Testing a new approach to business directories – feedback from founders?
The idea is a business directory where each company creates a simple one-page profile using IQ Pages forms instead of building a full website.
Businesses fill out forms with their details, services, hours, photos, and contact information, and the page is created automatically.
Once the profile exists, the business can also create simple ads from the same interface.
I’m curious how founders here see the future of directories and whether a structured “profile instead of website” approach could work for small local businesses.
Would appreciate honest feedback.
The 'profile instead of website' angle makes sense for local businesses that have no web presence at all — the 0-to-1 use case. Filling out a form is cognitively much easier than maintaining a website.
The challenge with directories historically: the value of being listed is zero until there's traffic, and the traffic only comes when there are enough listings. It's a two-sided bootstrapping problem.
One thing that helps: niche first. A directory that's specifically for 'plumbers in [city]' or 'independent bookshops in [region]' can reach critical mass with 30-50 listings, where a general business directory needs thousands. The structured form approach actually works better in niche directories because you can ask very specific, relevant questions for that category.
The ads creation from the same interface is interesting — that's potentially where the monetization is. Local businesses already understand 'pay to be featured at the top,' so the ad format has an obvious value proposition. Worth validating whether they'd pay before building more of the directory side.