Hello, as a new, but studious directory owner, i am trying to find the best ways to serve my directory customers, and pay for my new shoes at the same time. Do you thinks it's better to offer permanent links or annual subscriptions? Which do you prefer to buy to promote your own directory? I see both models and am curious what you think. Thanks, mark
The obvious answer from the consumer is permanent. However, is it worth it to you (the owner) to offer permanent listings in the long run? Almost all of the top directories offer the option of regular or featured (Featured usually being the annual and regular being permanent). Personally, I think you are selling your directory short by offering both annual or both permanent. Get the best of both worlds. Just my 2cents.
I think regular links should be permanent; featured listings can be annual if most of your inner pages have good pagerank and aren't over crowded with links. It's also a good idea to change annual featured listings into regular listings after the year has passed.
I concur with this, if somebody places a regular link they should be confident it's permanent, unless otherwise advised. But featured links should expire to preserve the value of the link.