{"id":502,"date":"2011-09-20T10:50:42","date_gmt":"2011-09-20T17:50:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/themanwhosoldtheweb.com\/blog\/?p=502"},"modified":"2011-09-20T10:51:05","modified_gmt":"2011-09-20T17:51:05","slug":"niche-business-directory-in-a-box-instructions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/themanwhosoldtheweb.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/niche-business-directory-in-a-box-instructions\/","title":{"rendered":"Niche Business Directory In-a-Box: Instructions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Here are the step by step instructions for setting up your <a href=\"http:\/\/themanwhosoldtheweb.com\/business-directory\/\">Niche Business Directory In-a-Box<\/a> site.\u00a0 We\u2019ll have your business directory up and running in no time!<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Now, I hope you already have your niche and domain chosen.\u00a0 Ideally, for SEO and branding purposes, I recommend picking a domain name that reflects the niche.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>STEP 1 \u2013 Point your domain to our cloud.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>From your domain registrar,you will need to update a couple DNS  settings.\u00a0 Check out these detailed instructions provided by Google (for  Blogger) for the major domain registrars.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.google.com\/support\/blogger\/bin\/answer.py?hl=en&amp;answer=58317\">http:\/\/www.google.com\/support\/blogger\/bin\/answer.py?hl=en&amp;answer=58317<\/a><\/p>\n<p>When following the above directions, be sure to use the values below instead:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Set the \u201cA-record\u201d to our IP:\u00a0 <strong>207.58.186.35<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Set the CNAME for \u201cwww\u201d to: <strong>bizdir.themanwhosoldtheweb.com<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you have any issues doing this, you can email me directly at dave@[this domain].<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>STEP 2 \u2013 Claim your domain on our cloud and pick your niche.<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Log in to your <a href=\"..\/..\/members.php\">control panel<\/a>.\u00a0  Click to \u2018Basic Settings\u2019 on the left side.\u00a0 From this section, update  the \u201cDomain\u201d field (the first editable field) with your domain name.\u00a0 Do not include the \u201chttp:\/\/\u201d  .<\/p>\n<p>Now, scroll down and select a business niche from the dropdown menu.\u00a0\u00a0 There are over 500 niches to choose from.<\/p>\n<p>Click \u2018Update.&#8217;\u00a0 Once DNS has fully propogated (which can take up to several hours), your site is up and running.\u00a0 You can visit your domain to check.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>STEP 3 &#8211; Customize your site.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Now, you want to make your site original and effective.\u00a0 To do this, there are a number of areas that you can customize to fit your exact vision.\u00a0 In the left pane navigation, under your site&#8217;s domain name, you should see a menu with 8 options.\u00a0 We will go through each option one by one and walk through the various options and features at your disposal.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Basic Setup<br \/>\n<\/strong>Before you proceed to any of the pages, complete the fields in Basic Setup first.\u00a0 In other words, if you&#8217;re short on time and want to only do the bare, bare minimum for now<strong>, <\/strong>then completing the fields in this section would be that bare, bare minimum.<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Domain<\/span> &#8211; You already specified this in step 2.\u00a0 Don&#8217;t change this, as this value tells us which domain is yours.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Site Name<\/span> &#8211; Type in the name of your site.\u00a0 Keep it short.\u00a0 Limit it to only the name of the site.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Google Analytics Code<\/span> &#8211; This is an optional field.\u00a0 If you wish to use Google Analytics, you can copy the tracking code in here.\u00a0 If you wish to use a different provider&#8217;s tracking code, you can insert it in its place.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Homepage Text (Above)<\/span> &#8211; This is the text that appears above the search form on the homepage.\u00a0 You are welcome to use HTML.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Homepage Text (Below)<\/span> &#8211; This is the text that appears below the search form on the homepage.\u00a0 Again, HTML is supported.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Business Niche<\/span> &#8211; You already specific this in step 2.\u00a0 Don&#8217;t change this value, either.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Look &amp; Feel<br \/>\n<\/strong>The options on this page have to do with the design of your site.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Logo<\/span> &#8211; Upload a logo to replace the default image.\u00a0 It&#8217;s highly recommended you use your own logo to maintain a professional look for your site.\u00a0 If you don&#8217;t trust your own graphic design skills, you can have a logo made for $5 using <a href=\"http:\/\/fiverr.com\">Fiverr<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">CSS Code<\/span> &#8211; This is an optional field.\u00a0 Your site is driven by CSS classes.\u00a0 You have the ability to overwrite the existing style by inputting your CSS code here.