Express Submit Going Up

[ihelpyou]

Looksmart is raising the price of Express Submit to $299 affective August 1st.

Implementing an express modify also. See it here:

http://submit.looksmart.com/info.jhtml?lastpg=&page=form&sku=ls01&sessionParam=rO0ABXNyABNqYXZhLnV0aWwuSGFzaHRhYmxlE7sPJSFK5LgDAAJGAApsb2FkRmFjdG9ySQAJdGhyZXNob2xkeHA%2FQAAAAAAAS3cIAAAAZQAAAAJ0AARzeW5kdAACVVN0AARjaGFudAAIbHNob21lcGd4

[Mel]

Thanks for the tip Doug:

anyone not on the looksmart bandwagon had better get aboard now or pay the higher price next week.

[ihelpyou]

Regarding the express submit and express modify, I had an important question today so I emailed Looksmart. Here is the answer I got back:

Yes, you'll still have up to 30 days to request changes. The only exception is additional categories - if you want to request additional categories, you'll have to pay for that through Expresss Modify, whether you're within the 30-day timeframe or not.

Wanted to make sure that we still had 30 days to request a change to the description if needed. Got the answer!

[usbnuts]

I think I will pay the $99 basic submit. What do you think?

[ihelpyou]

The difference is that you get listed in a full 8 weeks. With express, you get listed within 5 days.

Also, the basic submit is going up to $149 on August 1st.

[Hope]

Wow that is a lot of money. Are they still going to have the non-profit submissions for free? I guess the better question is, are they ever going to actually accept any free non-profit submissions?

[ihelpyou]

As far as I know, non-profits can still submit for free.

Also, www.zeal.com has a new look and their listings are going to be starting to show in with the regular LS listings. They are in beta right now. This could mean that it may be easier to list a non-profit by going thru Zeal.

[ihelpyou]

Look on the bright side, this increase makes the prize from Looksmart as a sponsor for our contest just that much more valuable. ;)

[Hope]

We have a LOT of links in Zeal, so that makes me feel a lot better.

[ihelpyou]

Yes. I have not paid much attention to Zeal since LS bought them but believe I will have to start real soon.

[Hope]

I have been an editor there for way too long now. It helps keep you on top of everything.

[newriver]

<tradman pulling hair out>
I was up till 2 am last night passing that Zeal editor test.

First test- 75%
Second test - 75%
Third test- 90%
and so on and so forth- took me 15 tests until my MQ was above 90%, I basically had to ace the last four tests to get above 90%.

If I was smart, which I'm not, i would have registered under a different name after the first test and reached the 90% level much faster.:rolleyes:

[Hope]

I am not having a problem with the MQ, for me it is the ZQ. I guess I need to study more.

[usbnuts]

What's the benefit to a Zeal editor?

[newriver]

Still remains to be seen, the thought behind it is that we will be able to effect changes at Looksmart, and hence MSN, Excite, and AV to an extent.

[ihelpyou]

hmmmm, perhaps it seems I should be studying for this test. Should become an editor and start submitting sites....:idea:

[newriver]

A lot of the test is common sence, so don't spend too much time reading the guidelines before you take it....if you have a good understanding of Looksmart's rules, and the style they use to write titles and descriptions, you will pass....but it has to be over 90% for the average score of all tests.

EX question:
Look at the following website from about.com regarding the disease Lupus, and pick the most appropriate title.
1.) Lupus
2.) About Lupus
3.) About.com - Lupus
4.) Lupus : About.com

Answer is #3.

Also, be careful about spelling and capitalization, as well as the use of online, or website in the description. They hate those.

[ihelpyou]

Well, if it is about the way LS writes titles and descriptions, I will have it down pat.

One important point, 2 sentences is good with the second sentence beginning with an adverb/adjective. Get, view, load, check, etc.

Title is easy,.... If 1st page of a site, then use the business name. If second or more page of a site, use the page title first, then a hypen, then the business name. Can be vis-versa also.

I still need to study though.., :balling:

[Advisor]

LookSmart and $299

And I thought my exhorbitant price increases every so often were bad. But a 50% hike all at once? Don't think I've ever been that ballsy...

Oh wait...just remembered some hikes I made in January...nevermind... ;)

Jill

[JuniorHarris]

I've reserved comment on the price increase, mainly because I have mixed feelings about it. Although I am very pleased with the market reach we receive through our LookSmart listing, it's still very painful to accept such a substantial increase in price.

