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Fish where the fish swim
Vertical portals (often called "vortals") are
online directories and content-rich websites that provide information,
tools and resources for a particular industry. Within a more focused environment,
vortals typically provide articles, news, research data, statistics, discussions,
newsletters, chat rooms, online tools and many other services pertaining
to a specific niche.
Portals generally attract a large numbers of netizens (no one specific
segment is targeted). They offer either a abundance of content or links
to other sites on the Internet offering such content -- hence the name
"portals to the web." But there is a difference between a portal
and a vortal.
A horizontal portal is one that caters to pretty much everyone or to
a wide array of communities, themes or industries -- such as Yahoo!,
GoTo, Disney's Go Network, AOL, Netscape's NetCenter,
etc. But vortals are narrower in focus. They cater to a specific industry,
theme or idea. Their communities may be smaller but they are of higher
quality and therefore highly targeted. And more often than not, they have
very little competition.
In a overcommunicated, overmarketed society, people often end up totally
lost when they go online. The web, which is a tool that is supposed to
save time and energy, seems to be doing the exact opposite for some. Searching
for information or sites that offer what people want has become an daunting
task. Many would far more want to skip the inconvenience of going through
numerous search results in order to find exactly what they're looking
for.
This is where vortals come to the rescue. In an industry or theme-based
environment, people can find information, tools and sites that fit their
specific needs far more quickly, easily and efficiently. According to
Internet.com's Webopedia (http://www.webopedia.com),
"As the web becomes a standard tool for business, vortals will join
and maybe replace general portal sites like AOL and Yahoo! as common gateways
to the Internet."
iVillage at http://www.iVillage.com
is one such vortal. It offers services geared for women -- such as, for
example, a planning program for pregnant women. According to a recent
review of the site, expectant mothers simply register and enter the presumed
date of conception. The service then maps out the entire pregnancy, offering
suggestions, tips, articles and coupons (for baby products among others)
along the way and up to the delivery.
Therefore, if an online business' target market consists mainly of women
and especially mothers-to-be, iVillage should definitely be a part of
its marketing strategy. Needless to say, there are many other sites and
vortals that cater strictly to women let alone expectant mothers. Generally,
for every marketer there is somewhere on the web a vortal that either
directly or indirectly caters to a market that fits its perfect customer
profile.
Nevertheless, beyond submitting to the major search engines, website
owners and especially online niche marketers should look into registering
(or perhaps even advertising) on vortals in their particular industry.
Audiences will be targeted and the clickthroughs will obviously be of
higher quality. While it is true that registering a site beyond the 10-25
major search engines is often unnecessary, vortals should definitely be
included somewhere in the mix.
Another marketing strategy is to turn a website into somewhat of a vortal
-- such as Matt Mickiewicz' http://webmaster-resources.com/,
Jim Wilson's http://jimworld.com/
and Michael Wong's http://eBoz.com.
For example, adding loads of unique content, publishing an ezine, offering
a directory of links to other pertinent online resources and managing
a discussion board (among many others) are great online traffic generation
tools.
But if one were to ask Matt, Jim or Michael, they'll all agree that developing
such a site and its content can be a lot of work. The trick is to consistently
add to the site. As time goes on, it will grow and become a useful resource
to which people will love to return again and again. On the other hand,
one can use more sophisticated vortal developers or tools, like:
One can also develop online communities -- turning websites into mini-vortals
that, beyond publishing ezines, can help in adding interactivity, credibility
and personalization to them. Some services offer this capability (many
are free) by providing discussion boards, mailing lists, chat rooms, polls
and other resources. For example, there are http://www.communityzero.com,
http://www.icq.com, http://eGroups.com
and http://www.myevents.com.
Ultimately, as the Internet let alone search engines grow (and consequently
get overcrowded), so too will the need for vortals. With their help, consumers
can thus find sites and specific information more easily, while Internet
marketers can just as easily locate their online target market -- which
can be difficult in a place that has no physical location.
About the author
Michel Fortin is a direct response copywriter and consultant dedicated
to turning sales messages into powerful magnets. Get a free copy of
his book, "The 10 Commandments of Power Positioning," when
you subscribe to his free monthly ezine, "The Profit Pill."
See http://SuccessDoctor.com/
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