How to Create a Website like Angie’s List

After browsing internet and exploring various online directories, are you planning to build a home service website just like Angie’s List? If so,  this blog post will tell you all you need to know about how to create a website like Angie’s List.

Let’s find out more about Angie’s List

We need to know in-depth about the website features and functions as well as the services offered by this online directory before we start building a website similar to Angie’s List.

About Angie’s List

This website is a subsidiary of ANGI Home Services Inc, which is an American internet services company. Angie’s List was launched in 1995 and collates details of all local contractors and businesses. Users can read reviews and also share their reviews about the services provided by the local businesses.

Read Also: How to Make a Website Like eBay?

Members can rate the contractors and service providers in a report-card styled form that ranges from A to F. The criteria for evaluation are quality, price, responsiveness, professionalism and punctuality.

This online marketplace helps users find service providers for plumbing, electrical, housekeeping, painting, remodeling, heating, A/C, roofing and landscaping.

Users can browse the listings to find out details of service providers in their neighbourhood. They can then read the reviews,  compare services and prices of the contractors before hiring a service provider. The website has more than 10 million verified reviews.

How does Angie’s List Make Money?

It is probably the first question that comes in the mind while checking out how to create a website like Angie’s List.

Yes, it is always good to know about the return on investment while building a business. This online directory earns revenue in two streams – one from the customer and another from the service providers.

Customers who sign up for Silver or Gold membership need to pay a nominal fee to get more listing details. Service providers can pay to advertise on the website and improve their visibility.

If you are building such a directory listing, you can also plan to monetize your website to increase the revenue stream.

What are the technologies used to build this online directory?

The frameworks used in the construction of this website are Adobe Enterprise Cloud, ASP.NET Ajax, ASP.NET and GlobalSign Domain Verification.

It has Amazon CloudFront, Akamai and AJAX Libraries API content delivery networks. The content management systems integrated with the website are Drupal 7 and Atlassian Cloud.

User statistics and analytics are tracked by platforms such as Signal, Omniture SiteCatalyst, Optimizely, Adobe Marketing Cloud, Everest Technologies, Adobe Analytics, Google Analytics, Segment, and New Relic.

How to build a website like Angie’s List?

Now that we have a good understanding of the features and services of Angie’s List, we can start working on building an online directory.

Conceptualise, Research and Plan

Before we start working on the website, you need to have a clear idea of your expectations from the website. First you need to conceptualize the idea behind your website.

What is the purpose of building such a website and how much does it add to your revenue stream, or enhance your existing business? After you have created the blueprint, explore all the local businesses and research on how they are advertising their services.

Find out if your website will be a value add for those local businesses and if they will be ready to sign up for your directory services. Also, check if any other such online directories are serving your locality and how your website can offer better services than existing ones.  

Read Also: How to Create a Website like Quora?

Once your research is done, plan the details of your website, from the domain name to the web hosting provider and services that you will be covering. You should also decide on the number of pages you want on your website, the theme and layout and the major categories.

Build the website

The next step is to lay the foundation of your website. The steps include:

• Registering the domain name
• Subscribing to a web hosting provider
• Building the skeleton of the website with a content management system
• Choosing the right theme for the website
• Adding widgets, plug-ins and other features of the website

While building the website, there are various concepts that you need to keep in mind. The first is KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid). The website design needs to be simple and uncluttered to give a professional look.

This rule is followed by professional designers across the globe. Second, you need to remember the Colour Theory. The colours that you use in your logo, website design, and social media handles need to be consistent and in sync with your brand image.

Make sure the website is visually appealing and also built with accessibility features to make it user friendly.

You can download WordPress and use it to build an online directory like Angie’s List. You can read about the popular WordPress themes for online directories in our blog on “How to Create a Website like Trivago.” However, if you want a professional website, then it would be a good idea to consult a website development company.

How much will it cost to build a website like Angie’s List?

The cost of building an online directory depends on various factors. If you want a simple website, you can create one yourself using WordPress. You can cut down on costs by using the free versions and templates offered by the web hosting provider.

However, when you’re building a website like Angie’s List, you need to focus on building the online listing of local businesses. This means that you will have a huge database to work with.

Also, your website needs to have three interfaces – one for the user, one for the business and one for the admin. Apart from all this, you will also have to consider other factors like integrating data analytics platforms and social media handles.

It will also require a lot of development and designing tasks. So, if you want to build a website that will perform well on the search engines and give you a good return on your investment, you should be ready to spend on the website development.

Read Also: How to Create a Website Like Flipkart?

Here’s a simple way to find out how to create a website like Angie’s List and how much you need to spend on it. Click here to access our online form and send us a message. We will contact you and give you a quote for free.