Business.com.....a pro or con?

[BigOne]

Anyone out there have the low down on Business.com?
Are they a good venture to partake in?
Anyone have positive or negative results or maybe just something to look out for?

Thanks in advance;

[Craig Fifield]

I see good traffic from the $99 listings, not tons, but enough. Since you can actually get 5 links (title, plus 4 others) for that $99 I think it is a pretty good deal.

[chopsticks]

I've had a reasonable experience with Business.com. Over the years I've had a few "issues" with them (overbilling on invoices; especially for their PPC program when it was new).

If your market is BUSINESS focused then they're fine. i.e. NOT consumer/customer based but B2B. Not too many "average joe" surfers using the Business.com directory for online shopping.


One bad thing is that LookSmart listings show up on the right hand side of the Business.com pages (ala Google ad words style).

That means that LookSmart advertisers get listed on the page (often in a more prominent position that the long scrolling list of names) --- for $.15 a click.

Thus, $.15 a click with LookSmart or $99 with Business.com; that is the question.

[BigOne]

Our business is providing websites for real estate agents and brokers. You think Business.com would be profitable for us?

I thought they are PPC........What is the $99 for??

Having said that which one is the best choice........shared or feature listings?

[chopsticks]

Business.com charges $99 for a review to be included in their direcctory (simillarly to how Yahoo! charges $299).

The $99 gets you reviewed, and presumably accepted and listed in their directory.

Featured listings are PPC. Featured listings rates depend on how many other featured/sponsor listings there are. The bid jumps $.10 per sponsor/featured lising (and it starts at $.40 per click)

i.e. if there is one current featured listing/advertister in the directory that you want to also be featured (listed at the top) then you'd have to pay $.50 per click. The 1st advertiser gets the base/cheapest rate of $.40 per click (but if you bid more than then you get listed above them, but you have to pay $.10 more)

if there were three featured listings/sponsors then the bottom (oldest advertiser) listing pays $.40, the middle listing $.50, the newest (topmost) listing would be $.60.... and if you wanted to be added it'd cost you $.70 per click.

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the one good benefit of the 'featured listing' is that you do NOT have to pay the $99 review fee.

if you pay the featured listing fee (essentially glorified PPC with $.10 incremental bids) you get two listings -- one at the top, the featured listing, and one standard alphabetical listing in the Business.com directory.

[BigOne]

Thank you kindly for the feedback. I think this is a venture we may embark upon at least for a month or 2 to see how the traffic looks and how much our cost will be. I was sent a proposal from them and my costs will be as low as 40 cents for a number 1 rank all the way to 80 cents for a number 1 rank.

I guess we will see what happens and I will keep the forum posted on our success as well.