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Global Settings<br \/>\n<\/strong>Your Global Settings include content that will appear across your entire site.<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Top Bar<\/span> &#8211; Notice there is a top bar that scrolls down when the page loads.\u00a0 This  is the text goes into that bar.\u00a0 It is ideal for an advertisement (e.g. a  Google Adsense 728\u00d715) due its to prominent placement and eye catching  animation.\u00a0 You can use HTML here.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Search Label<\/span> &#8211; On the top-right of most pages, you will see a search form.\u00a0 The &#8220;Search Label&#8221; is the text that appears right above the search form.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Search Field Text<\/span> &#8211; This is the text that appears inside the search form.\u00a0\u00a0 If you leave this empty, it will default to &#8220;Enter 5-digit zip code&#8221;.\u00a0 If are creating a geography-specific business directory, I recommend you reflect that in the &#8220;Search Field Text.&#8221;\u00a0 For instance, if your directory is only for Florida, then you can use &#8220;Enter a Florida zip code&#8221;.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Niche Keyword<\/span> &#8211; This keyword or phrase will be used for purposes of SEO.  <span class=\"imp\">We recommend keeping this short and not be anything more than the niche.<\/span> E.g. Cardiologists, Jewelry Stores, Bowling Alleys<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Footer Text<\/span> &#8211; This text appears at the bottom of your pages, about the &#8220;About&#8221; and &#8220;Terms and Conditions&#8221; sections.\u00a0 This is a good place for a leaderboard advertisement.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">About Text<\/span> &#8211; This is the text appears at the bottom of your pages, occupying the &#8220;About&#8221; section.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Terms &amp; Conditions Text<\/span> &#8211; This is the text appears at the bottom of your pages, occupying the &#8220;Terms and Conditions&#8221; section.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Privacy Policy Add-On Text<\/span> &#8211; At the bottom of all your pages, there is a link to the privacy policy.\u00a0 By default, your privacy policy will be populated with enough content to satisfy Google AdSense&#8217;s requirements.\u00a0 However, you are welcome to add additional text to your privacy policy.\u00a0 You can do so here in this section.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Autoscale Settings<\/strong><br \/>\nDepending on your package, each month, we will be adding 250+, 500+, or 2000+ business listings to your directory.\u00a0 With the settings here, you can help us prioritize our efforts by geography.\u00a0 Both of these fields are completely optional.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Prioritize by State<\/span> &#8211; If you set a state priority, we will first add all the businesses within the specified state before moving on to other areas of the US.\u00a0 You are free to change this at any time.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Prioritize by ZIP Code<\/span> &#8211; To get even more specific, you can tell us the exact zip codes to attack first.\u00a0 You can add as many as you&#8217;d like here.\u00a0 Once a zip code has been accounted for, it will disappear from this list.\u00a0 In terms of order of priority, the zip codes come before the state prioritization.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Listings Page Content<\/strong><br \/>\nThis section governs the content displayed on your &#8220;listings pages.&#8221;\u00a0 A listings page is essentially the search results page.\u00a0 It displays all the businesses found within the vicinity of a specified zip code.\u00a0 Here&#8217;s an <a href=\"http:\/\/mycardiologist.info\/90210-beverly-hills-cardiologists\/\">example of a listings page for Beverly Hills<\/a>.\u00a0 All of the fields, with the exception of the Google Maps Key, accept geography variables.\u00a0 Geography variables allow you to create dynamic content.\u00a0 There are 3 geography variables:&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<pre>[city]<\/pre>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<pre>[state]<\/pre>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<pre>[zipcode]<\/pre>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>When you use any of the geography variables, when the listings page is loaded, instead of displaying the variable (e.g. &#8220;[city]&#8221;), it will display the corresponding geographic value (e.g. &#8220;Beverly Hills&#8221;).\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Meta Description<\/span> &#8211; This is the text that will appear in your meta description tag.\u00a0 Geography variables accepted.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Meta Keywords<\/span> &#8211; This is text that will appear in your meta keywords tag.\u00a0 Geography variables accepted.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Heading<\/span> &#8211; This is text that appears at the top of the listings page.\u00a0 It is the text that will be contained with &lt;H1&gt; tags.\u00a0 Geography variables accepted.\u00a0 See the diagram below to see exactly where this text appears on the page.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Google Maps Key<\/span> &#8211; <span class=\"imp\">Acquiring a Google Maps Key is highly recommended.<\/span> It makes your site look a lot more professional and it&#8217;s completely free.  