When To Turn Paid?

I started my directory a little over a week ago (link in sig), and right now, featured links are $4.95, and regular links are free. I have about 850 links now (only 3 featured), and I was thinking that maybe when I hit 1000, I'd change to paid. Does this sound like a good idea? I'll probably have featured links $4.95, regular links like $0.99, and free with recip.


Advice please, thanks.

 

You can start charging $0.99 anytime, will prevent spam, but your backlinks are little and weak.

 

I'm just shy of 3000 carefully chosen links accross my directory after 18 months and use the free and paid model. For sure, I get 10 times the free submissions than I do paid, but it's just enough to help out with the admin.

Maybe when and if I can obtain a PR7 with good internal PR, strong numerous back links and high SERPS I would consider going 100% paid. Until then I'll keep doing things the way I'm doing them.

 

you chould really make it paid from day 1, just charge .50 or so $1 until you get traffic and PR

 

No offence, but you don't run a business on pre-defined thingymajigs. When the demand is high enough, then sell them. Theres no magic number

 

Maybe even consider charging considerably less then $1 until you getyour traffic and links up? Once that happens then increse your rates..

 

Eh, I think I'm going to keep it free for now. I'm in review to get added to Dan's list, so I'm hoping to get some traffic from that .

 

I would advise that you go paid, we have one of our sites that is free and it is a headache, with all the crap that is submitted, paid stops that and lessons your work load

 

Yeah...but I only get about 50 new sites a day...I'm doing everything I can to increase traffic while still using free advertising.

 

OK settle into 'your own comfort zone' if you can manage checking 50 new sites a day, no problems run it a while longer, but I think in the medium to long term your target should be a paid only directory

 

That is my target...but I don't think I'm getting enough traffic for it.

I've been spending hours a day trying to get the word on my site out, and my google analytics visitor graph just decreased to an all time low today .

 

You really can't go paid until it's got some PR and fully indexed. If anyone tells you PR doesn't matter them might be right BUT they're not talking about directories.

Also there is another option to the free=spam option. You can see it with all directories in my sig. (increase effort of submissions)

Beit where they must login, more characters required, etc. There are alternatives to paid.

 

Do not worry about today, these things happen, just keep grinding away it will all work out well in the end

 

Your directory has only 2 results in Google and don't have many backlinks.
You'd better turn it paid after it gets more established.(Get some PR,more backlinks,ect.)

 

Yeah. I just started submitting it to all the directories on Dan's list.


It's gonna stay free for a while.

 

Not only submit your site to other directories.You should get some quality backlinks if you want to make much more money from it.

 

Huh?



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Don't forget to put your dir in a topsite directory too. I find that that helps getting some trf to your dir

 

If you are deciding to go paid, you should always start a the beginning becasue you lose value in your spammed-up categories.

 

Yea I agree with Xeeq on this one. I'd go paid from the beginning, because if you change suddenly, it might prove to be counterproductive to the perceived importance and significane of your directory.