USA WEB DIRECTORIES publishes quality local directory
websites and online guides targeted to travelers, tourists,
real estate and new home buyers, employment seekers,
people wanting to relocate, retirees, and local residents
looking for fun things to see, do, and buy in their area.
This page has Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about
Custom Banner Ads, Premium Display Ads, and Enhanced Listings
in the USA Web
Directories online local directories.
You can jump to a category of
questions by clicking on these links:
Why are your ads and listings priced by the click-through instead of
by
the number of impressions?
Cost Per Click-through is perceived as being
more fair by many of the merchants and businesses who are
interested in our
services. When web advertising is priced per
thousand "impressions", you cannot establish what price you
will pay per visitor because there is no way of knowing how many
responses you are going to get for a thousand times an ad
is displayed. Cost per click-through pricing means we can
GUARANTEE you will get a specified number of visitors for the money you
spend. For example, spending $50 at $0.25 per click gives you 200
visitors. We call this PAY FOR RESULTS pricing,
because you only pay for the results — visitors on your website — you
actually get.
We also offer a monthly
rate for listings and ads. If you want a fixed monthly cost to
your advertising with us, or if you are uncomfortable with
Cost-Per-Click pricing for any reason, you can choose this rate plan
instead.
What does our promise of
"GUARANTEED cost of traffic" really mean?
Our PAY FOR RESULTS pricing lets us
GUARANTEE that all visitor traffic you receive from us will be at the
fixed price per visitor that you agreed to. We cannot tell you
how quickly you will receive any set quantity of responses, but we CAN
GUARANTEE you will pay ONLY for the traffic you get.
Why do you also have
monthly rates (prepaid for 6 months or 12 months)?
Some of our advertisers prefer to have a fixed
price that they pay for their advertising each month. Others don't have a website to
link their ad or listing to, so they can have no click-throughs to
track. You decide which is best for you.
What amount of traffic
can I expect from my ad or listing?
There are many different factors that affect
the response rates to ads and listings in a web directory,
such as the volume of traffic on your specific page, location of ad,
number of competing ads, the appeal of your product or service, the
offer or inducement in the ad, time of year, and the attractiveness of
the ad itself. Because of these, we have no way of predicting how
many clicks you will get during any particular time period. The
total number of page-views each directory get is constantly increasing each month,
however, and we are always working on ways to ensure our visitors will
see the ads and listings that will interest them most, so you will get
as many clicks as possible as soon as you can.
How do I order a banner ad,
display ad, or listing on a
USA Web
Directories
online local directory website?
You use our
Online Order Form
to order ads or listings on any of the local directory websites we have
available, as long as you wish to pay by credit card. You may also use
the online form to generate an invoice which you can submit with your
business or personal check by mail.
You can also call us toll-free at:
888-678-9437
What if you don't have a
page category that would suit my business?
Go ahead and submit your or order and request
the category you would like for your ad or listing. If that
category would be fitting and desirable for the site, we will consider
creating a new page for it. If a new page is not feasible at that
time, we will suggest another existing page that we think would be
suitable, and you would have the option to accept or decline that page.
How long after I order my
ad or listing will it appear on the web directory?
We currently publish all changes and additions
to our websites within three days of our receiving them. If you have a need that is particularly time-sensitive,
let us know and we will try to accommodate you.
What is the difference
between an Enhanced Listing and a Premium Display Ad?
An Enhanced Listing is a fixed-format ad that can contain a logo or photograph, a link to your website,
and up to four lines of sales or descriptive text in addition to your company
name, address, and phone numbers. Enhanced Listings are shown
in order of purchase, sorted by city or area, where applicable.
A Premium Display Ad is much larger
(more than 2½ times the area of a listing)
and can include all the items in an Enhanced Listing plus additional photographs and
sales text. The ad is presented from a single graphic file, so the
format can be custom designed to suit your particular needs and sense of
aesthetics. Premium Display Ads appear above all Enhanced
Listings, and are ranked according to the date of the order, with the
earliest ordered ads higher on the page.
