---
name: kostja94/directory-listing-ads
source: https://app.decimal.ai/s/kostja94-directory-listing-ads@1/SKILL.md
source_sha256: 8e8e41a45e4a
---

# Paid Ads: Directory / Marketplace Listing Ads

Guides paid promotions within directories and marketplaces: Taaft, Shopify App Store, G2, Capterra. Use when you have a listing and want to boost visibility with paid placements. **Listing first**: Ensure product is submitted—see **directory-submission** for listing prep and submission workflow.

**When invoking**: On **first use**, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On **subsequent use** or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.

## Platform Overview

| Platform | Ad type | Model | Best for |
|----------|---------|-------|----------|
| **Taaft** | Banners, sponsored listings, campaigns | Paid placements; listing + newsletter + ads + social bundles | AI tools; 80M+ users; 46K+ tools |
| **Shopify App Store** | Search ads, homepage ads, category ads | CPC; daily budget | Shopify app developers; merchant discovery |
| **G2** | Paid Promotions, G2 Clicks | Quarterly or PPC | B2B SaaS; category/competitor pages |
| **Capterra** | Sponsored listings | PPC | B2B software; 50M+ annual visitors |

## Taaft (There's An AI For That)

- **Traffic**: 80M+ users; 46K+ AI tools; 11K+ categories
- **Ad options**: Banner ads; sponsored listings at top of pages; marketing campaigns (listing + newsletter + ads + social)
- **Listing first**: Submit via taaft.com/submit or theresanaiforthat.com; 700–10K+ visitors per listing
- **Early launch bonus**: Up to $300 PPC credits for launching on Taaft first
- **UTM**: Use `utm_source=taaft_feat&utm_medium=referral` for PPC ads

## Shopify App Store

- **Ad types**: Search ads (in results when merchants search); homepage ads; category page ads
- **Model**: Cost-per-click; set daily budget; Shopify auto-generates ad appearance
- **Placement**: ~60% of installs from search—search ads critical for discovery
- **Credit**: New eligible app developers receive $100 USD ad credit
- **Management**: Partner Dashboard—edit budget, device/geo targeting, keywords; monitor CTR, install rate, cost per install
- **Limitation**: App, placement, plan-based targeting cannot change after creation; stop and create new campaign to change

## G2

- **Paid Promotions**: Quarterly campaigns; ads appear between 2nd and 3rd organic listing on category/competitor pages
- **Inventory**: 3 products per page; ~1/3 of visitors see ads
- **G2 Clicks**: PPC option; organic + sponsored placements; no subscription
- **Design**: Standardized ad design converts ~50% better than custom

## Capterra

- **Model**: PPC; reach software buyers actively comparing solutions
- **Audience**: 50M+ annual visitors
- **Options**: Free basic listing; paid advertising for increased visibility

## Strategy

1. **Listing first**: Submit to directory before buying ads—see **directory-submission**
2. **Test organic**: Measure baseline traffic before paid
3. **Layer paid**: Add ads when organic underperforms or for launch push
4. **UTM**: Tag all ad links (`utm_medium=paid`, `utm_source=taaft` or `shopify` or `g2` or `capterra`)

## Pre-Launch Checklist

- [ ] Product listed in directory (directory-submission)
- [ ] Listing optimized (copy, screenshots, category)
- [ ] Budget aligned with CPC/CPM expectations
- [ ] UTM parameters set for attribution
- [ ] Conversion tracking (GA4, platform analytics)

## Related Skills

- **directory-submission**: Listing prep; submission workflow; platform-specific copy
- **paid-ads-strategy**: Ad formats by medium; when to use directory ads
- **traffic-analysis**: UTM for directory ads; attribution
- **analytics-tracking**: Conversion tracking