Is it worth paying for?
August 5, 2009
In-bound links from directory sites can improve your site’s Search Engine rankings. When they come from a professional membership organization they can also deliver prospects who are interested in your services. But should you pay extra for the link?
One of our clients asked: We could pay the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) $100/year to upgrade our listing in their firm search to include a link to our website. It seems kind of expensive since we’re already paying them dues. How valuable do you think this would be?
Not very, because it’s just too hard to find the member directory.
Visiting the ASLA home page to find landscape architects in San Francisco, I tried going to Membership>Member Directory. Clearly not the right page. Nothing to help me understand I was looking for something they call “Firm Finder.”
It took effort and persistence to locate “Firm Finder” under About Us>Directories. The ASLA doesn’t make it easy for people to use the site to find a landscape architect. How many visitors abandon the site and use Google to find a landscape architect instead?
I did a search for “San Francisco” on the Firm Finder. 112 results. Only 1 firm has a link. Clearly, the consensus is it’s not worth the extra fee to get a link.
From the visitors’ perspective, every listing should include a link to the member’s website. It makes Firm Finder a much more useful tool (assuming you can find it).
If the ASLA is trying to generate revenue there are other ways of up-selling enhanced listings to their members. Links should be free, because they improve the user experience.
August 5, 2009 at 11:17 am
Interesting thought, and one to consider, but for the record, there is a large Firm Finder graphic on the home page that your crop fails to show.
April 14, 2011 at 7:56 pm
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April 14, 2011 at 10:33 pm
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August 6, 2009 at 11:14 am
Thanks for your comment. Indeed there is a large Firm Finder graphic but it is at the bottom right corner of the page and many people will have to scroll to see it. If it’s really important (and I would suggest that it is) it should be “above the fold.” And it also looks too much like the “Job Link” to really attract the eye.
September 2, 2009 at 8:29 pm
Excellent site, keep up the good work