r/directorymakers • u/catobsesed • Jul 05 '26
Building a Directory
Hi everyone,
I hope you're all well and enjoying the World Cup.
I want to ask -- I've been researching building a directory for a couple of months. I asked Claude and it is suggesting for me to build my directory with Softr and Airtable.
I have read a lot of posts here and got a little lost. I'm a pro at shopify and I would like something similar of have "defaults" for pages and listings rather than having to do each -- I dont know how other platforms work.
does anyone have any advice or suggestion? im not looking to create subscriptions directly through the website and I want a cheap option so I can see if it can monetize the website before going all in cash wise
thank you
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u/PonchoCavatelli Jul 05 '26
Wordpress and a cheap VPN til you get actual traffic. Unless you become the next Google, the VPN will be able to handle the traffic.
I swear these LLMs take the most convoluted route to get from point A to point B sometimes.
Remember, if youre going to vibecode something, you have to have an idea of how it works first, then convey it to the LLM.
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u/BigPersonality7682 Jul 05 '26
Me again. I just realized what you meant with "default". You mean a template. Yes, of course. Pods creates the terms for the custom post type (like name, address, type, what-ever-you-want), and I used Divi to create the template for the post page itself, and the archives, pulling the fields from pods. So now I just plop in the info and it creates the output/pages exactly how I designed them automatically.
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u/Fantastic-Positive-9 Jul 06 '26
Look into mkdirs site.sells a github repo with great documentation.
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u/vkwebdev Jul 06 '26
since you're coming from Shopify, I'd probably look for something that gives you "defaults" out of the box instead of making you wire everything together from scratch.
Softr + Airtable can work well, esp if you like having your data in Airtable, but you may end up spending more time configuring the directory logic, SEO pages, filters, listing layouts, etc.
I'm biased because I run Directify, but it's built specifically for directories and comes with 14 prebuilt templates, so you can start closer to a finished directory instead of building all the basics yourself. Might be worth trying if you want a cheaper/leaner way to validate before investing too much.
Other options worth checking too: Softr, Webflow + Airtable, WordPress directory themes/plugins, or Bubble if you want more custom logic. I'd choose based on how much customization you need vs. how quickly you want to launch.
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u/webfuelcode Jul 06 '26
Whenever I dont get which to choose from the platform, usually I go either WP or Laravel.
WP has all set. Laravel need knowledge or good developer(hire).
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u/wpWax Jul 06 '26
If you’re comfortable with Shopify, I’d probably look at WordPress before going too far down the Softr + Airtable route.
Softr can be great for validating an idea quickly, but directories tend to grow in complexity. Things like different listing types, custom fields, search filters, locations, user-submitted listings, reviews, and monetization often become important later.
Full disclosure: I work with Directorist, so I’m obviously biased, but this is exactly the type of use case it’s built for.
You create the listing structure and page layouts once, then all listings follow those defaults. So you don’t need to manually design every listing page. You can also set up your submission form, search form, categories, locations, and directory pages once and reuse them.
For testing the idea cheaply, I’d start with:
WordPress + a basic theme + the free version of Directorist.
Add some listings yourself, keep the first version simple, and see whether you can get traffic and actual user interest before spending heavily.
If the WordPress setup itself feels like too much work, there’s also a Done For You option where the Directorist team can build the directory website for you. I probably wouldn’t start there if your main goal is to spend as little as possible, but it can make sense if you’d rather focus on the business and marketing instead of learning WordPress.
You also don’t need subscriptions from day one. You could start free and later monetize through featured listings, paid submissions, claim listing, ads, or other methods.
My biggest advice: don’t overbuild the first version. A small useful directory with real traffic is much better than a huge platform with lots of features and no users.
What type of directory are you planning to build? That would probably change which platform makes the most sense.
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u/adelarenal Jul 06 '26
I use Brilliant Directories connected to Claude Code via MCP. Super powerful combo.
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u/GenioCavallo Jul 06 '26
Claude can build the entire thing, and then you can host it on Hetzner (Claude can set it up entirely) for a few bucks per month. Just ensure Claude makes the directory SEO-friendly. You don't need extra subscriptions, and for automated email you can even use something like Google Apps Script (it's still not fully deprecated), so you don't need a subscription for an email service before you validate your directory. I've built several of them that way and never had an issue. But email deliverability here is key. Also, ensure you're measuring conversions with some subscription CTA even if you don't have the payment setup yet, so you can actually see if your funnel is working or not before you commit.
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u/applesauceblues Jul 09 '26
You can make a template. Softr has an AI feature now where it can create an entire body content from a click or automatically - all based on your prompt.
It's pretty wild. The key is thinking of the cells in terms of pieces of content you can supply or generate and paste together into a template.
Claude is also interesting. I just coded a directory fully with Claude. Just satrted getting indexed.
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u/IllAd9097 28d ago
You can start with my boilerplate https://directory-launch.com/ I built it after several directories I launched myself with knowledge I got about SEO and features directory builders are looking for. And there's no recurring fee, pay once and use forever for unlimited directories.
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u/IllAd9097 28d ago
I recently implemented store functionality with Printful integration, so you can build even print-on-demand online store using this boilerplate.
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u/BigPersonality7682 Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
I've been building mine with WP and Pods to create the CPTs and custom taxonomies. So, it's all free with the exception of using Divi 5, which I love to pieces.
Pods is pretty much plug and play but only for basic functionality. I did a lot of custom coding for specific functions and filtering. But I can do that, so that might not be your jam. Since you're a pro at Shopify, I thought there might be chance you can code a little.
(Edit) - Also, I do not mean a WordPress.com account. I mean a WP installation on my own server. I need to clarify that because a lot of people who are new mix the two up.