If I order a Listing or
Banner Ad, will you always run it?
We will usually honor any advertising order as
long as it fits into one of our established page categories. Of
course, we will not accept listings or ads for anything we consider
objectionable, such as promoting or advocating
violence, hatred, obscenities, criminal activities, or racial, social,
ethnic, religious, or sexual prejudices. We also refuse political
advertising. Ads or listings that support
causes which we believe are ecologically, socially, or economically beneficial will be considered.
Can I order Enhanced Listings
or Display Ads on more
than one page or topic?
You are welcome to have listings or ads on as many
pages or as many topics as are appropriate for your product or
service. With Cost-Per-Click billing, you pay only for visitors who click-through to your
website, so it doesn't cost you any more to have multiple ads or listings
because all clicks will be charged at the specified rate.
With monthly billing rates, additional listings or ads are charged at
half the rate for that listing or ad size.
The purpose of having different categories of pages is to make it easier
for our visitors to find exactly what they are looking for on our
website. For that reason, we reserve the right to decide just what
types of listings and display ads are appropriate for any category or
topic and to refuse listings
or ads that are not fitting for a particular page. Of course, Banner Ads
may be run on any section or rotated across the entire site.
Can I have an Enhanced Listing and
a Premium Display Ad on the same page?
We are happy to include an Enhanced Listing on
any page where you have a Premium Display Ad. If you have chosen
Pay-Per-Click billing, you will be charged for
each click at the same rate as the Premium Display Ad. For monthly billing,
the Enhanced Listing will be billed at half the normal rate for that
listing.
Can I run my ads or listings
in more
than one local directory?
Yes, as long as you actually do
business in the city or state each directory represents. Our directories
are intended to serve the local geographic area each is named for, so
your display ads and listings should be placed only in the directory or
directories which serve the area in which you do business. For
example, a tour operator located in Colorado could run a listing under
Tours in Colorado in Colorado Life, but would not
be able to run a similar listing in Arizona Life unless he
also ran one or more tours actually in Arizona. This gives you the
advantage of being able to concentrate your advertising in only the
directories for your area, as well as not having to compete with
out-of-area businesses in your directory.
Banner Ads are not included in this policy, so you could run banner ads
in many different directories, even if you do not have an office or
"other presence" in the area each directory represents. The Banner
Ad rates for each individual directory would apply.
Is there a discount if I order
ads or listings on more
than one local directory?
Each of our directories is ranked
by how much traffic it receives and the advertising rates for it are
priced accordingly. You may place multiple ads and listings in as many
directories as are appropriate for your product or service. Each
ad or listing will be tracked separately and billed at the pay-per-click
or monthly rate shown for the directory it is in. There are no
further discounts for placing an ad or listing on multiple directories
at this time.
Can I order Banner Ads in
sections that
don't pertain to my business?
Yes, although the responses you get usually
will be better targeted to your business and be more likely to produce
sales if your Banner Ads are only on sections which are related to your
business. You may also request run-of-site placement for your banners
in order to maximize your response rates. We then will rotate your
banners through all sections on the site, which obviously will include
all categories that are most appropriate to your business.
Can I order an ad or
listing if I don't have a website to link it to?
Yes, but you would have to pay the monthly
rate, since we would have no way to count "clicks" if we can't send
visitors to your website. As an alternative, we could create a
single page website for you for just a one-time fee of $150, and we
would host it for you free. We can also design a complete,
multi-page quality website to showcase your business for you. Our
work is professional and very reasonably priced. Call us for more
details on these options, toll-free at 888-678-9437.
I don't have a graphic for my ad — how do I get one made?
We can easily create one for you using your
logo, photos, and information from your website. Our work is
professional (see our
Banner Ad Samples or Display Ad
Samples) and very reasonably priced at just $45 for a
static banner ad, $90 for an animated banner ad, or $60 for a display
ad. There is no extra cost for Enhanced Listings. You could
also use a graphics program to make one yourself (see our Graphics
Specifications), or you could hire a graphic artist to
design one for you.
