How to Create an Aggregator Website: The Ultimate Guide
What is an Aggregator Website?
An aggregator website is a site that collects and curates content from various sources across the internet and presents it in an organized, easy-to-consume format. Instead of users having to visit dozens of different websites to find the information they‘re looking for, an aggregator brings all that content together into one convenient location.
Aggregator sites can focus on virtually any niche or topic area, from news and blog articles, to job listings, real estate, travel deals, products for sale, and much more. Some well-known examples of aggregator websites include:
- Google News – aggregates news articles from publishers worldwide
- Indeed – aggregates job listings from company websites and job boards
- Kayak – aggregates flight deals and hotel bookings from travel sites
- Pinterest – aggregates images and content about various interests and hobbies
The goal of an aggregator is to save users time and effort by doing the hard work of collecting, filtering, and organizing content for them. In exchange, aggregators have the opportunity to build an audience, establish thought leadership, and monetize their website traffic.
Benefits of Creating an Aggregator Website
There are many compelling reasons to create an aggregator website:
Provide value to users – In today‘s information-overloaded world, a curated selection of the best, most relevant content is immensely valuable and time-saving for users. By aggregating content from trusted sources and adding your own editorial oversight, you‘re providing a real service.
Establish authority status – Gathering the best content in your niche and providing your own analysis/commentary is a great way to demonstrate your expertise and build authority. This can open up opportunities down the road.
Build an audience – Consistently curating useful content is an effective way to attract an audience of engaged users who keep coming back. You can then build a community around your site.
Monetization potential – An aggregator site with steady traffic provides a variety of monetization avenues to explore, such as display advertising, affiliate marketing, sponsored content, paid subscriptions, and more. You have the flexibility to experiment with different strategies.
Minimal content creation – With an aggregator model, you can build a successful website without having to create all the content yourself. Your primary role is content curation and providing a great user experience.
Grow with automation – Aggregators are well-suited for automating tasks like content collection through technologies like web scraping, APIs, and RSS feeds. This allows you to scale up your site without a huge time investment.
Step-by-Step Guide to Building an Aggregator Site
Ready to start building your own aggregator website? Follow these steps:
- Choose your niche
The first step is deciding what niche or topic area you want to focus on with your aggregator. The more specific the better, as this will help you attract a targeted audience. Some factors to consider:
- Your own interests and areas of expertise
- Underserved niches with high demand for content
- Broad topics with many relevant sources to aggregate
- Monetization potential and affiliate opportunities
- Identify content sources
Once you‘ve chosen your niche, make a list of high-quality, authoritative websites and sources that publish content relevant to your topic. These could include:
- News sites and blogs
- Industry publications
- Academic journals
- Company websites
- Government databases
- Social media accounts
Aim for a good mix of well-known and hidden gem sources that will allow you to curate a diverse selection of content. Keep an ongoing list as you continue to discover new sources over time.
- Set up your website
Now it‘s time to lay the technical groundwork for your aggregator site:
Choose a domain name – Pick something clear, descriptive and easy to remember, ideally including keywords related to your niche. Use a tool like Instant Domain Search to see what‘s available.
Select a web hosting provider – You‘ll need a host to store your site‘s files and make it accessible online. Popular options include Bluehost, Dreamhost and HostGator.
Install a content management system – A CMS will make it easier to publish and manage your aggregated content. WordPress is a popular choice, with many customization options.
Pick a theme and plugins – Choose a theme that aligns with the look and feel you want for your site. Then install any necessary plugins, like one for curating RSS feeds or displaying affiliate disclaimers.
- Design your site
With the technical pieces in place, turn your attention to your site‘s design and user experience:
Create key pages – Common pages to include are a homepage, an "About" page explaining your site‘s purpose, a page for each subtopic or content type, and a contact page.
Develop a clear site structure – Organize your aggregated content in a logical way, using categories, tags, or a nested page structure. Make it easy for users to browse and search.
Implement a consistent design – Aim for a clean, uncluttered design with a limited color scheme, readable fonts, and ample white space. Use consistent branding elements across the site.
Optimize for speed and mobile – Aggregators need fast page load times to keep users engaged. Optimize images, minify code, and use caching. Also ensure your site is mobile-friendly and responsive.
- Aggregate your content
Now for the heart of your site: collecting and curating content. There are a few different ways to approach this:
Manual curation – Manually visit your selected sources, handpick the best content, and create posts linking to each piece with your own commentary or summary. This is labor-intensive but allows for maximum quality control.
