Founder Story: Zyppy List

In the third post of the “Founder Story” series, we highlight Zyppy List, a thoughtfully curated directory built to connect businesses with trustworthy marketing agencies.

Cyrus Shepard, an experienced SEO professional, created Zyppy List after realizing how unreliable most marketing directories were, often packed with unvetted listings and low-quality results.

Drawing from his 15 years in SEO, Cyrus wanted to build something better: a resource that helps companies find reputable marketing services based on real-world reputation and trust. Zyppy List isn’t just another directory; it’s a handpicked collection of firms evaluated with care, offering real value to both users and agencies.

What began as a side project now serves as a growing network of professionals with a clear mission: to spotlight the best in marketing, cut through the noise, and raise the bar for online directories.

The Zyppy List Story

Q: What inspired you to start the Zyppy list? Was there a specific moment or need that sparked the idea?

I run a marketing consultancy and found myself searching other online marketing directories when I needed specific expertise. Sadly, the quality of these directories is generally terrible and untrustworthy. I wanted to build a directory to help out the firms providing honestly good marketing services and vet those companies on real-world reputation – hopefully a win-win for users and agencies alike!

Q: For those who don’t know you, can you tell us a bit about your background before launching Zyppy?

I’ve worked in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for 15 years, specializing in teaching SEO to others, running experiments, and large-scale technical issues. I’ve worked with several startups in an SEO capacity, and also as a Google Quality Rater.

Q: What’s the main purpose of the site today? Who is it for?

Marketing agencies and consultancies is a multi-billion dollar industry, from Fortune 500 companies all the way down to mom-and-pop stores on the corner. The problem is finding folks you can trust to actually deliver results. People searching for marketing services always need recommendations. That’s whom we hope to serve and the marketing companies themselves.

Q: The directory feels curated—what’s the process for selecting which sites or tools get listed?

Our directory is highly curated, and we have a 20-30% rejection rate. Every company that applies gets thoroughly evaluated. We’ve even hired one of the companies before making a decision! Our evaluation process relies on real-world reputation metrics. We look at everything from customer reviews, LinkedIn profiles, publications, news mentions, and everything else. We also have a ranking system in the backend, so if a provider seems solid but hasn’t, for some reason, built up a lot of reputation metrics, we can give them a chance by simply giving them a lower reputation score, which ranks them in search but in a lower position.

Q: Are there any criteria that define what makes a site “Zyppy-worthy”?

At the end of the day, we ask how much we trust these providers. Would we trust this provider enough to recommend them to our parents (who know nothing about marketing)? We don’t let them in if we can’t answer “yes” to that question.

Q: How do you see Zyppy evolving over time? What’s the long-term vision?

Short term, we’d like to populate Zyppy List with 1000 of the best marketing companies in the world. Longer term, we’d like to compete against the big online directories that offer poor results, but nonetheless dominate Google search results.

Q: What’s been the most rewarding part of building this project so far?

Connecting with talented companies all over the world is hugely gratifying. We also modified GeoDirectory’s review system so that professionals can “Endorse” other companies. Watching folks give and receive endorsements is one of the best parts of the job.

Q: On the flip side, what’s been the most challenging?

While I have a strong network in the SEO space, reaching marketing companies in other disciplines (e.g., advertising, design) has proven challenging. This is a business problem and we’re taking steps to expand our reach.

Q: Is this currently a side project or are you focusing on it full time?

I work on Zyppy List 1-2 hours a day, so definitely a side project!

Q: How have you approached growth and visibility for the site so far?

The challenge of Zyppy List as a marketplace is two-fold. We need to attract enough qualified marketing companies into the pipeline to make the directory valuable, and we need to generate enough qualified traffic to make inclusion valuable to the companies. The first step is reaching that 1000 company goal. Then, we have traditional SEO challenges such as brand visibility, link building, and on-page SEO. It’s a balancing act, but every new company pushes the flywheel more.

Q: Are you monetizing the directory yet, or is that planned for the future?

The directory is “lightly” monetized. Pro members can place themselves in more categories and increase their visibility, among other benefits. We may offer advertising in the future, or access to premium leads through our matching service.

Q: What feedback have you received from users or peers since launching?

The feedback has been amazing. I’m so grateful for the support of the marketing community!

Q: What advice would you give to someone thinking about starting a curated directory or niche content site?

First, use GeoDirectory! Not kidding. The CMS has been amazing. Second, think carefully about your long-term business plan. Too many directories falter after a solid launch and languish with thin content and no real market penetration. Finally, invest in design and unique content. My wife is a talented graphic designer and this really made a difference when building out the site.

Q: Finally, where can people follow your work or get in touch if they want to suggest a site or collaborate?

Follow me on Linkedin or subscribe to my SEO newsletter! Thanks.