What if I don't have a
website, or one which has photos or graphics to copy?
You may provide photos, your logo, or other artwork as graphic files or
as printed matter suitable for us to scan.
See our
Graphics Specifications for the
digital requirements.
How am I charged for the visitor traffic I receive from you?
For Cost-Per-Click billing, you give us a deposit when you place your
initial order and we will open an account for you with a credit
balance. We track the number of visitors we send you each month,
multiply that by the price you agreed to pay, and charge that amount
against your deposit account. We send you a report by e-mail to
tell you what the charges are, and you can replenish the account when
necessary.
For
Monthly Rate billing, you can pay for six months in advance, or for one
year in advance, which is an even better rate. We send you a
report by e-mail each month to tell you what your traffic has been, and
we'll send you a reminder a week or so before it is time to renew your
advertising order. You can then go online and pay for another six months
or year.
Will you bill me for the
traffic I get, instead of having a deposit account?
We tried that, but too many people "forgot" to
pay their advertising bills. Now we insist on receiving a deposit in
advance. The deposit account system helps us keep our prices low by
eliminating our bad debt expense. We've been operating our local
directories since 1999, so you can feel assured we won't be disappearing
in the middle of the night in the future. And you will pay
only for traffic you receive when you use our PAY FOR RESULTS pricing.
What is the minimum I
have to deposit to start my advertising?
The Cost-Per-Click minimum initial deposit is just $50. This will provide you with 200 visitors
at a cost per visitor of $0.25 for example. You may make a deposit of any greater
amount, if you choose.
For Monthly Rate billing,
the minimum initial charge is the 6 months rate for the size of ad or
listing for each directory selected. For example, an Enhanced
Listing at $10 per month would require $60 prepaid. A 12-month
order will get you a better monthly rate, of course.
Creating the graphics for a display ad or
banner ad requires an additional, one-time charge. Banner ad
graphics are $45 each ($90 each if you want animation), and display ad
graphics are $60 each. Graphic designs must be prepaid, but your
satisfaction is guaranteed and we will remake or modify any graphic we
do for free if you are not completely happy with it.
Do I have to keep a minimum
of $50 in my deposit account?
No, this is just the minimum amount you must
provide to open your pay-per-click deposit account initially. Once it is open, your
account can have any positive balance.
What methods of payment
do you accept on my deposit account?
We can take a MasterCard, Visa, Discover, or
American Express credit card by telephone or online order. You can
also send us a business check by US mail, but it will take extra time
for the check to arrive and be processed before we can open your deposit
account. If you order by credit card, your ad or listing will
appear right away.
Will you invoice me for
the initial deposit?
Yes, when you order online, our system
automatically produces an invoice on the screen and you can print the page and have a hard copy for your
accounting. When you order by phone, we will email an invoice to
you. If you choose to pay by check instead of credit card, we will
process the order, but we must receive payment before we can publish your ad or listing.
When your check has cleared our bank, we will email you a paid invoice.
How will I know when my
deposit account is getting low?
We send you a notice by email when your
Cost-Per-Click deposit account reaches $5 or less. For Monthly
Rate billing, we will send you an invoice a week or so before you need to
renew your advertising order. You will also receive a monthly report of your visitor traffic that shows
the number of clicks you have received and the charges and
credits to your account.
How can I get a report on
my account more often than monthly?
For security reasons, all traffic analysis and
reporting is done offline now, so our reports are only produced once a
month. We are currently developing a new online tracking and
reporting system which will send you reports as often as daily, if you
prefer. This system will also allow you to log-in and view your
traffic statistics and your account balance in real time, make payments,
update your contact information page, enter new ad orders, and modify
your existing ads anytime you please. Unfortunately, this
wonderful new system is still being tested and corrected at this time,
but we are doing everything we can to expedite its completion.