RSS feeds – Many websites offer RSS feeds you can subscribe to and display on your site. Find a WordPress RSS aggregator plugin like WP RSS Aggregator to make this easier.
Web scraping – For more advanced aggregation, you can use web scraping tools to automatically collect content from sites that don‘t provide feeds. This requires some technical knowledge but allows you to scale up quickly.
Whichever approach you take, the key is to filter content for relevance and quality, and to add your own perspective or context to each post. Users should feel they‘re getting a distinct and valuable take, not just a feed of links.
- Build your audience
With your aggregator site populated with curated content, it‘s time to start attracting an audience:
SEO – Optimize your site‘s titles, descriptions, and content for relevant keywords so people can discover it through search engines.
Social media – Share your aggregated content on social media channels where your target audience is active. Engage with people and build a following.
Email newsletters – Invite users to sign up for an email digest of your best content. This helps pull people back to your site and keeps them engaged.
Partnerships – Reach out to the sources you‘re aggregating from, let them know you‘re featuring their content, and see if they‘d be willing to partner or cross-promote.
Paid promotion – Consider investing in paid social media ads or sponsored content placements to give your site a visibility boost and tap into new audiences.
- Monetize your site
Once you‘ve built up a steady stream of traffic, you can start exploring ways to monetize:
Display ads – Sign up for an ad platform like Google AdSense or Mediavine and get paid for impressions and clicks on ads shown on your site.
Affiliate marketing – Earn commissions by promoting relevant products or services on your site. Look for affiliate programs in your niche and incorporate special links and banners.
Sponsored content – Partner with brands to create sponsored posts or newsletters featuring their products or services. Make sure to clearly label this content as sponsored.
Paid subscriptions – If you‘re providing a high volume of valuable content, consider offering premium memberships that give users access to exclusive content or an ad-free experience for a recurring fee.
Digital products – Package up your expertise into ebooks, courses, templates, or other resources you can sell to your audience.
Curation Tips and Tools
To make your content aggregation as effective and efficient as possible, keep these tips and tools in mind:
Focus on quality over quantity. It‘s better to feature fewer pieces of truly excellent, relevant content than to overwhelm users with a high volume of lackluster content.
Add your own voice. Put each piece of content in context and explain why it matters. Share your take and encourage discussion from users.
Credit and link to sources. Avoid copying full articles and always cite the original source prominently, with a link for users to click through.
Stay consistent. Maintain a regular content curation schedule so users know what to expect. Use an editorial calendar to plan out content and stick to a posting cadence.
Automate where you can. Use tools like Feedly to subscribe to RSS feeds, IFTTT to create content curation workflows, or Zapier to automate social media sharing.
Monitor analytics. Use Google Analytics or similar tools to track which content resonates most with your audience and look for opportunities to optimize.
Examples of Successful Aggregators
For inspiration, check out these examples of popular aggregator sites in different verticals:
Techmeme – Aggregates the latest news in the tech industry, with editorial summaries and links to coverage from many sources.
Wirecutter – Aggregates product reviews and recommends the best gadgets, gear, and appliances, leveraging affiliate relationships.
Pocket – Aggregates long-form articles and videos that users save from around the web for later reading. Provides curated collections and recommendations.
Dataelixir – Aggregates the latest articles, tutorials and resources on topics like data science, AI, and machine learning. Monetized through ads and job listings.
NextDraft – Aggregates and summarizes "the day‘s most fascinating news" in a daily email newsletter, adding witty commentary and context.
The Future of Aggregators
Aggregator sites play an increasingly important role in helping people navigate the overwhelming volume of online content and find signal in the noise. The demand for convenient content curation will only continue to grow.
At the same time, aggregators face challenges around maintaining quality, avoiding fake news, and ensuring fairness to original content creators. As an aggregator, it‘s important to have high editorial standards, continuously vet sources, and build trust with users and industry partners.
New technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning may streamline aggregation in the coming years, but human oversight and curation will still be essential. The best aggregators will combine smart automation with a distinct editorial voice and the human touch.
By following the steps and strategies outlined here, you can create a successful aggregator site that cuts through the clutter and provides real value to users. Start curating content in a niche you‘re passionate about, focus on quality and consistency, and continuously optimize the experience for your audience. With dedication and experimentation, you can turn your aggregator into a profitable authority.