Should Your WordPress Directory Have a Niche?
Will your directory be effective if it only lists those types of companies? How about if it displays a number of companies that, like a certain state or city, are only applicable to particular locations? There are plenty of niche directories that exist, such as Angie's List, for example, which caters to those searching for local service providers to choose from. There are also wider directories that host a range of business types and locations from a variety of categories, such as those found on Google, Bing, and Yahoo. But which is the most beneficial form of the directory? Or better yet, which niche would help find what they need for your target audience? What companies on your platform may and should you list? Based on those lists, the advertisers would you target?
Pros and Cons of Niching
Although it may seem like the best deal to have several different companies listed on your blog, there are certain occasions when getting a niche will increase the chances of being found online. Niching, for example, also means greater brand awareness. Customers are aware that your directory specifically exists for them. Angie's list is the top directory for customers who want to employ a handyman, except in broader directories such as Google or Yellow Pages, since it only exists for that purpose (making it one of the first results to pop up for a number of searches). With SEO and pointing visitors (and those who want to list on your site) to you faster, providing a clear reason for the presence of your directory will help. The companies that list with you also realize they're going to hit the audience they want, making it more likely they're going to post to your directory. Niching also makes it easier for advertisers to list on your website since they know exactly what kind of consumers are going to search your listings. No guesswork is involved.
However, the one downside of niche, is that you are dealing with a smaller market. For instance, if you were a restaurant directory that targeted only those in Dallas, Texas, your audience would be much smaller than if you had restaurants in every area, or even in a five-state region.
Your directory can not expand as rapidly as one with wider categories or locations due to the smaller market size. Although that may not be a priority for all directories, those who want to create a standalone, far-reaching directory may struggle if the niche is too small, especially if your directory is featured alongside other services or resources on your site.
Types of Directory Niches
There are plenty of ways that you can niche your directory, but the two main strategies are listings by category or location.
Category or Industry Niches
Category niches will be directories like Angie's List listed above, where only companies from those categories or sectors are featured. For example, people looking for car mechanics may want a directory near them that lists auto shops or individual mechanics.
By paring your offerings to a specific category or sector, you can build a highly focused market, or you can expand the field to also feature related industries. Many searching for automotive mechanics, for example, might also be interested in car dealerships, paint or welding shops, or auto parts stores. Bear in mind that the narrower the focus of your niche is, the more your audience and ads will be focused, but the less you will have to reach the audience.
Location Niches
You also have the option of niche directory listing companies in several different categories, but only those from certain countries. You may have categories for restaurants, hairdressers, mechanics, and grocery stores, for example, but only for local Los Angeles firms.
A location niche can also be paired with a category niche to showcase local companies from a particular category (car mechanics in New York).
The advantage of this strategy is an instant SEO leg-up, but your search volume could be smaller than average depending on the companies you mention (many people may search for car mechanics in New York, but not as many will look for American car repair shops in Queens, for example).