of dog parks, I think it’s fine). This way you keep all the attention and session duration on your website 😉
Could you elaborate on the specific permalinks for the categories, and listings. Like the structure with examples? Like where the city, state and pages line up in the structure
Yeah for this one it's super simple. I don't use any subdirectories for this, so permalink structure is as simple as website.com/dog-parks-in-california. You can build out categories too if you'd like, if you're going for individual city pages. In that case, something like website.com/california/los-angeles-dog-parks could work!
Hi frey what would happen when someone searches for dog park near me (austin or some city) do they appear as a valid title in the search results? Like would it appear like "Dog park near California" or "Dog park near Austin texas"?
I think there's definitely a way to create templates within elementor and recreate these listings much more quickly. As others have mentioned, wp all import may also be a great option here. If there's a lot of listings, I work with a wordpress dev to automate this entire process based off a cleaned CSV file of data
Are you able to copy the google reviews into the page without getting penalized by google? If you are using tools like wp-import could you import thousands of pages without getting penalized and dropped?
Very inspiring & informative 👏👍, could you suggest some resources or make a video on how you have started and learned SEO, Website Building especially directory websites. Thanks, waiting for your response.
Great video! I don't know if I caught it but on the cities, do you have links going to the actual listing page? Or does the Long Beach page just contain all the listings info? Thanks
Yeah so the long beach page is technically the "california" page and it just contains all the listing info for all the cities within that state page. So if i built it out fully, it would contain long beach dog parks, los angeles dog parks, san francisco dog parks, etc.
I set a google alerts for certain keyword to get any updates emailed to me, so at least I know, generally, when to add listings to my static directories. Hours do change sometimes, esp with niche directories like "car wash near me" (just an example), but I haven't noticed it affect SEO in any regard. The rest of the data doesn't change much if you choose an evergreen niche
I'm planning to create a small directory with data stored in a MySQL database, which will be displayed via a simple PHP script. The page will have just one search form-users enter a city, and the script returns the relevant directory data for that city or nearby places. The issue is that this approach would only have one page, with no other static pages for Google to rank. I understand that static pages and pillar pages help with SEO, but I'm wondering if a dynamic PHP-based directory could still rank well. The advantage is that it’s more user-friendly, with just one page instead of multiple pages for each city or state. My main concern and question is: Will Google rank a dynamic page with search and filter functionality as well as static pages? And, for larger directories like your dog park example, are you using a different approach? I need clarity before proceeding, as good Google ranking is crucial for success. What's your opinion on this?
I'm curious why you'd be limited to one static page. Couldn't you simply add more PHP scripts to produce more pages? More segmentations of your database? From my limited understanding, there is no reason why a PHP-based directory would rank lower, but if you feel user-friendliness is preferable in your current setup that's what should be prioritized above all the other factors. Nobody is going to come back to a site because they say "Hey, this site has great SEO!"
I believe it would rank no problem, I see these types of websites all the time where it's just a single indexed page. However, most ad networks like mediavine or ezoic may not accept your website for display ad monetization. Had a buddy with an AI tools directory getting 30k+ monthly visits and got denied by ad networks for this reason For affiliate plays it could work tho! But definitely just double check if you plan to monetize via display ads
I don't think it's a bad idea, but i'd say categories are better used for building out city-specific location pages. It's common to have it structured like website.com/california/los-angeles/dogparks or something, but this video covers a super simple pillar page style directory site. I use posts for blog posts and don't create categories. Just pages for each state.
Awesome! A few questions Frey (you knew this was coming!): 1. I now have a Google Maps account...so I can geo pin each listing on the page so it appears on the map? 2. So I can embed Google Reviews for each listing (if any)? 3. How big is your sidebar? (pixels) I was thinking 350. Thanks!
Your questions are a sign you're working towards a directory build, which is always a delight to hear. 1. Are you talking about the actual Google maps app? Or some kind of widget on your website directory? Google maps lets you pin listings, but I'm not sure if I'd recommend this route to get your listing data (it's just very manual) 2. In this video I didn't embded them. I just added the "reviews" widget from elementor pro. You can then copy and paste reviews into the widget from there 3. I usually always design in % rather than pixels. You'll see in the video where I create a mobile friendly state page area that I quickly switch the width parameters to %. Pixels is usually the default, so you just need to change it.
@@FreyChu Google Maps. I have an account set up with Google Cloud Console so what I want to do is have any address that goes on the page (like you outlined above) then it will pin it on the map. Then I would put the map below all the listing...al least that's what I'm thinking. I'm thinking I can dynamically pull Google reviews as well (maybe)/ Google Cloud Console gives you a $200 credit a month so it doesn't cost to start.
So if the state page is organized by city, the city heading is an h2 and the individual dog park’s name name is an h3? Also, how do you create the list of state names that appears on the home page? Great video!
That is correct! There’s an argument for whether city headings and individual dog park names can be an H2 or H3, but the principle is to assign a higher level header value to the keyword clusters that get the highest search volume For that, I just created a 3 column blank template and adjusted each to 33% width. Use a text box and list each state vertically
But would people head to these directories instead of google maps businesses with people reviews? Also, how long would it take to rank a new directory and get a decent amount of traffic?
Depends on your niche. Gotta research on reddit, tiktok and other places to see if people are looking for better ways to find locations within your niche. For the directory I own, google maps was failing searches since it pulls up all sorts of irrelevant listings when i type in my keyword. I noticed others were also facing the same issue, so I knew it was a viable web asset to build. New directory on a fresh domain, I'd say 3-6 months for traffic in the thousands. Just my experience!
AI tool directories just require more upkeep as AI tools can change pricing info, features or pivot their product completely. Keeping tracking of those changes is what's challenging. Depends on your goals. I like evergreen niches so it reduces the maintenance once I have a site up and running. If you have a way to keep it updated, it can be pretty lucrative :)
If you optimize for on-page SEO, you should start seeing some traffic flow in within the first couple months (as long as youve researched your keyword and niche). I like to start monetization at around 5-10k/monthly visitors. Then sign up for ezoic or mediavine grow/journey
@FreyChu ok thank you for the insight, it’s actually in my industry so may be a good asset for me down the line if I can build it properly! Will certainly watch all your new videos! Appreciate the reply!
I just use Bluehost choice plus shared hosting which allows up to 200k/monthly visits. right now it's $6/mo for the first year and $22/month when it renews
Just a question chief .. I know you probably don’t wanna reveal anything about your own directory ,I understand that . But what’s better? Niche based country wide directory ? Or location based general directory? Like what’s better ? Thanks ❤
100% niche based country directory in my opinion. I can’t say I’ve researched general directories as extensively, but SEO as I know it these days rewards niching down. You won’t be able to win all the keywords with a general directory!
I use mediavine journey/grow! They start accepting websites at around 5-10k monthly sessions. Different from their main program which requires 50k/sessions/mo
Hey Frey, or perhaps anyone else knows: Do you know how much you have FREE credits using the google API? I can’t figure it out and there seems to be no Support 😞
@@FreyChu yeah, that's the problem that as a concept it sounds very cool but not sure that it would make sense to me to build it for anything since people are generally not interested into anything.. just comedy tv shows, football, politics who got who and stuff like that..
What are your thoughts on using Unicorn Platform instead of Wordpress and/or Elementor? It seems like it’d be a lot faster. Is there something fundamental about the tools/platforms you use that make your directories more SEO friendly?
I haven't personally used unicorn platform, but I have used other tools to quickly build directories programmatically. You're right that it's typically a lot faster, esp if you're a non coder like me. This is a hot take, but i think static pages rank much better overall compared to programmatically created directory listings. Both types index just fine, I'm talking strictly about sustained traffic growth over time. My pSEO directories get sharp rises in traffic, then drop down quickly, whereas my static pages maintain a pretty solid growth or at least a flat traffic line if it's not growing. I have a few theories on why this happens, need to make a vid on this
When you said location based I thought the directory is for one city or one state. But you are building it for the whole country. So basically it seems to me we can just put as much data as possible on the website and provide a google map link/display on each page.
You can structure it by creating separate city pages too! If you're going for a local directory that's just state wide, you can replace the states with cities within the state. This is just a simple way to do a nation wide directory that works if you have less than a few hundred listings. I'd just be thoughtful about having so much data that it ruins the user experience. Got to make sure it's high quality data too!
Nope, never. Ezoic and adsense don't have requirements to join. You can monetize anytime, just depends if the traffic youre getting makes it worth it yet or not
You can use other tools that integrate with elementor that will allow you to create one template fill out the info and it generates your page for you. Pictures included.
Yeah haha I know there is definitely a way, I believe even natively, that you can create templates with elementor pro. Which tools do you use that integrate well with elementor?
Are you able to copy the google reviews into the page without getting penalized by google? If you are using tools like wp-import could you import thousands of pages without getting penalized and dropped?
I only stick to 3-5 reviews personally and haven't had any issues :) I need play with wp all import because many people have mentioned it's a great way to import data to listing templates! But you have a great observation, which I want to make a video about in the future. I've used plugins for importing thousands of pages to programmatically create directory pages and I've noticed if you don't make each listing unique enough, traffic can spike quickly but tank just as quickly. Just depends on how unique each listing is. Generally speaking, the principle of creating thousands of pages in the same day shouldn't lead to penalty imo
Hope y'all enjoyed this one! Really enjoy bringing transparency to my directory websites because it was really difficult to find straight forward advice when I started.
Thinking of doing something fun too. I wanna start "roasting" your directory websites, where I audit your directory in a video and tell you where I'd improve it from a user experience + SEO perspective. All in good fun, of course.
If you have a directory site, feel free to send it to me at shipyourdirectory@gmail.com.
Also, join my newsletter for extra tips on building directories: shipyourdirectory.kit.com/
Timestamps in description
Ok, you convinced me to also build my own. I'm in Belgium, Europe. I'll build a directory that actually solves a problem I met and that should have saved me much time and money. Today is 2025.01.04, I'll come back in March to share how it all went.
Let’s go!!! You nailed it. Solve a problem and create a useful web asset first and foremost 👍
thing is also build a directory and offer an API. and also build something that FEEDS something else, create a chain of sites. NOT just an ISLAND-SITE.
What could it be......Fritkoten die met ossewit bakken 🤔
@@Sammyli99have you done it before?
@@SmileZephyr nope, I am a fantastic fantasy thinker, but useless at actual application...thats my life. BUT somewhere between "MAKE", "NOVICE" Loveable and FIGMA there is that chain.
I cannot believe you manually created these! Was really expecting some directory plugin/software then a WP all import
Love your transparency and video though dude
Haha I know right, keep in mind this was my first ever directory. I didn't know much about anything. There's a bunch of ways to automate this whole task once you have a cleaned dataset. Just wanted to show the barebones way
Bro, awesome stuff! Straight to the point, massive value. I've been interested in building directories, but all the content I've seen has been super vague - you have great, tangible tips & content. Very inspiring - keep up the great work 👏🏽💯🔥🚀
thanks jeremy! I felt the same when i started out so glad to hear this
Great step by step. Your willingness to be so transparent is an asset!
@@jeffreylhayes appreciate this Jeffrey!
Would love to see more on SEO strategies for directories especially for mid to high competition key words or backlink building
Noted on SEO strategies. What type of high competition key words? A high KD keyword doesn't mean the keyword clusters related to the keyword are equally as competitive. Welcome to share them to my email at shipyourdirectory@gmail.com
Nice video giving the bare bones of directory builds will execute on this one fasure as I work on a bigger build in the future Thks
Great video Frey!
You definitely give off a "just go and do it" attitude, which is great.
Side note, I think I found your directory site :)
I definitely think there's scope to do what you do with some more structure on the backend, rather than manually doing it. I don't mean using a directory plugin, or using automation, but more based around creating a backend that's easier to update and add. Like, having a custom post type called Dog Parks on the backend, where you can add a park, add a photo, click checkboxes for attributes, and the state, and save... then the front end just shows it all automatically. That's what I've been doing
You're 100% right, there's a ton of ways to streamline this process. Just wanted to share the barebones method, but it definitely doesn't have to be done as manually as I showed. Think there's a way to do this with just the native elementor pro plugin
@ Possibly! I am happy to touch base and help you go on the right direction :)
Bro you are KILLING IT
100% this channel gonna blow up. Great stuff
Been watching your content, thanks Fred for all the great knowledge you’re providing. Definitely going to implement your teachings.
Thank you very much for the video! Please continue doing these!
