I hear from a lot of websites that “directories are dead”. If so, then why are they still popular and why do they make money?
The answer is simple, because directories using a script like IndexU are versatile and can be based on any subject or product.
Lets face it, the average directory has a few thousand general links and a few hundred or even thousand categories. These types of directories are everywhere on the internet, and they’re the examples people use when they state that directories are dead.
The facts are simple, if you want a general link you’re going to go to Google or Yahoo or MSN and search. However if you want specialized links then you’re going to find that a directory becomes highly useful.
For example I have a specialized directory that has just over 300 links. This is more links on this topic than Google, Yahoo and DMOZ put together have in their directories. It gets good targeted traffic and does well with advertising.
But IndexU can be used for so much more than just links. Some of the great directories I’ve seen don’t even include links. There is a coupon directory, a recipe directory, several product directories and with the new RSS feed tool it will be possible to populate a directory from any RSS feed you can find.
Of course a good directory means more than just using a stock template, but I’ve covered that in the past.
So are directories dead? The answer, if you have any imagination at all, is no.
