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The DFN Weekly

Dissecting a Topsite

By

MorganaX
Twisted Perversions

Topsites can be a great source of alternative traffic source for your sites. Using them can even build perpetual traffic to your site, whereas other sources tend to send you a surge of traffic that dies down with time. Choosing your first topsite can be a daunting task. Hopefully, this article will give you more confidence to test topsites if you have yet to do so.

Spend some time on research. You can find topsites listed in resource areas of webmaster boards, free site reciprocals and friends or referrers lists at LL/TGPs. There are several topsites listed in VNWR's resources that I would consider very newbie-safe but I'm biased.

Keep a txt file of potential topsites that you'd like to use. Since I'm constantly on the lookout for new topsites to try, I keep a running list categorized by niche.

Now that you're ready to research, let's dissect the parts of a topsite. Keep in mind that your goals are to get listed, stay listed and get a favorable return from the topsite.

ENTRANCE OR GATEWAY

If you entered the topsite through a submission page, go to its home page and click on a listed site's link. Once there, click on the topsite's reciprocal. This will give you a better idea of the page that your traffic will see from your own reciprocal link.

If the page is slow loading, don't bother adding it to your list. You need hits to get to the topsite to get creditted for them.

Some topsites use gateways. These can be as simple as a page with the word "Enter" on it. They were first used to provide a safe exit to surfers who were tricked to the site and assure quality hits into the list. Some topsites have exploited gateways to be banner farms. A few have links such as "Click here to enter without voting". Frankly, I don't see any use for the latter and wouldn't want to send my hard earned hits to a topsite that would take them but not give me credit for them. On the other hand, I have had some success with topsites that have simple gateways.

NAVIGATION

The topsite itself should be easy to get to. Less clutter means that surfers will have an easier time getting to your link.

LISTED SITES

Look over the sites already listed. Would you want your site listed next to them? Topsites can be easy targets for illegal sites. A well-maintained topsite will have fewer of these, if any at all.

Also, topsite owners will often list their sites on other topsites to boost each other's traffic. 2-4 aren't bad and helps to keep traffic flowing.

But, if 30% or more are other topsites, you'll be trading your quality traffic for someone else's trash.

HITS IN/OUT

For now, your main concern should be getting onto the list. What is the minimum amount needed to stay listed? Also, look over the bottom half of the topsite. Are the sites listed getting a good return for their hits in? I love bottom feeding at most topsites that I'm just trying out. For a minimal amount of hits and effort, I can usually multiply my traffic. In another article, my cohorts and I will talk more about positions on a topsite and why you might consider targetting the top positions.

RESET TIMES

When using multiple topsites for a project, I like to use a good mix of ones that reset daily and ones that reset weekly. Using topsites that reset at different times and/or days can assure that you have a constant flow of traffic to your page. You can sometimes find reset times on submit pages. Most of the time, you'll have to investigate on your own.

RULES

We'll get back to the main page in a bit but click on the "Add" link and read through the site's rules. Most topsites have very lenient rules. Their main concern is that the hits you send into the list are human clicks. A few will not accept consoles on the page you submit. Most will accept 2 unchained consoles. A very few will not allow their links to be placed in consoles. Of those that will allow their links on consoles, be sure that their link opens in a new, resizeable window.

ENTRANCE/EXIT CONSOLES

Okay, jump back to the main page and exit the site. How many consoles were there? My comfort zone is no more than 2 consoles, preferrably one. I happen to be of the persuasion that a topsite should at least comply by its own rules. If the consoles are neverending and/or chained, don't use them. Circlejerks can be turned into useful traffic but it takes a bit of experience in topsites, site design and traffic manipulation.

Remember that there's no harm in testing a topsite. If you decide not to use it, simply drop its link(s) from your site and try another.

If, after all this, you are still hesitant about using topsites, be sure to read next week's DFN for more about the subject from Robbo or Kathy. If you need another nudge, ask away on the VNWR board. There's several of us topsite owners usually lurking about that would gladly help.