Question to link list owners regarding Hosted Free Sites...

[MandyD]

Hi Everybody...

I have a question for you

How do you prefer Hosted Free Sites to be setup by sponsors? Do you have any preferences? Some examples below..

Number of pics:
Thumb size:
Main image size:
FPA before or after the content:

I would really like to know what your ideal is


Thanks
Mandy

[Oh Sheila]

Can webmasters even submit free hosted sites? I always thought those were primarily for the link list owners to post themselves with their own ref code.

[MandyD]

That would be up to the individual link list owner, the main problem would be getting a recip on the free hosted site back to the link list as the webmaster has no control over the page...

[Surfn]

Originally posted by MandyD
Hi Everybody...

I have a question for you

How do you prefer Hosted Free Sites to be setup by sponsors? Do you have any preferences? Some examples below..

Number of pics:
Thumb size:
Main image size:
FPA before or after the content:

I would really like to know what your ideal is


Thanks
Mandy

If you are asking what I look for in HFS's just that they don't all look the same (same template with different pics plugged in) and an FPA would definately have to come after the content.

[Greenguy]

Originally posted by Oh Sheila
Can webmasters even submit free hosted sites? I always thought those were primarily for the link list owners to post themselves with their own ref code.

That's probably why the title of this thread is "Question to link list owners regarding Hosted Free Sites..."





I like them to look like this

[NotThatKevin]

Oh crap sorry I did not read the "sites" I have FHG on my brain since Chop and I were chatting on ICQ.

[Ramster]

Originally posted by Oh Sheila
Can webmasters even submit free hosted sites? I always thought those were primarily for the link list owners to post themselves with their own ref code.

No Sheila, webmasters Cannot submit the free hosted sites.

As far as setup goes, anything will do as long as the site is Not full of blind links, has 20 pics (no more needed) and HAS a site title that is different each time.

[amber438]

Originally posted by Ramster
No Sheila, webmasters Cannot submit the free hosted sites.

As far as setup goes, anything will do as long as the site is Not full of blind links, has 20 pics (no more needed) and HAS a site title that is different each time.

and as for me, the same goes for using sponsor hosted galleries in free sites (I know this thread is about hosted free sites but had to add my 2 cents)..they are a nono too..

[Surfn]

I may be wrong, and often am, I think MandyD was asking questions for a sponsor in order to create them for LL's. Not to submit them to LL's.


At least that was my take on her question.

[Oh Sheila]

Originally posted by Greenguy
That's probably why the title of this thread is "Question to link list owners regarding Hosted Free Sites..."

This question can mean both GG

It could be a question to link list owners regarding what they personally like for thier sites or what they are willing to accept from submitters for their sites.

If this thread was meant to get suggestions from link list owners so that a sponsor can design them better for them I apologize for jacking this thread.

[jsand199]

GG:

Webmasters promoting any of the following sponsors will NOT be listed:
Ultra Cash
Epic Cash
----------

Just curious, and the answer may be obvious to someone who is not a newb...but why?

[Opti]

How do you prefer Hosted Free Sites to be setup by sponsors? Do you have any preferences? Some examples below..

Number of pics:
Thumb size:
Main image size:
FPA before or after the content:

I would really like to know what your ideal is

Hi Mandy,

thumb size and main image size.. just dont go extreme with small or large sizes.. large pics being 600-800 pixels on the long side is best imho..

have a Warning Page, a Main Page and 2 galleries... forget the FPA, but treat the main page like an FPA to sell the site... you can get away with a harder sell on the Warning page than a regular site too I think.. just dont use blind links.

Someone already mentioned dont make them all the same... Unlike hosted galleries, I think it is definitely important to go for Quality over Quantity with hosted freesites... putting out half a dozen really good Hosted Freesites per month would be far better than giving me a list of 100 similar sites... most of which I dont want to list becasue they look too similar..

Opti

*edit: When you put them up on your site, including creative Site Titles and suggested description text is one thing I have noticed can get me to add a sponsors hosted freesites when I may not have bothered with them otherwise. (I prefer to make up my own text most times.. but if I am not already motivated to promote that sponsor I may not bother using them at all if I have to stop an do that part)

[Greenguy]

Originally posted by jsand199
GG:

Webmasters promoting any of the following sponsors will NOT be listed:
Ultra Cash
Epic Cash
----------

Just curious, and the answer may be obvious to someone who is not a newb...but why?