To get one, just <a href=\"http:\/\/code.google.com\/apis\/maps\/signup.html\">go here<\/a>, agree to the terms, enter your domain, and click &#8220;Generate API Key.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Top Text<\/span> &#8211; This text appears just below the Heading and above your business listings.\u00a0 Geography variables accepted.\u00a0 See the diagram below to see exactly where this text appears on the page.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Bottom Text<\/span> &#8211; This text appears below your business listings.\u00a0 Geography variables accepted.\u00a0 See the diagram below to see exactly where this text appears on the page.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Right Column (Top)<\/span> &#8211; This text appears above the Google map.\u00a0 Geography variables accepted.\u00a0 See the diagram below to see exactly where this text appears on the page.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Right Column (Bottom<\/span>) &#8211; This text appears below the Google map.\u00a0 It may be a good spot for a 336&#215;280 AdSense banner. Geography variables accepted.\u00a0 See the diagram below to see exactly where this text appears on the page.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/themanwhosoldtheweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/refdiag_listings.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-505\" title=\"refdiag_listings\" src=\"http:\/\/themanwhosoldtheweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/refdiag_listings.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"440\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"http:\/\/themanwhosoldtheweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/refdiag_listings.gif 612w, http:\/\/themanwhosoldtheweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/refdiag_listings-300x238.gif 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 440px) 100vw, 440px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Business Listings Management<\/strong><br \/>\nWithin this section of your control panel, you can manage all the business listings in your business directory.\u00a0 This includes making changes to existing listings, deleting existing listings, and adding new ones.\u00a0 This page is divided into two primary sections.\u00a0 The top section lists all the businesses in your directory (2o listings per page).\u00a0 To modify any of these listings, just click the &#8220;modify listing&#8221; link to the right of the entry.\u00a0 The bottom section of the page includes a form that allows you to add a new business into your directory.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sponsored Listings Management<\/strong><br \/>\nSo, what are sponsored listings?\u00a0 Sponsored listings are prominently displayed listings, appearing above your regular business listings.\u00a0 These are highly desired spots that are typically paid for.  For most  business models of business directories, a primary source of income is   through selling sponsored listings.\u00a0 In this section, you can create and modify sponsored listings.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Custom Page Management<\/strong><br \/>\nDepending on your package, you have a certain number of custom pages you can create.\u00a0 A custom page can be anything you want to be.\u00a0 It&#8217;s essentially a blank sleight for you to fill&#8211;with text, with HTML, with ads, etc.\u00a0 These custom pages appear in your top navigation.\u00a0 It can be an internal page or an external link.\u00a0 Commonly created pages include: About Use page, Contact page, Advertise page, articles, Press page.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #888888;\"><strong>Q&amp;A<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>To be added<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"_mcePaste\" class=\"mcePaste\" style=\"position: absolute; left: -10000px; top: 692px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow: hidden;\">This keyword or phrase will be used for purposes of SEO.  <span class=\"imp\">We recommend keeping this short and not be anything more than the niche.<\/span> E.g. Cardiologists, Jewelry Stores, Bowling Alleys<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here are the step by step instructions for setting up your Niche Business Directory In-a-Box site.\u00a0 We\u2019ll have your business directory up and running in no time!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[189],"tags":[147,35],"class_list":["post-502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-niche-business-directory-in-a-box","tag-fiverr","tag-google-analytics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/themanwhosoldtheweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/themanwhosoldtheweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/themanwhosoldtheweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/themanwhosoldtheweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/themanwhosoldtheweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=502"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/themanwhosoldtheweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":508,"href":"http:\/\/themanwhosoldtheweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502\/revisions\/508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/themanwhosoldtheweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/themanwhosoldtheweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/themanwhosoldtheweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}