Hi All I run 1 active general phplb bid directory, and have 5 phpld bid niche directories in development. I like the general idea and having used both script, I am convinced that the Phpld bid script from David Duval's people is the superior script by a clear margin. However, there is a problem. Every organisation in this world battles to be both fair and honest in fact, and also battles to be seen to be fair and above board. 2 concepts 1, Organisation is fair and above board in reality. 2, Organisation is percieved by 3rd parties to be fair and above board Based on observing a considerable number of bid directories, I must ask Do you find bidding directories to be credible ? I feel compeled to ask because I am loath to continue with the bidding concept with their credibilty seriously in question.
They are great for traffic and they serve within a solid niche sector of the market and yes they have a lot of upside characteristics
All your possible answers in your poll seem to be against bidding directories except the first one, I guess you don't like them?
Yes bid directories are credible! I see a great future for bid directories for niche like webhosting etc.,
Yes they are ok! and they generate nice traffic. There might be few QBCs, but they get weeded out pretty soon.
I voted for "Most bid directories are okay, a few are not", which I think, is a common factor but not just limited to bid directories only.
Indeed, I find most bid directories credible But , what really brought this up for me are things like Top bidder £150 next bidder £40 or Cases where the bids have escalated into spectacular figures , overnite, in a situation where currently, the said directories are being de indexed by all the search engines, Guys, Some of the frontpages of our bid directories do not make financial sense And please understand that I find it very easy to determine the theoretical income of most of the directories I see, so on the balance, the bids should be consistent with the actual out comes for the bidders Where most of the bidders on the front page are also bidding directories, it strikes me that most averagely intelligent webmasters probably elect to stay away Take a hard look at your frontpages, see them thru the eyes of search engines an other webmasters, just try
"Most bid directories are okay, a few are not" got my vote. Actually I think most of bid directories are credible .
Absolute waste of time and money. Not saying they are being used badly or that the owners are fiddling with the bids or anything as I can't prove anything though I do have suspicions results are not what they may be. Bidding for links though is nothing short of a pointless gimmick. Stick to simple levels of listings is all you need to do. Not risk paying $50 for a so called top link only to see it dissappear when someone else bids more, or are portrayed to do so thus enticing people to bid even more. They don't even deserve the title directory. Go check REAL web users like John the plumber, ask them if they'd risk thier precious advertising money on bidding for a link, the answer would be no. The only traffic they generate is traffic from each of the bidding link pages owners chasing PR. Just my Gods honest opinion.
I would like to know why everyone thinks the bids are "fixed" on bidding directories? I am concerned about this view because I have spent good money to acquire positions that I have. Where does this view come from? Is this a case of a few bad directories ruining it for the honest ones? Or is this truly a problem in the industry? I for one would be happy to prove each and every bid/transaction that I have made. I have found more dishonest "buy a link on such and such site" sales on DP than from bidding directories. Anyway , I would be curious were this perception is coming from. Thanks! Lance
Good on you Lance, problem is that we as humans are eternal cynics and sceptics. The perception comes from natural instinct and years of experience, but of course we'll never prove it Lance as most are not as honest as you may be. Not saying anyone in particular but I bet you there are some people.
I understand what you are saying. Which is why I carefully choose which bid directories I will even consider. Like everything else you should know what and who you are buying from. If you are skeptical, my advice is to send off a PM or email to the owner. See if they answer within a reasonable amount of time (you need to determine what that may be for you). Also, look around and see what the owners reputation is, how they are promoting, etc. Don't just submit a site because the directory is pretty or new or whatever. Research it. Like I said, I find I am able to contact reliable, trustworthy directory owners within a reasonable amount of time and they are usually happy to respond and answer my questions. There have been some that I have PM'd or emailed and gotten no response. Guess what? I don't bid there. At least with a well run bidding directory or any directory for that matter, you don't have to worry about someone going in and deleting your text link a few days after you purchase it. People seem to notice changes in the positions relatively quickly, so you have a whole community that notices when your link dissapears. Not so on a "text footer link" Lance
Lance, I wish all off us well in our valid business endevours, But, I think the directory niche is now under close scrutiny, and this has forced me to re examine my own strategies Extreme bids make me very uneasy,
I think it is good to constantly evaluate and change your strategies. If you don't in any business you won't grow. Look at the sites that command the "extreme bids". Don't you think the owners are getting a return on that investment? You may or may not see it, but there are many advantages besides just being able to say "I am #1 on such and such site"
Lance, I am going to have to disagree with you on this one, I have a reasonable idea of the traffic levels these sites enjoy I have a reasonable idea of what percentage of their traffic trickles thru to the lead bidders I know that the lead bidders charge for a listing Therefore , I am able to compute , with a reasonable margin for error, what the financial returns are They are not good, infact, they're appalling, In the event that various search engines do not act against bid directories, some of these monies are recoverable, If the search engines don't play ball ? Take a hypothetical bid position of $5,000, for a bid directory with a minimum bid of $1 takes 5000 submissions to recover , unless it also triggers amazing bids charging $10 takes 500 submissions to recover charging $100 takes 100 submissions to recover Plus all the other expenses on promotions,,,,, Hmm, well I guess all my figures must be wrong Anyway, bonne chance
You are correct in your figures... but.. There are many other ways to generate traffic then search engines or other directories or webmaster forums. Lots of ways.. that can generate real end-users... Also, your view is very short term and short sited... Which is part of what might be creating this "credibility crisis". What off-line business do you know of that gives you a profit overnight? Or even in the first year or even in the first 5? I am not saying it takes that long or short with a directory, but I would suggest you have a budget and a business plan. Pay attention to ANY college business course. Have a business plan and execute it. Lance
voted for Most bid directories are okay, a few are not seen a lot come and go in a very short period of time