Great stuff. Would like to hear more about your off-page seo strategies
Displays ads through mediavine grow/journey
Just curious what level of ahref you recommend. Is basic ok, or the second tear level a must? Thanks
Really liked this Frey. informative and easy to listen to.
Thanks Allen!
Good job, again, with this video. Just a quick question, I am assuming that you would display the ads where you are showing the reviews or would you insert them somewhere in the middle of the listings?
I actually just leave it up to mediavine or whichever ad partner I'm using to decide where they want to place the ads. Mediavine Grow has been awesome at placing them in areas that don't break the design of the listing template.
Only had minor issues with ad placements being in awful spots that really affect user experience
I’d like to hear about ‘outdated’ SEO tactics that still work…thanks
Great 👍 job as always! Keep it up!
I've seen a few other comments addressing this, but just curious - any particular reason you don't create the template for the long page and then fill it with info from a database on the backend? Could save a lot of time and make updates much easier, just kinda changes what you click and type.
That's a great way to do it (wp all import or have a plugin with custom post types). I just showed how barebones i did it for the first directory I ever built. So many ways to do this faster and easier, should have mentioned this in the vid!
You can use other tools that integrate with elementor that will allow you to create one template fill out the info and it generates your page for you. Pictures included
Name of tool?
Could you please Share for that a Video Tutorial and name of the Tool?
Frey, what is your take on using a directory theme for this like Listify etc?
Not sure, haven't personally used listify!
What hosting company do you use for this static directory?
Just bluehost shared hosting!
What are rules around using content from google maps . Can you just copy photos, descriptions and reviews and paste them into your directory ? There must be some copyright laws about it.
Another fire video 🔥
What’s the start up budget to build a similar static directory? Content, Links, Plugins, Theme, ect?
Also what are the monthly maintenance costs and processes to keep it ranking and banking?
It really depends! For me, I use elementor pro and it costs to use, whereas you can easily just create a static directory with the default gutenberg editor. If you want all the nice fancy tools from keyword research to website design and plugins, i think $300-$500 is a super healthy startup budget.
You can get started for as little as $20/month (domain + web hosting). These are my recurring costs for the most part, but really depends on how big of a directory I'm trying to build
if you were to do a B2B directory (like sobernation with rehab centers) would you have to reach out to the businesses before you put them on your directory or only when you want to offer a featured listing? Love the content and am looking to launch a directory this month!
Nope, you can just go for it. In fact they will likely appreciate it for any extra exposure and linking to their sites (great for local seo). B2B healthcare is lucrative, but can be competitive! Just make sure to research well before starting. Goodluck!
Great video, Frey! You’re so good at breaking this stuff down. Quick question-if someone lands on the California page and they’re looking for La Jolla dog parks, won’t they have to scroll forever to get to that part? Or is the idea that they’d use the table of contents to jump straight there? Just wondering how you’re handling that.
Thanks Jamie! Yes, that's exactly it. There's really two ways to improve the user experience here.
1) add the clickable map of the state (i use the plugin interactive geo maps on wordpress) so people can visually see and click on a pinned listing. Put this near the top so it's one of the first things people see.
2) you nailed it, the table of contents. I usually clean up the TOC a bit more so it only shows the [keyword + city] and [listing name]. For example, Dog Parks in Long Beach and Rosie's Dog Beach. All other headers I don't include in my TOC to make it more visually easy on the eyes
Now that I know your website you are about to have some serious competition
Thanks Frey! Very informative.
Wanted to ask, for each specific dog park, along with all the other info on the park, do you also provide the website link for the specific dog park, if there is one? Thanks!
Yeah you can absolutely
Include the website link!
It’s a bit sneaky, but you don’t necessarily need to include it if it’s not crucial to your user experience (in the case of dog parks, I think it’s fine). This way you keep all the attention and session duration on your website 😉
Thanks for sharing this
but I didn't understand website directory what is that kind of websites ??
It’s a big collection of websites or local places. Kind of like an online phone book or a master list of websites or sometimes products.
Ok 👍
I got it
thank you for informing me @@JordanWilliams89
Could you elaborate on the specific permalinks for the categories, and listings. Like the structure with examples? Like where the city, state and pages line up in the structure
Yeah for this one it's super simple. I don't use any subdirectories for this, so permalink structure is as simple as website.com/dog-parks-in-california.
