I've built business portals and directories that serve thousands of businesses. Mokan and Shirtel are two platforms I created that connect businesses with customers through structured, searchable, and scalable directory systems.

The Portal Business Model

Business directories and portals solve a fundamental problem: connecting people who need services with businesses that provide them. It sounds simple, but building a portal that actually works — one that attracts both businesses and users, delivers value to both sides, and scales sustainably — is one of the harder challenges in digital business.

I built Mokan and Shirtel from the ground up, handling everything from the technology stack to the business model to the go-to-market strategy. These platforms serve the Israeli market, providing businesses with a digital presence and connecting them with customers actively searching for their services.

The key insight from building these platforms: a directory is only as good as the quality of its listings and the volume of its traffic. You need both sides of the marketplace to succeed, and you need to build each side's trust simultaneously. That's a chicken-and-egg problem that requires creative solutions and relentless execution.

What Makes a Portal Succeed

Most business directories fail because they treat it as a technology problem. Build the platform, list the businesses, and wait for traffic. That approach produces ghost towns. The platforms that succeed invest equally in business acquisition, content quality, SEO, and user experience.

With Mokan and Shirtel, I developed systems for onboarding businesses at scale, ensuring listing quality through structured data requirements, and driving organic traffic through SEO-optimized category pages and local search strategies. The technology is important, but it's maybe 30% of the equation. The other 70% is business operations, marketing, and relationship management.

I also integrated these portals with broader digital marketing capabilities. Businesses listed on the platforms could access additional services — PPC campaigns through SortExpress, email marketing, and enhanced visibility options. This created a full-service ecosystem rather than a standalone directory.

Portal Building Expertise