The basic monetization model of an article directory, if it is not paid, is to use Google Adsense ads on it. Most of the ones with paid membership options serve ads as well. I did a simple research and noticed that there are hundreds of article directories around and most, if not all, might be making some good money with Adsense.
This idea lured me and I started thinking about creating a simple article directory site, where I could post the PLR articles I have collected up to now. Besides, I would be posting my own articles for backlink purposes and other article marketers might be interested in posting their articles on my article directory as well. For that reason, I brainstormed some domain names suitable for an article directory and checked if they were available or not. Luckily, found some good ones ready to register. But before registering the domain name, I checked the available article directory scripts.
Next step was to find a good article directory script. I didn’t want to pay a big amount for a custom created one so that I searched for free scripts in search engines and in forums. I’ve found a number of free article directory scripts and some of them had paid versions too.
What I realized after a few hours of search was that running an article directory as a business model might not be as lucrative as it first seemed to me. In most of the discussions, people told that article directories are not well performing as they were before because of the competition. Many article directory sites are opening and closing every year due to poor strategies. To be successful and make a name as an article directory, and in return make money, unique features should be offered to article writers to post articles on the directory. This idea discouraged me a bit and I realized that I will need to go with a custom build article directory script if I go on with this project.
Anyway, I made a list of article directory scripts and will talk about them briefly below for those of you who want to start an article directory business.
Article Dashboard is an article directory itself and it offers the script it uses for free as well. What I learned about this script is that it is no longer reliable and not preferred by serious people as it is open to hacks and attacks. It is really simple in design and although I will not recommend using it, for a first try, you may check how it looks and performs. The download link is here.
Article MS is another free article management system, it seems to have a better design than article dashboard. It has different templates you can choose from and a WYSIWYG editor for article submissions. This script can also be tried, you can download it here.
Article Friendly is a newer and more preferred script amongst others. It has two versions, standard for $25 and pro for $50. Most of the article directories I came across are using this script. I guess it is a good choice for someone who has a little money to invest in it. However, to distinguish from others, this is not exactly what you need.
Another paid article directory script is AJ Articles, I haven’t seen much directories using this script, since it looks more like a news blog or portal rather than an article directory site. Nevertheless you may check it yourself and decide if you want to go with it.
Those were the article directory scripts that I came across during my search and I hope it helps on your decision. Just not forget that simply creating an article directory and loading it with tons of PLR content is not a wise business model anymore unless you have the time to waste.
