Jeff Behrendt of Aviva Directory has conducted an in-depth interview with Greg Hartnett, president of best of the Web, one of the oldest and most trusted directories on the Internet. In the interview, Greg talks about Best of the Web’s past, present and future. Following are a few excerpts.
On the role of guerilla marketing in building BOTW –
We wouldn’t be around at all without guerilla marketing. We started the company on a shoestring budget, and had to fight tooth and nail to survive. Even to this day guerilla marketing permeates our culture – it’s kind of addictive when you have some success with it.
Regarding the recent change in submission price to $69.95 annually recurring –
Pricing is a funny thing – you’re not going to please every person, regardless of where you set the review fee. It’s all about the value proposition, and we set our pricing to what the market will bear. We are one of the best directories out there, so why shouldn’t we be priced accordingly? If you compare us to Yahoo at $299 annually or Business.com at $199 annually, our current price of $69 annually is quite a bargain.
And finally on what constitutes a quality directory –
More than anything, I would examine the quality of the sites listed. Is the directory listing any site that pays or are they only listing sites that contain relevant information for the category? Is the focus of the directory on the user experience, or is it simply a listing service for webmasters? Are they adding sites on their own to create a resource of relevant information, or are they relying on paid submissions for their build?
Personally I like Best of the Web. It is every bit as good as DMOZ and maybe even better because you know that when you submit a site, it is not going to ignored like so many DMOZ submissions are.
I’ve also put Aviva Directory on my “must submit to” list. Both of these directories stand out as quality resources in the midst of so many directories that do not offer a quality experience.
