New UK Search engine

lets start the slating

[adamcmoran]

just been made aware of this looks a bit cheap yet another one jumping on the pay for a listing band wagon.
[uk250.co.uk...]
I now declare this thread open for slagging off.

To whoever moderates this forum could i become a moderator for a thread on slating UK search engines.
See posts on UK Plus
and Just 35.
I have the ideal experience...
What do you think??

ADAM :-)

[engine]

Hi Adam,
There are many SEs and directories out there and some may not be worthy to claim extortionate fees for listings.

I'd like to pour a bit of cold water on "slagging off" resources in the forums. I'd like to suggest we keep our tone objective and educational for the benefit of all others in these forums.

For example, what directories and engines do you like? Which ones have have driven quality traffic to your site?

Cheers,
Engine

[adamcmoran]

OK sorry>>

[engine]

Adam, which UK engines and directories do you get most out of?

I do find that Yahoo is by far the clear leader on referals, by about four fold its nearest. It's too early to say if the google changeover has made any real difference as the majority comes from the directory entry.
The rest come from AV, Lycos, Excite (all .com) Referals from the uk side are pretty thin on the ground, probably because i'm using a .com to measure this.

What works for you, and are you using a .uk address?
Engine

[Ross]

Engine,
Don't be too hard on Adam, I have received some bumph from UK250 and completely agree with him that it's yet another start-up trying to get on to the pay for a listing band wagon. Surely if we can discourage (or at least warn) people that they may not see much traffic from their £375 investment, then it's no bad thing.

Adam,
It might seem a bit cheap, but 250 categories x 100 entries x £375 p.a. = Just over £9million ..... nice income in your first year's trading !!

[engine]

Hi Ross,
I completely agree that a paid listing (particularly at the rates quoted) is difficult to justify. Especially when these services prey on the uninitiated. That is not right. I'm sure we'd all like to hear from Adam, and you, about these paid listing directories so that others are at least pre warned.

This forum is about getting the best out of uk search services, which may, I think, include those services mentioned above. Your experiences, positive and negative, are welcome with the objective of helping others.

[adamcmoran]

I have vented my views on Just35 they still have not got back to me it is now a week, probably because they are so overwelmed by then number of people wanting to join. Whata bargain.

At least UK250 quotes the prices so you will know before you try and submit.

We are very unlikely to submit clients to these types of search engines as they are all pay per listing.
And as it is always clients sites that we are submitting they are very unlikely to pay out more money on top of their marketing budget to get just in one search engine.
The problem that these new SE will have is proving people are getting traffic from the new SE, so they are a no win situation really. Can't get stats to show new sites can't get new sites to create the stats. Apparently they are spending £1m in mid August on an Ad campaign I look forward to seeing it. Hope it is better than Just35. (SLAP) sorry I must stop my slating.....

Most of our clients get traffic from Yahoo, AV, google and Lycos.
With odds and sods from other little ones Mirago UKplus etc.

It just makes me wince when I see companies spending all this money in such a competitive market. Where lets face it most people use the big five which ever they are at the moment to find sites so really who is going to subscribed to these Pay per listing SE's. the words Band Wagon and jumping immediately come to mind.

I could go on like this ....
I will return later for more expressed views I look forward to you comments...

ADAM 8-)

[engine]

Hi Adam,
You are quite right. The top engines deliver the majority of traffic, if any can justify it, it's them!

Out of interest, yesterday, i had a call from Askalex and surprisingly, they didn't askengine for any money for my entry! :) Get your entry in, if you havent already, before they do askadam ;) Cheap joke.

Adam, why not start a thread in Foo [webmasterworld.com] along the lines of The future of paid listings. I'm sure there are many others with the same views.

Engine

Edited by: engine

[adamcmoran]

How do you get smiley faces etc

[NFFC]

Just click on help at top of the page [took me a while to work it out, I used to go to another place & copy/paste:) ]

UK engines to watch:

Splut, referrals increasing.

Mirago, results returned as part of askjeeves.co.uk

Previously they were both "pants", so just keep an eye on the newbies, you never know.;)

[adamcmoran]

;) :( I see

[NFFC]

Seeing traffic today from this portal.
libertysurf.co.uk [libertysurf.co.uk]

[oldtimer]

I've had them visting for some weeks now. They are something to do with Freeserve I believe - one of the first to offer 0800 numbers (which never worked when I tried them - always busy)