I own a domain name- www.NorthwestAlabama.com.  I have been
researching the internet to find similar domains that are not owned by
newspapers or other traditional media to see if there are any
practical business models to replicate.  Outside of the traditional
media outlets I have been unable to find any.  I was considering
starting a business directory for a six to eight county area that
makes up Northwest Alabama with basic, sponsored and featured
listings.  The site would include some news and feature content that
would keep attracting visitors.  However, I find many sites have tried
and failed.  Is this because it is a foolish venture, lack of hard
work, or other?  I am looking for successful non-traditional models to
borrow from.  Are there any that have proven to be successful?  If so,
could you give me a list?  Also, are there any suggestions for this
domain outside of what I am thinking?

<The business model that you have outlined of creating a business
directory with free and premier listings has been proved to be
successful. I have listed a number of sites below that have had
success in this area.

The problem that sites tend to run into is continually generating and
updating new content. Fresh content is essential to keep visitors
coming back. It is also necessary to continually check for outdated
content. The problem that many webmasters run into is that the site
gets too big too handle. They start off creating lots of content but
after time much of the original content is outdated.

Successful sites have formed partnerships with local businesses and
organisations for both revenue and website content. Local people can
be enlisted to voluntarily submit content.
http://world.std.com/~adamg/ice/

The name of your site makes it ideal to set up a community site for
the north west Alabama community. Although you will be competing with
giants like DigitalCity, their Northwest Alabama site lacks a local
feel. http://www.digitalcity.com/florenceal/

Your current content can be used to generate visitors who want to get
in touch with old school friends. See
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2006335.stm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Successful sites.
MKWeb is an example of a successful regional website. It receives
900,000 page impressions per month. They carried out a marketing
survey which found that twice as many people visit MKWeb than all the
other local information sites combined.
http://www.mkweb.co.uk/

It is the official website for the British town of Milton Keynes and
the county of North Bucks. It receives sponsorship from local
organisations like the Chamber of Commerce and the local council. This
allows users to access huge databases of information. The site was
ranked the 3rd most popular website in the UK by SOCITM.

It also generates revenue through advertising.
http://www.mkweb.co.uk/advertising/home.asp?r=False

One of the secrets of its success is its ability to allow content to
be added by those who are not savvy with updating websites. It uses
portal constructor from Apollo Digital Media.
http://www.apollodigitalmedia.co.uk/home/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=18072

A competitor site Askmk.com operates a successful business directory.
It receives 20,000 visitors per month. It has promoted the site by
forming partnerships with nine prestige companies. It provides a free
listing for all businesses in the area and charges for premier
listings and advertising. In addition to the business directory it
includes community information.
http://www.askmk.com/advertising/advertising.html


Lanarkshire Online Business Directory is a successful site that
generates income by selling the data it has accumulated in the form of
mailing lists. It produces mailing lists divided into different
business categories and different areas.
http://www.lanarkshirebusiness.org.uk/

The Matren.co.uk is a successful business directory that gets 6000
unique visitors daily. They offer flat fee advertising and guarantee
that only 10 advertisers will be shown for each category. They allow
advertisers to use as many words as necessary to describe their
business and are able to display the company’s logo.
http://www.thematren.co.uk/flat-fee-advertising.htm

Muskoka.biz is a regional site with a business directory. The Muskoka
sites get 1 million visitors per year. They have been online since
1997.
http://muskoka.biz/aboutus.php
Revenue is generated by a number of advertising options including
clik-thru, flat fee, banners and buttons. They charge $149.95 for a
premium listing with photo. They also charge for real estate listings.
http://www.muskoka.biz/advertise.php

Maidenhead.net get 23,000 unique visitors a month.
They generate income by hosting business websites. 
http://www.maidenhead.net/web/
http://www.clocktowerweb.co.uk/corporate/portfolio/maidenhead.php

Internet.com launches sixth regional site.
http://www.internet.com/corporate/releases/00.06.22-la.html

Patoday.com is a community website that charges businesses $25 per
month for a one page site. http://www.patoday.com/>




<Additional links:>

<Top 10 tips for a thriving online business.>
<http://www.fabmansecrets.com/Articles/Internet_Business/10%20tips%20for%20thriving%20online%20bus.htm>

<Why most internet businesses fail.>
<http://www.entrepreneurnewz.com/entrepreneurnewz-19-20001027WhyMostInternetBusinessesFail.html>

<Top 10 reasons why internet businesses fail.>
<http://www.bizmagic.com.au/articles/topten.htm>

<Search strategy:>

<area "business directory" "successful website">
<://www.google.com/search?q=area+%22business+directory%22+%22successful+website%22&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&start=0&sa=N>

<"successful regional site">
<://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=%22successful+regional+site%22>



<Hope this helps.>

---

Request for Answer Clarification by jbm22-ga on 16 Oct 2003 11:27 PDT

Most of the examples you have given are international sources.  Could
you provide US examples.

---

Clarification of Answer by belindalevez-ga on 17 Oct 2003 05:08 PDT

<Central Virginia Business Directory was started and run by two
sisters in 1998. It took two years to set up the directory. They
initially entered every business in the area. They now get over 8,000
visitors a day. http://www.cyber-aspect.com/features/fa_024.htm
The directory is at 
http://www.centralvirginia.net/1search.htm
They generate income from a range of advertising options. Platinum
listing costs $299 per year.

FindSARASOT.com gets 40,000 visitors a month. They charge up to $900 a
year for a featured business.
http://www.findsarasota.com/advertise.htm

Spokane.net is a regional business directory covering the Washington
and Idaho areas that generates income by charging $50 per month for an
enhanced listing. It also charges for advertising.
http://www.spokane.net/marketplace/adkit/online.htm

Shasta Home has been online since 1997. It currently gets over 8000
hits a day. They generate revenue with several advertising packages
costing from $15 to $45 per
month.http://www.shastahome.com/promotions.htm

Iowa Moms is a site aimed at mothers in Iowa. It also incorporates a
business directory. It has been operating since 1999.
http://www.iowamoms.com/advertising/advertising.htm

International (South Africa).
The Daily Dispatch found that setting up a business directory was
profitable with businesses paying R40 for a listing.
http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:5sqA2ACCzIkJ:www.bday.co.za/bday/content/direct/1,3523,928119-6078-0,00.html++%22set+up++a+business+directory%22+&hl=en&ie=UTF-8


A forum discussing the future of vertical portals has a posting from
cashinsite who has two directories aimed aimed at small business. They
are willing to pay to be on the web and tend to be overlooked by the
major websites.
http://216.239.37.104/search?q=cache:j1wGWeEB1HAJ:gethighforums.com/gethigh.forums/action::thread/forum::Forum29/thread::499/start::21/+%22regional+business+guide%22+listing&hl=en&ie=UTF-8>


<Hope this helps.>