You can build out categories too if you'd like, if you're going for individual city pages. In that case, something like website.com/california/los-angeles-dog-parks could work!
does creating a post for every location creates a separate php page? is that why you call it static?
I call it static because the data from the directory page isn't being dynamically pulled from a database (CSV, google sheets, etc)
Hi frey what would happen when someone searches for dog park near me (austin or some city) do they appear as a valid title in the search results? Like would it appear like "Dog park near California" or "Dog park near Austin texas"?
First one is correct! Since this is a super simple state page directory, it would should "Dog Parks In California" in the SERPs
@FreyChu Okay can i also build separate Pages for each city along with the state pages
Is there a Wordpress plugin that automates most if not all of the process shown in this video?
I think there's definitely a way to create templates within elementor and recreate these listings much more quickly. As others have mentioned, wp all import may also be a great option here.
If there's a lot of listings, I work with a wordpress dev to automate this entire process based off a cleaned CSV file of data
Are you able to copy the google reviews into the page without getting penalized by google? If you are using tools like wp-import could you import thousands of pages without getting penalized and dropped?
Very inspiring & informative 👏👍, could you suggest some resources or make a video on how you have started and learned SEO, Website Building especially directory websites. Thanks, waiting for your response.
Hard to say, SEO is changing rapidly nowadays. Requires a lot of adapting. I'd go down the rabbit hole of 'on-page SEO' on youtube for starters
Could you please suggest some of your favourite creators on UA-cam in "Directory Websites" niche@@FreyChu
Great video! I don't know if I caught it but on the cities, do you have links going to the actual listing page? Or does the Long Beach page just contain all the listings info? Thanks
Yeah so the long beach page is technically the "california" page and it just contains all the listing info for all the cities within that state page. So if i built it out fully, it would contain long beach dog parks, los angeles dog parks, san francisco dog parks, etc.
You can make the State list a reusable block in elemntor so you only have to do it once.
Yup, I save my listing templates in elementor to reuse on other pages. Just need to swap out the data after that. Saves a lot of time
How often do you update this content? Won’t it be out of date in a few months?
I set a google alerts for certain keyword to get any updates emailed to me, so at least I know, generally, when to add listings to my static directories.
Hours do change sometimes, esp with niche directories like "car wash near me" (just an example), but I haven't noticed it affect SEO in any regard.
The rest of the data doesn't change much if you choose an evergreen niche
I'm planning to create a small directory with data stored in a MySQL database, which will be displayed via a simple PHP script. The page will have just one search form-users enter a city, and the script returns the relevant directory data for that city or nearby places.
The issue is that this approach would only have one page, with no other static pages for Google to rank. I understand that static pages and pillar pages help with SEO, but I'm wondering if a dynamic PHP-based directory could still rank well. The advantage is that it’s more user-friendly, with just one page instead of multiple pages for each city or state.
My main concern and question is: Will Google rank a dynamic page with search and filter functionality as well as static pages? And, for larger directories like your dog park example, are you using a different approach?
I need clarity before proceeding, as good Google ranking is crucial for success. What's your opinion on this?
I'm curious why you'd be limited to one static page. Couldn't you simply add more PHP scripts to produce more pages? More segmentations of your database? From my limited understanding, there is no reason why a PHP-based directory would rank lower, but if you feel user-friendliness is preferable in your current setup that's what should be prioritized above all the other factors.
Nobody is going to come back to a site because they say "Hey, this site has great SEO!"
I believe it would rank no problem, I see these types of websites all the time where it's just a single indexed page. However, most ad networks like mediavine or ezoic may not accept your website for display ad monetization.
Had a buddy with an AI tools directory getting 30k+ monthly visits and got denied by ad networks for this reason
For affiliate plays it could work tho! But definitely just double check if you plan to monetize via display ads
Why Pages? Why not categories and blog posts? Each state is one category? Or would that be a bad idea?
I don't think it's a bad idea, but i'd say categories are better used for building out city-specific location pages. It's common to have it structured like website.com/california/los-angeles/dogparks or something, but this video covers a super simple pillar page style directory site.
I use posts for blog posts and don't create categories. Just pages for each state.
Thanx Frey. And you will build your dog park directory with static pages, like you showed? Or you are going to plan a different way?