Ultra Cash fucked Jim & the guy that runs the other one is an asshole.

[DangerDave]

As Opti said. Quality! is important...

..but more than anything.. they must be on target, well constructed and they need to fit the basic rules!

Many of the sponsor hosted free-site are just plain crap!

- Pics over 1200 pixels on the long side!? waste of time and bandwidth, and they aint gonna sell

- Tiny blurred video caps - we all know already crap content doesn't sell - another waste of time.

- Off niche content - many again have content that simply isnt related to the "product" they are selling - Interracial sponsor/site - content = chick with a dildo! - waste of time

- Reused content - If you have 10 sponsor hosted sites and 20 hosted galleries, use DIFFERENT content - Using the same content severly limtits how many can be listed.

- Dont just stick two sponsor hosted galleries behind a bloody warning page. Especially when those galleries are also listed as hosted galleries.(see above) Make a site that has an actual design, same page colours,fonts etc.

- Make sure your frigging codes are right - one sponsor I use has 11 sites with missing variables - I aint gonna be sending them traffic if I am not going to get credit.

- Dont skim traffic with recips/links to your own TGPs etc. It makes the site unusable.

If ya dont know what you are doing.. Ask!(like this thread)

These can be a good money spinner for your program so make an effort.

DD

[RawAlex]

IMHO, sponsor hosted free sites should have NO return links, NO traffic leaks, nothing but "on target" content and sales text / images.

Traffic leaks are the most important for me. No counters, no "webmasters" link that doesn't make me money, nothing. Our combined goal should be to get the surfer to the front page of your membership site drooling to buy a membership. There should be nothing to take away from that goal.

A nice tight warning page, an good inside page with a good sell, and then decent (but not overdone, thanks) galleries that LEAD to a good sale page... pictures on HTML with a good sales text is good.

No FPAs before content... move them forward, get them drooling, get them buying.

Alex

[Cleo]

Make it easy for us. Give the site good descriptions. It gets real old real fast if I have to struggle on each free site digging through it trying to come up with a catchy title and description.

Also give them proper meta tags, good keywords in the page title, some good text on the page, etc. Make it SE friendly since everything in out lists get spidered by the SEs, hopefully with out code still intact.

[NotThatKevin]

So if I understand this correctly the appeal of a free hosted site is that there are no traffic leaks? If I have a pay site with all the requirements of a FHS except for the "traffic leaks" then you folks won't promote it?

[MandyD]

I am working on some new and interesting idea's which will make the lives for all affiliates using our program a whole lot easier... Hosted Free Sites is just a small part of what we are working right now

Just wait and see what's coming in the next couple months - you're all going to love it!! It's never been done before!!!

Anyway, I can't tell anybody what it is until we are ready to release - so I'll get back in my box now

[Opti]

Months?! You're just a bloody tease! ;-)

[MandyD]

I'm hoping it will be ready earlier, we'll see how it goes

[RawAlex]

Originally posted by NotThatKevin
So if I understand this correctly the appeal of a free hosted site is that there are no traffic leaks? If I have a pay site with all the requirements of a FHS except for the "traffic leaks" then you folks won't promote it?

kevin, no paysites are different. We expect consoles (maybe a no console option for less pay) but we don't expect to find counters, other links offs, non paying links, etc on your paysite tour either.

Free hosted sites should be so good that a decent percentage of the surfers sent click and move onto the membership site tour. That is the sponsors job to make it happen. The more they make that happen, the more likely there will be a signup (and more likely there will be exit traffic, consoles, etc) that the sponsor makes money on.

No reason to put leaks in.

Alex

[NotThatKevin]

Thank you Alex that makes sense to me

[Tipsy]

One of the biggest problems I can see, providing quality etc remains good, is the very low shelf life of such sites. To be effective there would need to be a new site hitting the new list all the time. This would mean you providing a new sponsor hosted free site almost daily. If this could be done then they may not be such a bad idea.

Although you could say the same for hosted TGP galleries there are a LOT out there so a TGP using hosted galleries can keep a fresh gallery or 4 on the new days sites for a very long while.