7 Months building an AI tools directory from Pakistan: honest update

Started dailyaitools.io about 7 months ago. Verified a directory of 1,000+ AI tools for founders, freelancers and creators. Bootstrapped, no funding, building from Pakistan.
Current numbers:

— 23,400 Google impressions per week
— 265 weekly users, up 107% from previous period
— 559 pages indexed
— AdSense approved, revenue still near zero
— CTR sitting at 0.2% which is the main thing killing growth right now
What I figured out this month:

Broad keywords like "AI tools" are impossible to compete on at my stage. The only real opportunity is specific tool review pages, where someone searching "Pixmory review" or "Luvvoice review" is ready to make a decision. That's where I'm focusing SEO now.
What I'm working on:

Rewriting page titles across top 20 pages to fix CTR. Also expanding thin tool review pages to proper 700+ word reviews. Both should move the needle within 30 days.

Biggest lesson so far: Distribution is 10x harder than building. The site works. Getting the right people to find it is the actual problem.
Anyone else building a content or directory site? What actually moved the needle for you?