Awesome! A few questions Frey (you knew this was coming!):
1. I now have a Google Maps account...so I can geo pin each listing on the page so it appears on the map?
2. So I can embed Google Reviews for each listing (if any)?
3. How big is your sidebar? (pixels) I was thinking 350.
Thanks!
Your questions are a sign you're working towards a directory build, which is always a delight to hear.
1. Are you talking about the actual Google maps app? Or some kind of widget on your website directory? Google maps lets you pin listings, but I'm not sure if I'd recommend this route to get your listing data (it's just very manual)
2. In this video I didn't embded them. I just added the "reviews" widget from elementor pro. You can then copy and paste reviews into the widget from there
3. I usually always design in % rather than pixels. You'll see in the video where I create a mobile friendly state page area that I quickly switch the width parameters to %. Pixels is usually the default, so you just need to change it.
@@FreyChu Google Maps. I have an account set up with Google Cloud Console so what I want to do is have any address that goes on the page (like you outlined above) then it will pin it on the map. Then I would put the map below all the listing...al least that's what I'm thinking.
I'm thinking I can dynamically pull Google reviews as well (maybe)/
Google Cloud Console gives you a $200 credit a month so it doesn't cost to start.
So if the state page is organized by city, the city heading is an h2 and the individual dog park’s name name is an h3? Also, how do you create the list of state names that appears on the home page? Great video!
That is correct! There’s an argument for whether city headings and individual dog park names can be an H2 or H3, but the principle is to assign a higher level header value to the keyword clusters that get the highest search volume
For that, I just created a 3 column blank template and adjusted each to 33% width. Use a text box and list each state vertically
But would people head to these directories instead of google maps businesses with people reviews?
Also, how long would it take to rank a new directory and get a decent amount of traffic?
Depends on your niche. Gotta research on reddit, tiktok and other places to see if people are looking for better ways to find locations within your niche.
For the directory I own, google maps was failing searches since it pulls up all sorts of irrelevant listings when i type in my keyword. I noticed others were also facing the same issue, so I knew it was a viable web asset to build.
New directory on a fresh domain, I'd say 3-6 months for traffic in the thousands. Just my experience!
I created a direcotry about AI tools but its more niched and focus only in 1 category. or should I just stay on local service niches?
AI tool directories just require more upkeep as AI tools can change pricing info, features or pivot their product completely. Keeping tracking of those changes is what's challenging. Depends on your goals. I like evergreen niches so it reduces the maintenance once I have a site up and running.
If you have a way to keep it updated, it can be pretty lucrative :)
It is very easy to engineer something/anything, if you are sure that people will use it.
Can you talk more about how monetizing works and driving traffic? How long it takes to see results? Thanks!
That what will make you not to waste your time. Adsense will not accept you without traffic and location baise
If you optimize for on-page SEO, you should start seeing some traffic flow in within the first couple months (as long as youve researched your keyword and niche). I like to start monetization at around 5-10k/monthly visitors. Then sign up for ezoic or mediavine grow/journey
So would Google Adsense be best in terms of ads serving on these directory websites?
I like medivavine grow/journey which is their latest ad program for small publishers. Think you can get in once you hit 5-10k monthly visitors
i have a very niche idea but dont know how to promote it
Could you please provide more SEO knowledge/hints/tricks on directories?
Noted! Will do
How you can monetize it ?
Do you use CMS to manage everything?
yep, wordpress for CMS, elementor pro for theme
Do you do any link building and stuff like that?
Yes, after a couple months and i know how far on-page seo gets me i start link building
@@FreyChu Thanks! Would really appreaciate a video on this
Do you think a niche is worth it if you are competing with yelp? Thanks 👍🏼 love the vids
Definitely! It's actually pretty easy to outrank yelp if it's in the top 10. It's actually a positive sign for me when researching ideas
@FreyChu ok thank you for the insight, it’s actually in my industry so may be a good asset for me down the line if I can build it properly! Will certainly watch all your new videos! Appreciate the reply!
Good stuff
how much is your server hosting bill for 60k monthly visits?
I just use Bluehost choice plus shared hosting which allows up to 200k/monthly visits. right now it's $6/mo for the first year and $22/month when it renews
Just a question chief ..
I know you probably don’t wanna reveal anything about your own directory ,I understand that .
But what’s better? Niche based country wide directory ? Or location based general directory?
