I've submitted a few of my sites to Best of the Web in the past and really like the directory. I have a new site that I'm starting to submit and was surprised BOTW is now $150. I don't think it's worth $150, but would like to submit. The last coupon I received from them was 10% off which still makes it very pricey. The other option is the yearly fee at $50. Once again, why pay that and have to deal with price increases. Does anyone know if they offer deeper discounts? I'm curious on your thoughts on if it's worth submitting at this price? Right now, I can't justify it.
Can you get a discount if you become an affiliate? I think the commision is 25% and you can submit through your own account and get credit for it. Check their affiliate program as I'm not real sure on this. I'll see if we can get a clarification on this.
Thanks CReed for the heads up on this thread. I'll see what I can do to clear up any questions. I can't really answer cmeinck's question as to whether the submission is "worth it". That is a fairly subjective decision. The price point may be too high for some webmasters, while for others a mere drop in the bucket. We feel that the current pricing represents a fantastic value for site owners. Our peers charge review fees much higher - Business.com $199 annually; Yahoo $299 annually; DMOZ forever and a day for review. We try to keep our review fee attractive to a majority of webmasters, while pricing it at a point that is somewhat reflective of the quality and integrity of the brand. Currently, we offer two billing options for submission reviews: an annually recurring review fee of $49.95, or a one-time review fee of $149.95. Pricing for annually recurring sites is grandfathered in at the price paid. So, if in the future, there is a price increase, your annually recurring review fee will be the price you initially paid, and not subject to any increase. On a side note, I wouldn't be surprised to see price increases in the future. We are getting stronger every day - improving technology, increasing head-count, expanding marketing efforts, launching new products. As we continue to provide more value, our price will likely keep pace. We also offer category sponsorships for marketers that need more exposure, and want greater control over their message. Sponsorships are free for 60 days, and then either $39.95 or $49.95 per month, depending upon placement. Yes you can. Commissions are 25%, recurring, payable on both submissions and sponsorships. Commissions are paid once the amount accrues to a value of $50 or more. So if you have a couple of sites to submit you can save a few bucks, or if you do the marketing for a lot of sites, you can make some nice money. If you are signing up as an affiliate with the intent of saving 25% on one submission, you will. It will just take you a few years to get paid on that one listing. Additionally, we frequently run promotions to existing members. Last month, we discounted submisisons 10%, and gave away a free Mac Powerbook to one lucky webmaster. There are no promotions running this month, but I would imagine that we will have another one before the end of the summer. I hope I was able to shed some light on this for you. We really appreciate the feedback, and welcome any comments/questions/criticisms/accolades that you can provide to help us provide our users with a better experience.
I'm very disappointed with BOTW. I've submitted my site to a few hundred directories -- many of which I deem as high quality paid directories. BOTW was the only one who switched my listing to a category that is not representative of my site. I contacted a rep at BOTW and no response. For $150, I expect better customer service and editors who actually look through the content of my site before making a decision. I realize the policy of BOTW is not to offer refunds and I'm guessing this is due to the time it takes the editor to review the site. In my case, I don't feel the editor took the time to adequately research my site before changing the category. One of the main reasons I decided to submit to the directory was the hope of traffic. I don't see this happening in the section it was placed. Moreover, I feel the section actually diminishes the quality of my site. I'm hoping the rep has just been tied up or is researching the matter. I'm hoping to reach a successful resolution with BOTW - either correct placement of my listing or a refund. If you are going to charge top dollar, then editors should be top notch. Just my two cents..make that 15,000 cents.
I too have been disappointed by BOTW after submitting one of my directories for review. I was not approved. The reason was, my site had no content. I'm not at all surprised that there was little content other than my site is a directory. What I was surprised at though is the amount of other directories similar to mine that are listed. Not sure what made mine different. Also, the practice of giving credit when a submission is not accepted is somewhat hard to choke down. BOTW still holds $49.95 of my money which I may never get use of, or desire to. I for one will never risk $150.00 on the possibility that any directory may or may not accept my site. A drop in the bucket? That's a little bold. Nobody likes to throw away money on a risk like that. A better bet for me next time around would be gambling in Vegas. This is just my opinion. BOTW is a fine directory admittedly. It's just not for me.
I'm pleased to report that BOTW moved me to the correct category. I thank them for listening and responding to my complaint. I'm a happy camper.
cmeinck - I am happy to hear that your issue was resolved to your satisfaction. Category placement can be a tough line to walk. The interests of webmasters are not always aligned with the interests of users, and it's nice when our editors are able to handle the situation to an amicable culmination. Rod - I don't know why your site was not accepted - could be a bunch of different reasons. In the interest of providing our users with the most relevant information available, we do maintain fairly strict guidelines. All sites need to conform to BOTW guidelines for inclusion within the directory. It would appear that an editor decided that your site did not adhere to our guidelines. I am sorry to hear of your discontent regarding the review fee. We are pretty straightforward that the fee is for the review, and not for the listing. Moreover, we are happy to work with webmasters, and we offer the opportunity to provide us with an alternative site for review. So, if you submit a site that gets rejected, you have the option to replace the submission with another site for no additional fee. We do strive to keep our webmasters happy, but not at the expense of our users.