I also fear it may pave the way for others to follow as well. After all according to Media Metrix (http://wreportus.mediametrix.com/clientCenter.html) Looksmart is listed at number 32 and Yahoo is at number 3, so why wouldn't Yahoo also increase their price as their piece of the market pie is much larger.

Sure I understand that this is a business and one must make a profit to stay in business. But if a 50% increase is necessary to remain profitable, then there were some serious flaws in the business plan to begin with!~

Now if my Looksmart traffic increases by 50%, I'll gladly retract all statements!~

[ihelpyou]

Yes. I agree.

If we knew that this increase was only going to be LS only, then we could deal with it.

But I do know this will pave the way for increases across the board.

The bottom line is that it will hurt those sites who are on a tight budget and who are not able to do their own SEO work as they may need the outside help of an SEO.

In my case, I can simply raise my price again to cover the added expenses and can justify it, but for MOST sites, this is not an option.

[Advisor]

You're right Doug. This increase won't effect me or my clients because they're paying so much already an extra hundred doesn't amount to much. However, it shows you the utter arrogance of the company. In fact, I still don't believe a LookSmart listing is worth much, let alone $299. I will certainly still use it for my larger clients because they will expect to be there, but I would never recommend them to small businesses. In fact, I have many clients from years ago who I never bothered to register with LookSmart and it doesn't effect their rankings at all.

:down: with looksmart

Now I hate them even more than I already hated them. (And I do have my reasons which I will someday write about here. Just need some free time to do it.)

Their one saving grace is that they are finally not totally ruining every description I send to them. (Of course once they read this...) I'll have to start submitting anonymously! ;)

Jill

[ihelpyou]

The Looksmart and MSN partnership scares me. If that ever ends, LS could be in trouble.

I really, truly, hope they are trying to talk to Google about things. I think they are as I believe this would lead to long-term stability with them.

[Advisor]

That would be awesome if MSN dropped LS. Then we wouldn't have to ever worry about submitting to LS again! It's the only reason most people bother with them. Maybe MSN will find ODP and we'll be all set!

Jill

[Mel]

Hi All:

I have seen some suggestions that the current algo tweaking which MSN is struggling through might result in them dropping results from Looksmart or perhaps putting the Inktomi results first.

I do that for some keywords I track there which used to show two or three LS listings before the Ink listings now show only the Ink listings. I agree with Doug that losing MSN could be a death blow to LS. No doubt LS has the web "reach" they claim but do they deliver targeted traffic?

[ihelpyou]

Yes. That would be great if MSN found ODP and LS and Google got together.

The issues I have with ODP probably equal the issues you have with Looksmart.

The idea that when submitting to ODP, you may get in, not know when, if denied- do not know it, if in- do not know it, no editor in the category you belong in, editors ignore all emails, sites submitted that seem to go into a big black hole, on and on and on and on ......

I wish a meta editor or even just an editor of ODP would step up in here to moderator the ODP forum.

It is really hard for me to understand the way they run things.

[Advisor]

No way on Google and LookSmart. That would just be soooooo yukky. Yukky yukky yukky yukky! Then they'd probably charge $1,000 to get in!

I hope they just go away all together. That would be sooooo wonderful!

Jill

[ihelpyou]

hehe,


I love this! Different opinions and experiences are great in forums like this. Many different ways of looking at things.

We all just have to look at the whole picture and all advice given, then pick out the advice that gives us a good feeling and run with it. We are all different. ALL sites are different. Different strokes for different folks.

At the end of the day, just sit back and say "haaa", while doing some heavy... :drink:

[Advisor]

Oh, Doug...what a shiny happy "people" you are!

I much prefer that everyone listen only to what I say and figure that everyone else is a moron...hehehehe ;) :p :eek:

But the drinking thing sounds like a good idea!

:cheers:

Jill who's always right. Just ask my kids.

[ihelpyou]

One thing you and I do know, if we do not keep that :) face, we would go nuts in this business. Although, a good thing is that it is ever changing and NEVER boring.

Sometimes it also makes you want to go... :bouncy:

[Advisor]

Actually, the search engines and directories are a breeze. They are predictable. It's the clients that sometimes make me go :hit:

Jill :kisses:

[ihelpyou]

oops, all set...... :hit:

[newriver]

Thank you Mr. ihelpyou. BTW, I'm gonna stick w/ the Mr.

[ihelpyou]

Sounds good tradman. You are on. I will get it set up!

Thanks!:up: