TL;DR
Pick a niche with real search demand where new things launch constantly → collect and enrich the data better than anyone → ship in about a week → structure it for SEO (category, item and comparison pages) → distribute through launch sites and other directories → monetize with paid submissions, featured listings, sponsorships, ads or affiliate links — or sell it. This is the playbook John Rush uses across 13 directories.
Why directories are a great indie business
A directory organises a messy category — tools, jobs, people, places — into something searchable. It is one of the most underrated indie business models because:
- Every listing is a landing page. Hundreds of item, category and comparison pages target long-tail searches like “best X for Y” and “X alternatives”.
- Listings bring their own traffic. Makers share the directory when they get listed.
- It is cheap to build. No complex product — mostly data, design and SEO.
- Both sides pay. Visitors bring traffic you can monetize; listed businesses pay for visibility.
It works at every scale. Frey Chu reported $2K+/mo (first directory) (2025) from his first directory and now teaches the model. Lynne Tye’s Key Values job board reported ~$300K–350K/yr (2019). Marc Köhlbrugge has run BetaList since 2010, and Pieter Levels started Nomad List from a public spreadsheet. Browse all 44 directory makers for more.
What this playbook has produced
John Rush runs a portfolio of more than 24 products, including 13 directories. A few results from his profile:
- AllGPTs got over a million visitors in its first month in 2023 and was sold to Chipp in a five-figure deal in 2024.
- DevHunt became a leading launchpad for developer tools, with 1,000+ tools launched and 200,000+ developers visiting.
- In 2024 he shipped 20+ directories on Unicorn Platform, five of which went viral.
- More than 10,000 directories have been built by others on Unicorn Platform.
For the full story, see the Online Directory Blueprint interview with Greg Isenberg and Greg Isenberg’s profile.
Step 1: Pick a niche by search intent
Do not start with what you find interesting; start with what people search for. Frey Chu’s first rule is to validate a niche by real search intent before building. Good directory niches have:
- Constant new supply — new GPTs, AI agents, Next.js starters, LLMs or open-source tools appear every week, which is why AllGPTs, BestAIagents, NextJSstarter, LLMmodels and OSSsoftware work.
- Commercial intent — people comparing tools before buying, or companies hiring.
- Weak incumbents — outdated lists, bad UX or no filters.
- Someone who pays — the listed businesses must have marketing budgets.
Domains matter too. Peter Askew builds niche businesses around great exact-match domains, and Marc Köhlbrugge calls great domain names an underrated asset for small products.
Step 2: Collect and enrich the data — that is your moat
Anyone can copy a design; few will out-work you on data. Scrape public sources, clean them and enrich each listing with what visitors actually need: pricing, features, screenshots, alternatives, use cases. AI makes enrichment cheap, but check it by hand for your top listings.
Start with a spreadsheet. Andrey Azimov’s Sheet2Site, which reached $10K+/mo at its peak before he sold it, turned Google Sheets into websites — proof that a structured sheet is enough for version one.
Step 3: Ship it in a week
John’s rule for every small bet is at most a week. Use a directory builder such as Unicorn Platform, a template, or a simple static site — the tech stacks of indie makers are mostly boring on purpose. Launch with 100–300 quality listings rather than 5,000 thin ones, and add a “submit your product” form from day one.
Step 4: Structure the site for SEO from day one
SEO takes 3–6 months to compound, so it starts on launch day, not later. The structure that ranks:
- Category pages (“best AI agents for sales”) with a short, quotable intro and FAQ.
- Item pages with unique descriptions, not copied marketing text.
- Comparison and alternatives pages generated from your data.
- Internal links everywhere — related items, categories and tags.
- Structured data, sitemaps and fast pages. Tools like IndexRusher help new pages get indexed faster; SEObot can research keywords and write interlinked articles.
In John’s FAQ, SEO accounts for about 30% of his traffic — the rest comes from directory listings, word of mouth, cross-links between his projects and social media.
Step 5: Distribute — distribution beats building
- Launch it on Directory Hunt, Product Hunt and the other platforms on our launch list.
- List the directory on other directories for backlinks — ListingBott does this in one click. See directory submissions for indie makers.
- Cross-link your network. Every new directory links to your others, so each launch lifts the whole portfolio.
- Tell listed makers. A “you’re featured” message with a badge brings shares and links.
- Build in public. Talk like a human and share wins and failures.
Step 6: Monetize the directory
| Model | How it works | When to add it |
|---|---|---|
| Paid submissions | Charge to skip the queue or to be listed at all | Once makers actively want in |
| Featured listings | Top-of-category or homepage placement | From a few thousand monthly visits |
| Sponsorships | Fixed-price banner or newsletter slot per week or month | When traffic is steady |
| Ads | Display ads or a niche ad network such as TinyAdz | With high traffic, low intent |
| Affiliate links | Commission when visitors buy a listed product | Any time listings have affiliate programs |
| Job board / leads | Paid job posts or sold leads | Niches with hiring or buying intent |
| Selling the directory | Exit to a strategic buyer or on a marketplace | When growth stalls or a buyer appears |
Frey Chu’s advice is to monetize with ads and featured listings once traffic arrives, not before. To sell, list on one of the startup marketplaces or approach companies in the niche — the way AllGPTs went to Chipp.
John Rush’s principles for directory builders
- Distribution beats building: spend more time on SEO and content than on code and design.
- Start SEO on day one — it takes 3–6 months to compound.
- Launch many small bets, at most a week each, and cross-link them.
- Stay founder-only until traction; skip hiring, outsourcing and paid design before $10k MRR.
- Talk like a human on social media and share both wins and failures.
Frequently asked questions
How do directory websites make money?
Directories make money from paid submissions, featured listings, sponsorships, display ads, affiliate commissions, job posts or leads, and by being sold. Most start with featured listings and sponsorships once they have steady traffic.
How long does it take to build a directory website?
With a directory builder or template you can launch in about a week. The data collection and SEO take longer: SEO usually needs 3–6 months to compound.
Are directory websites still profitable in 2026?
Yes, in niches with real search intent and constant new supply. Examples in our data include Key Values, which reported about $300K–350K a year, and AllGPTs, which reached over a million visitors in its first month and was acquired.
What is a good directory niche?
A good niche has people searching for it, new items appearing every week, buyers comparing options, weak existing lists and listed businesses with marketing budgets — for example AI agents, developer tools, starters and boilerplates, or niche jobs.
Which tools help build a directory?
Common choices include directory builders like Unicorn Platform, spreadsheets as a first database, AI for enriching listings, SEObot for content, IndexRusher for indexing and ListingBott for submitting the directory to other directories.