Which hosting directories?

[Chicken]

Dayglo posted a hosting directories list thread (http://hosthideout.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=155), but I was wondering... Out of those (or others), how many have you entered your plans in or bought advertising on? And the follow-up question... would you do it again, or which ones did you feel you wasted your time with?

[DizixCom]

I used to pay for advertising at TopHosts regularly, but more than half of the orders received from there were fraud so I stopped. I'm still listed, and every now and then someone new will wander in from one of the hosting directories but all in all I generally don't even bother any more.

[interactive]

If you don't mind me asking then Dizix how do you get most of your clients (besides referrals)?

[DizixCom]

Mostly just referrals right now. I don't pay for any advertising right now, though I do have some banners up at a few places that aren't charging.

[FindSP.com]

Well in my opinion just try to focus on those who rank 75,000 or below on Alexa...
the others until they reach that stage are just a waste of time.. in my opinion - it doesn't mean that they don't have great systems but the amount of users is usually lower than you'd expect.

[suppleSupport]

I added my website to HostDir and HostSearch a week ago --- No signups from either one YET.

[101sales]

I find paid advertising is a waste of time - your site is always lost in the crowd because these directories put up the adverts that cost 500/month - 1000/month on the home page while you're listed on the next but more than half never even make it there.

[Chicken]

I've heard before that if you're the cheapest on the page, you get some interest, but to me anyway, it seems pointless to be the cheapest. I don't know why people bother with needy $3/mo. accounts.

[net-trend]

Don't advertise at directories if you want to be exclusive.

Try overture and the like. It's been quite promising so far. :)

[FindSP.com]

Originally posted by 101sales:

I find paid advertising is a waste of time - your site is always lost in the crowd because these directories put up the adverts that cost 500/month - 1000/month on the home page while you're listed on the next but more than half never even make it there.

I think you're incorrect online advertising is very much alive and since so many companies are using it and renewing their campaigns every month.. well I don't think that they all lost their hope, it's all about finding the right place for advertising and sticking to it expanding your campaign - trial and error.. etc. etc.

[GnomeyNewt]

When I was a newbie, back in the day... :c) ... still am kinda :c)... I went with a hosting company that I saw had ads on more than one of those directories... I also liked their plans and features, but I went with them out of branding... saw their ad so many damn times ... just had to try it... Anyhows regardless, they were great and best host I had, but was not for reseller hosting so I had to move on... :c(

The hosting directories, I tried on one of them with a special they were having. You could place your banner with 5 others on a certain page. It was over 2 years ago, I'd have to look it up, but it didnt bring me any clients. I've also submitted my pages to numerous directories through their free submit options, and came up to nothing. I'm sure if you have money to burn, some of these places could bring you some serious clients.

[FastServers]

Advertising at Hosting Directories is far from a waste of time. Believing you will get instant account signups is something that will probably not happen. I can tell you from the 100's of various campaigns I have run in the past 2 years the ones that end up doing the best are the ones that we stuck with the longest.

In the end customers/consumers buy based not only on a single ad or banner but more likely the combination of numerous marketing efforts on your part. Advertising is a waste of time and money if you are looking for immediate results, but if you are looking at it from a long term goal, have it planned out well, it will definately pay for it self over the long haul.

Regards,
Aaron

[jbiz718]

Well here is a good benchmark for people

www.webhostmkt.com

I know for a large project we are working on we are looking at thewhir and a few other sites.

[Living Media]

I've listed both companies in several of them, but haven't paid any money to any of them except FindMyHosting.com. No signups from any of the directories (a few curious folks wandered over), but I figure that putting the information in there took me some time, that's all. I didn't expect anything instantaneous from them - which was a good thing, seeing as how I didn't even get any looky-loos for a few weeks, and then only a mere trickle.

[jbiz718]

Well marketing at every level has alot of different aspects. You have marketing for sales, or corporate branding, name recognition. All can be very effective.

[UH-Matt]

We havent actually done much submitting to these things. It seems to take an awful long time to get submitted to a directory (filling in a new form for every plan etc..).

You could almost sell a service to hosts going around submitting them to all the dir's for $x. We would buy it!

[Chicken]

I thought someone was working on that or had something going? Be hard to have a standard that would submit a value to various hosting directories though. I get teh feeling that the hosting directories wouldn't much care for this either.

[UH-Matt]

I was thinking more along the lines of paying some kid to copy and paste all our details in to a few hundred directories for say..... $10? :)

[sharpweb]

Meh heh heh. I'll do it for $100.00. Whole list.

-Sean

[onrampnetworks]

IN July 2000. i decided to doo a MASSIVE ad campign. i spent about 10k in 2months. I marketed on FINDAHOST.com (static ad), Matt's Script Archive, TOPhosts.com(They are garbage). CGI-Resource Center. THe results were great. After that i haven't ran a big campign but if i do again i plan in throwing tripple the amount ;). But most likely not since I am phasing out of the hosting industry as I moved my company towards Network Consulting. the company is www.mmhosting.com -

I dont' know what internet marketing is like now a-days. I heard its is bad but who knows. like i said, in 2000, after marketing, i had recieved double if not tripple the orders and inquries to my site. . . it was amazing... all the orders in the inbox. . . wow..