Is it true that for a nice directory with PR4 allowing free submissions reduce the number of paid submissions/revenue? Does stopping free submission decrease the popularity/visitors to your site?? which is best?
It depends on so many factors. You have to consider which extra benefits go to paying submitters. If it's just a matter of a faster review, then you might get a reduction in paid submissions. But usually paid submissions allow the kind of links that you can't get with free: deeplinks, passing PR, higher prominence, multiple categories, and so forth. Moreover, a paid submission is less likely to be rejected, so it's the best option for sites with little original content.
Paid submissions are what keep directories open for the long-term, you might feel like you are getting a great deal when you submit to free directories but if they stay free they will likely fade away....adsense on directories does not typically do that well. Going paid might reduce your visitors but should increase your revenue over the long-haul. good luck
Not neccesarily. I have had directories in the past that accpeted both free and paid listings. I still would get paid listings. Also, as a directory submitter myself, if a directory has a free option and a reasonably priced paid option I often go with the paid option. You are much more likely to get listed this way, and usually within a few hours. Free submission backlogs can be gigantic and your site might take weeks, months, or (DMOZ) years to get a review.
Offering a free option is going to cut down on your paid submission. 100% no doubt about it! I speak from experience.
nice post bbot, but wont it hurt your visitor levels and returning visitors ?? at what point of time you guys changed to fully paid? considering my directory is 5 months old i am thinking of accepting free submissions atleast for a year, so as to build my directory.
agree because 99% of directories give you no traffic so why would buying a featured link helpme if I won't get any traffic anyway. I still get the PR benefit with the free link
timothy104 for many directories including my own a feature link can place you in a parent category or at the top (first 10) of a sub-category, so those will usaully be the pages that maintain the highest PR and if visited get the best chances for clicks. olddocks there was a member here that said it best (I wish I could remember who it was) but every free submission you allow costs you money and that is the real truth of the matter. If you can afford to keep offering free listings and are still able to promote your directory than that is great, but it is quite difficult. Not many folks are in this business for the "fun of it" most would like to make a profit. As I stated before most directories that start free and stay free seem to fade away, most turn paid because it allows the owner to keep putting funds back into the project.
exactly, I believe more than half of all free directories fade away. People run directories to make some kind of money from it, its rare for someone to do just for fun. The paid directories, allows the person to promote their directory more, which gets more visitors, and more people are likely to click on some of the websites, which the free directories you have 100s of website in each categories, which makes it very unlikely to get any visitors from it.