Like what’s better ?
Thanks ❤
100% niche based country directory in my opinion. I can’t say I’ve researched general directories as extensively, but SEO as I know it these days rewards niching down.
You won’t be able to win all the keywords with a general directory!
@ thanks chief ..you the best ❤️🫵🏼
How was the process to get accepted by MediaVine? Did you start with Adsense until you have 50K sessions/month on your site?
I use mediavine journey/grow! They start accepting websites at around 5-10k monthly sessions. Different from their main program which requires 50k/sessions/mo
@FreyChu good to know. Know some people on the main one, ad rates are amazing compared to Adsense imo
Hey Frey, or perhaps anyone else knows: Do you know how much you have FREE credits using the google API? I can’t figure it out and there seems to be no Support 😞
not sure exactly! but i've used a google places api and had thousands of visitors use it within a month and it was still free
I wonder how would this work with small country population and not much of an interest across the board with any keywords
Probably not very well, but depends on the niche you choose. This format is best with niches getting high monthly search volume.
@@FreyChu yeah, that's the problem that as a concept it sounds very cool but not sure that it would make sense to me to build it for anything since people are generally not interested into anything.. just comedy tv shows, football, politics who got who and stuff like that..
@@HrvojeLivnjak Might need to dive into the keyword research more, usually there's always high volume niches out there even with smaller countries :)
@@FreyChu I wish :) . Most keyword searches for some topics that would have mass appeal would be like 1k or so
What are your thoughts on using Unicorn Platform instead of Wordpress and/or Elementor? It seems like it’d be a lot faster. Is there something fundamental about the tools/platforms you use that make your directories more SEO friendly?
I haven't personally used unicorn platform, but I have used other tools to quickly build directories programmatically. You're right that it's typically a lot faster, esp if you're a non coder like me.
This is a hot take, but i think static pages rank much better overall compared to programmatically created directory listings.
Both types index just fine, I'm talking strictly about sustained traffic growth over time. My pSEO directories get sharp rises in traffic, then drop down quickly, whereas my static pages maintain a pretty solid growth or at least a flat traffic line if it's not growing.
I have a few theories on why this happens, need to make a vid on this
When you said location based I thought the directory is for one city or one state. But you are building it for the whole country. So basically it seems to me we can just put as much data as possible on the website and provide a google map link/display on each page.
You can structure it by creating separate city pages too! If you're going for a local directory that's just state wide, you can replace the states with cities within the state. This is just a simple way to do a nation wide directory that works if you have less than a few hundred listings.
I'd just be thoughtful about having so much data that it ruins the user experience. Got to make sure it's high quality data too!
Now that I'm enjoying into your content on the regular I'm going to please ask that put some of that income towards a proper mic
Haha you got a point, agreed!
how do you make money with this model
display ads like google adsense, ezoic or mediavine
All these won't make sense if you don't get accepted by the main pay per click/display advertisers. Do you buy traffic to start?
Nope, never. Ezoic and adsense don't have requirements to join. You can monetize anytime, just depends if the traffic youre getting makes it worth it yet or not
you should pivot to building directories with ai tools and share what you create here on your channel
@@creative_cody already learning 🙂
Danke
🎉
Building A Directory For the algo
Why don't u show the money?
I did in the video!
Pillar pages... Income School terms lol
Back in 2022 I remember watching them :) But i believe i learned about pillar pages from hubspot's SEO blog!
Scammer's bullshit
You can use other tools that integrate with elementor that will allow you to create one template fill out the info and it generates your page for you. Pictures included.
Yeah haha I know there is definitely a way, I believe even natively, that you can create templates with elementor pro. Which tools do you use that integrate well with elementor?
Are you able to copy the google reviews into the page without getting penalized by google? If you are using tools like wp-import could you import thousands of pages without getting penalized and dropped?
I only stick to 3-5 reviews personally and haven't had any issues :) I need play with wp all import because many people have mentioned it's a great way to import data to listing templates!
But you have a great observation, which I want to make a video about in the future. I've used plugins for importing thousands of pages to programmatically create directory pages and I've noticed if you don't make each listing unique enough, traffic can spike quickly but tank just as quickly. Just depends on how unique each listing is.
Generally speaking, the principle of creating thousands of pages in the same day shouldn't lead to penalty imo