Tim Stoddart
Tim Stoddart’s Directory Sites
How Tim Stoddart’s Directory Sites Became a $250k/Year Profit Engine
Story Summary
Tim Stoddart built directory sites where the core product (listings) also serves as marketing: every new listing increases utility and attracts more advertisers. After learning content and SEO through Copyblogger and agency work, he focused on technical directory architecture—category/geo pages aligned to commercial intent—and monetized with paid featured placements. SoberNation’s treatment directory demonstrated the model’s profitability (on the order of $250k/year), and the approach generalizes to high-LTV local services. Cash-flow-first operations and lean systems underpinned execution.
Decision Points
You will encounter 4 key decisions in this story. Make your choices to see how the founder navigated each situation.
Traffic Vanity vs. Monetized Placement
Early traffic spikes from social posts didn’t translate into revenue.
Context
SoberNation content could generate large real-time sessions, but revenue lagged.
How should the directory monetize?
How to Seed Supply on Day One
Directories need enough listings to be useful before monetization.
Context
A thin directory won’t rank or convert advertisers.
What’s the most effective way to seed listings?
Which Vertical Should a New Directory Target?
Not all niches support paid placement equally.
Context
He emphasizes verticals where a single customer is valuable to the vendor.
What niche profile best supports premium listing revenue?
Where to Invest SEO Effort First
Blog content created attention but didn’t monetize well.
Context
Directory revenue came from commercial-intent pages.
Which pages get priority in the build?
Stay in the Loop
Get notified when we publish new founder case studies with actionable patterns you can apply.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Skill-Stack Iceberg
Writing habit → content discipline; discovery of SEO → technical category/page architecture; lead-gen agency work → monetization and high-LTV niche selection. These capabilities converged in directory sites where listings (the product) also function as distribution.
Professional Experience
CEO / Founder
2009 - 2025Stodzy (lead-gen/SEO agency)
Direct exposure to client acquisition, local SEO, and monetizing high-intent searches shaped directory monetization playbooks.
Partner
2019 - PresentCopyblogger
Content-first thinking, email funnels, and audience building informed directory content structures and CTAs.
Previous Projects
SoberNation.com
OtherBuilt, scaled, and monetized a national treatment-center directory; learned technical SEO and featured-listing sales.
Primary proving ground for the directory playbook used in the core venture.
Digital Commerce (agency)
OtherSEO systems and operational focus on bottom-funnel pages.
Transferrable to directory category/geo pages and advertiser capture.
Audience & Distribution
Content + social amplification
Early content sharing and community stories to seed attention; later shifted to search and email capture.
Kickstarted attention flywheel before technical SEO and listings scaled distribution.
Operational Capabilities
Technical SEO on category/geo pages
Learned that directory value accrues on structured listing/category architecture rather than blog posts; rankings drive inbound advertiser demand.
Shortened path to traction by focusing on pages with purchase intent.
How These Skills Applied to Tim Stoddart’s Directory Sites
Lead-gen positioning
Applied: Framed directories as revenue tools for listed businesses, not just traffic sites.
Impact: Sustained inbound advertiser interest and recurring featured listings.
Niche selection
Applied: Chose high-LTV local services (e.g., treatment, moving) where a single customer is valuable to advertisers.
Impact: Higher ARPU per listing; faster path to profitability.
Content → email → offer
Applied: Captured searchers into email and routed to listings/featured placements.
Impact: Stable revenue beyond ad impressions; reduced reliance on social spikes.
Success Patterns Identified
Key patterns you can apply to your own product
After going through the decisions above, you've now seen 5 key patterns in action. Here's how to apply them to your own product:
Let the Product Be the Marketing
PatternIn directory sites, the listings you sell also market the directory: each new listing increases utility and attracts more businesses to list.
Evidence from this story
Explained that for local directories, selling a listing both delivers the product and advertises the site to peers, creating a compounding loop.
Seed with Free Listings, Monetize with Featured
PatternStart by adding/accepting free baseline listings to build completeness, then upsell featured placement at the top of category/geo pages.
Evidence from this story
Describes offering to create listings for businesses (often free) and then using featured placement as the primary monetization lever.
Pick High-LTV Local Service Niches
PatternFocus on verticals where a single converted lead is valuable (e.g., treatment centers, moving companies), supporting premium placement pricing.
Evidence from this story
Highlights treatment and moving examples to illustrate niches with strong willingness to pay for placement.
Build Bottom-Funnel Category/Geo Pages First
PatternStructure SEO around high-intent category and location pages instead of chasing viral posts; monetize where buyers compare options.
Evidence from this story
Says the business of SoberNation is listing treatment facilities and that technical SEO on directory architecture drove monetization, not social spikes.
Cash-Flow-First and Lean Ops
PatternAvoid debt/funding; use service cash flow and simple ops to sustain and compound directory growth.
Evidence from this story
States philosophy of cash-flow-first businesses and keeping operations simple around lead-gen outcomes.
Keep Learning
Join other founders learning from real case studies. Get new patterns delivered to your inbox.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sources & References
Fireside Chat with Tim Stoddart (Copyblogger, Stodzy)
Profile/interview context on Tim’s background and businesses.
Life After Addiction with Tim Stoddart: How He Went From Rock Bottom to Launching a 7-Figure Business
Life story and recovery context that informed work and discipline.
How Tim Stoddart Nets $250k Per Year With His Side-Hustle Directory Sites
Deep dive on directory mechanics and SoberNation monetization.
Jarod Bauman: How Tim Nets $250k Per Year With Directory Sites
Niche Pursuits interview highlighting directory SEO architecture and revenue.
$6M a Year From Boring Businesses
Overview of multiple businesses, cash-flow philosophy, and directory flywheel.
Related Stories
More SaaS Stories
Explore other SaaS founder journeys and learn from their experiences
View SaaS StoriesDeveloper Tools
Learn from developer tool creators and their unique challenges
View Developer Tool StoriesWant More Stories Like This?
Explore more founder case studies and continue learning from real experiences.