

Ask HN: Strategies for monetizing a vertical search engine? - esers

What are some strategies, besides advertising, for monetizing a vertical search engine targeted at professionals in a specific industry?
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jamesshamenski
1 slap the business in two. 1 as a non-profit research entity (with a
watershed of tax and funding possibilities) the other as the for profit side
which licenses the tech developed by the non profit.

2 offer premium experiences on top of your technology. consulting, curation,
etc.

3 if someone wants a feature, great. inform them of what it will cost and bill
them.

4 charge per usage. this rolls with a freemium model where the basic is free
but they have to pay in order to get deeper information revealed. make sure
you constantly bait the hook on this one and are clear up front about how it
works. nobody like clicking 5 times and then getting a sudden request for
cash.

and on to the ads...

5 sponsorship is technically advertising but by aligning your site brand with
the advertiser, you dont have to worry as much about query volume. think:
montblanc.professionalsearch.com

6 what really works once you have query volume is advertising. look at yahoo
autos. query any toyota car. who is advertising? yeah toyota. its brand
protection and inside verticals it brings in the most money anywhere i can
think of.

7 advertorials. look at techmeme. love those sponsored listings.

