The Ups and Downs of Top Sites

For those unfamiliar with Top Sites, these are fundamentally lists of web sites whose content matches a particular theme (for example, sites about portrait painting). The list order is compiled according to votes, so the member sites with the most votes appear on the first page, and those with the least votes are located on subsequent pages. Web site owners must register their site for inclusion in the list, and install a voting code. 

The performance of Top Sites varies in the following respects.

* Number of members, and volume of traffic.
* Frequency of vote count reset (usually monthly, but can be daily or never).
* Anti cheating systems (from none to 24 hour block on re-voting).
* Quality of administration (sadly many are poorly administered, and have lots of inappropriate member sites).

The benefits of Top Site membership

The positive side of Top Site membership is:

* Driving traffic to your web site.
* Search engines will find links (often multiples) from the Top Site to your web site, which contributes towards your site PR.
* The voting code can usually be installed unobtrusively (in any part of your web site, and in any format you choose).
* Once registered with a Top Site, other Top Site owners may invite you to join their Top Site, especially when new Top Sites are launched.
* You don’t need to be at the top of a list to derive a benefit. You should credit Top Site visitors with the intelligence to select links that appeal to them, rather than follow the herd to those that are most popular.

Important considerations of Top Site membership

* While you can put the voting code anywhere on your site, it is very unlikely to be seen and clicked if it is tucked away in a remote corner. The more visible you make the voting code, the more likely it will be clicked, which will in turn help take you site to a more visible position on the list.
* Take the trouble to make a banner for your site. Top Site members with banners get more traffic than those without.
* Many Top Sites require “active” membership. For example, when the Top Site resets, your web site may not re-appear on the list until the link on your site is clicked. Similarly, if your site link is not clicked within a specific period (e.g. 3 months), your site may be deemed “inactive”, and be automatically removed from the list.
* Members cheat! Most Top Sites accept one owner click per day. Some list members do not observe this etiquette, and we experience the “weekend voters”, where sites suddenly receive abnormal number of votes at the weekend. I have even encountered site owners who use an off-line voting link, so they take the traffic into their sites without giving anything back!
* Top Sites that allow member sites with adult or dubious themes can alienate other link exchanges. For example, some web design award schemes will invalidate entry for sites with dubious third party links.
* Don’t reject a Top Site that has few members and low traffic. It may grow, and the listings system usually works on a first come, first served basis (if there are ten sites with the same vote count, the list order may be sorted by oldest membership commencement date first).

The negatives of Top Sites

Nothing is free, and using Top Sites as a strategy to increase traffic requires a little effort.

* You have to search for good Top Sites.
* You must install a voting code on your web site, but making that link visible and attractive can compromise you site design.
* You need to watch for reset dates, and click your own web site link to keep your listing active and visible.
* You may not like the idea of being toe to toe with competitors, but hey, if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!

Portraits by John Burton