Are Top Web Sites Good For Everybody?

Top web sites are site lists focused around a common topic, for example clip art, pets, music etc.

Sites on these lists are ranked in order of "votes" - the site that gets voted most gets the top place, the site that gets the 2nd biggest amount of votes gets the second place and so on. The voting system is simple; each top web site member places a link back to the top web site on his site and for each visitor that clicks the link, the site gets one vote.

What Are The Top Web Sites?

It's a links site, that ranks member's sites by the amount of traffic they send in. They usually rank a list of the top 10 - 100 sites focused around a common topic, for example health, business, music etc.

The sites on these lists are ranked in order of "votes" - or referrers. The top referrers get one banner of theirs listed free of charge, in the top web sites section.

The top web sites have three common areas:

* The Index: that's the actual list of sites ordered by hits in
* The Sign up and Login page, where webmasters add their sites, modify setting and view stats
* The Enter page. Some top web sites have gateway pages in order to protect themselves from cheating.

In order to generate votes, each top web site's member places a link back to the top web site on his web site, and every time one of his visitors clicks over that link, he gets one vote. The more votes he gets, the better his position will be on the top web sites list.

The site that gets voted most gets the top place, the site that gets the 2nd biggest amount of votes gets the second place and so on.

Obviously, most of the traffic that goes to the top web sites pages, go to the high ranking sites, although some of the lower-ranking ones can also get a reasonable share. And the top web sites pages get traffic through the voting system, so everybody gets more traffic.

Top web site lists are then very similar to the reciprocal links exchanges; but with an important difference, at the top web sites lists, there is a "middleman" and you can't really tell with which sites you're exchanging traffic with.

The main system utilized for requesting the "votes" to the top web site is usually a picture, and this could be a real problem. If the link picture is too big or you put in a too prominent place, your site might look unprofessional. If you use a small link picture, then you might not get the votes you need to rise on the list because people might miss it.

Top web site lists allow you to automate the link exchange and distribute traffic between participating sites according to the traffic they send in. And they increase the traffic to your web site for free.

But as always the big question is: Do top web sites work?

Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't, it all depends on the quality of the top web site in question.

How Should You Chose A Top Web Site?

* Look for one that doesn't have any pop-up windows
* It must have a lot of sites closely related to the subject of your site
* It must have it's own domain
* Monitor the traffic you're sending to the list and the traffic you're getting from it. If you send more than you receive, resign and find another topsite or other promotion method. On "How to Sell on The Web" you can find dozens of ways to get traffic to your web site.

How To Find Your Top Web Site

* Look for sites dealing with the same subject as you. They might even already be a member of a related top site
* Look for "top site" "top web site" or "topsite" at the Search engines

* Browse the topsite list directory: www dot topsitelists dot com/directory/

Once you chose the top web site that you like, just fill out the form and your site will be ready to be visited. Then you will have to ad to your place the HTML script that the top web site will give you. This script is the one that will allow your visitors to vote from your site.

Are Top Web Sites Good For Everybody?

No, they aren't... If you have a content web site, who's objective is to provide resources to your visitors, then including your site in a a top web site's list could be a good idea.

If you have created an awesome site to sell products or services, and give the people the opportunity to vote for your site; they might get so enthusiastic with the good content of your site, that they decide to vote for you, so they click on the voting button and...! They jump to the top web sites page, and your sale is lost!

What Can You Expect From A Top Web Site?

To have a high ranking in a very visited top web site list can be very good for you, because it will increase your site's traffic, and traffic means sales, and the opportunity to sell advertising space.


About the Author

Author of THE SECRET of The Magic Lamp and it's 42 Self Help CD with Subliminal Messages, that can be found at http://www.drbonomi.com and also author of The Easy Home Business Web Site at http://www.easy-home-business.com

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Ask The Dental Practice Marketing Expert: How Do I Build Credibility With My Dental Advertising?

Dear Dental Practice Marketing Expert,

I am tired of having to offer discounts and such just to get new patients in the door. I want the patients to see how trustworthy, and honest I am, as well as how much experience I have (I've been in practice 35 years). How can I convey this through my dental advertising?

Signed, Average Frustrated Dentist

Dear Average Frustrated Dentist,

While it would be nice to simply go on the seniority principle when we promote dental practices, that is not the type of society we live in anymore.

Today's consumers are increasingly smart (no matter what Britney Spears and Paris Hilton may say) and are looking out for their best interests when shopping for anything. This includes dental care, and considering dental advertising.

With that being said, here are the five rules for building credibility in your dental marketing.

Credibility rule #1: What others say about you is 1000 times more convincing than what you say about yourself.

Using testimonials from current patients saying how good you are at what you do is much better than telling them yourself. Self promotion has it's place, but third party promotion is always better. Try and integrate this into your dental practice marketing strategy, and see what happens.

Make sure the testimonials are sincere and convey a direct benefit to the consumer. A testimonial saying "You're great!" is not as good as "I enjoy coming to your practice because you always take the time to answer my questions!"

Credibility rule #2: Nobody cares about the letters.

I call this the show off rule, because it has turned into a contest over who can put the most letters behind their name. You see it all the time in dentistry, John Smith, DDS, MBA, MAGD, FAACD.

Nobody knows what those mean, and thus they are ignored. Sure, you have the qualifications to put them after your name, but save it for your business card. If anything, keep it simple and just use DMD, or DDS. Those, although not known by everyone, are the most commonly recognized acronyms in the dental profession.

Credibility Rule #3: Third party endorsements are huge.

Take the concept of a testimonial one step further, and you have a third party endorsement. This includes getting a separate non-related party to write about, or feature you as an expert.

This includes writing an article for the newspaper, or getting featured in an article.

It really doesn't matter what this article says, just the fact that you give a quote about an issue, or have your practice featured in a charity event adds to your credibility. This may be more time consuming, and costly, but it is well worth it to be labeled as an expert.

Credibility Rule #4: Educate to excess

You need to educate people so they can make better choices. Writing articles for newspapers, speaking for groups, or anything else you can do to get your name and mind in front of people.

This should be simple information. A report like "Seven signs you may need a crown" is a good one, and would instantly make you look like the crown expert. This not only builds your credibility, but people will pay more to see the "expert."

This also goes for your patient newsletter. Put good solid information in there that is easy for the regular person to understand. Then, if one of your patient's friends has a problem, your patient can say "Oh, Dr. Smith wrote about that in your patient newsletter, you should go see him." Plus, if a patient is looking for additional services, they can learn from the newsletter which is right for them.

Credibility Rule #5: Don't be afraid to give them the test drive

Finally, as the saying goes, "Don't tell me, show me." One of the best ways to prove how nice, competent, gentle, and kind you are is to give a test drive. This means giving a special offer so the new patients can come and experience for themselves your credibility.

Once they se it from their own eyes, they are more likely to return, and refer their friends. Don't be afraid to give them a small discount to get them in the door, then treat them like a celebrity, whether they are or not. They new patient will realize how credible you are very quickly.

With these five rules in your dental marketing arsenal, you should have all the credibility you need to run a smooth sailing dental practice. Realize that these five rules are powerful in and of themselves, but if you combine all five of them, you can crank up your credibility and believability to levels previously unseen, and you will be rewarded.


About the Author

James Erickson is the President of EMC Dental Marketing which gives Dentists a resource for turn-key dental marketing programs and dental practice marketing education including new patient attraction, and internal marketing systems. Visit www.EMCdental.com and get a free practice

building kit sent directly to your home or office.<

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