When it is done, you can bet the world will hear about it. In the
meantime, if you have an urgent need to get a more frequent traffic
report, please let us know and we will see what we can do to accommodate
you.
How do I add funds to my
deposit account?
You can use our online payment form with your credit card to add funds to your
deposit account anytime. You may also authorize us to charge your credit
card for a specified deposit amount anytime your account is low, or on a
regular monthly basis.
Otherwise, you can call us or email us to authorize a charge to your
credit card, or you can send a check to us by US mail.
What happens if my
deposit account runs out?
Your banner ads and listings will be removed until you have
funded your account again. You will also lose any rank you had on
your listings by being earliest with your order. When your
listings are reinstated, they will be below any listings already on the
page.
If I order a listing or
display ad AND a banner ad, do I
have to make two deposits?
No, you make just one initial deposit to open
one account that you will use for all your USA Web
Directories
local directory advertising needs. When you have banner ads and listings on multiple pages, your
deposit account will be used more quickly, so be sure you maintain an
adequate balance to cover your usage. This is a case where you
might want to consider authorizing us to charge your credit card
automatically when your balance is low.
What if I don't get the
number of visitors I expect -- can I get a refund?
If you are disappointed with your results after
six months, we will refund the balance on your account and remove your
listings at your request. Of course, this has never happened.
How do you track a visitor leaving your website to click-through
to me?
The page request is actually sent to our
tracking system on a different host server, then redirected to your
website. The click is recorded and charged to your account periodically.
How do I know how many
visitors I am receiving from
USA Web
Directories sites?
The report we send you periodically will show
how many visitors are being charged to your account. If you want
more information, you can request a detailed report that includes a
list of all visitors with the IP address of the visitor and the date and
time of the click-through for each record on the list. You can
compare this list against your own access logs to verify you received
them all.
To make checking easier, we
suggest you create a special page to receive the visitors you get from
us and specify that page instead of your home page when you tell us what
page you want your ads and listings linked to. For example, if this page
is named "usaweb.htm", your Link URL for us would be something like:
"http://www.yoursite.com/usaweb.htm" and you could search
your log files for "usaweb.htm" to find only those
records. Your "usaweb" page could have links to other
parts of your website just like your home page, or it could simply
redirect the request to the home page. This is simple webmaster
wizardry.
What if someone clicks on
my link several times? Do I get charged for
multiple visits by the same person?
Our tracking system filters out reloads and
counts only one visit per unique IP address in any 24-hour period, with
a limit of five visits per calendar month per unique IP address.
Page requests by recognized search engines, requests from our own IP
addresses, and requests not completed are not counted either. Since large
Internet Service Providers like AOL, MSN, or AT&T reassign IP addresses,
it is theoretically possible that a visitor using one of these ISP's
could click-through and be counted more than five times in one month. It is also possible some visitors from these ISP's would not be counted
at all.
Our evaluations of the
habits of Internet users indicate that most people will return directly
to a website they discover when using our online directory, so it is
unlikely you would pay for many repeat visits. We feel our system
is very accurate overall, and any potential variances are set to favor
you over us.
How do I know I really am
getting the visitors I am being charged for?
Our servers automatically record every file
request made, and our tracking system analyzes the records for patterns
and irregularities that indicate the requests were not authentic.
Anything unusual is flagged and personally examined. If we suspect
the records in question are not genuine visitor clicks, your account is
not charged for them.
Couldn't the records in
your system be faked?
We would not get rich cheating our
customers out of dimes and quarters. We make money only by
providing a quality service and retaining the business of our customers
over an extended period of time. External to our system, we take fraud very
seriously and have every feasible precaution in place to protect all
data relevant to a customer. If you ever have any concerns about your
billing or anything else, please contact us.
How can I tell if the
visitors I get from you are actually buying from me?
There are two ways to accomplish this.
The high-tech way is to create a special page to receive the visitors we
send you, as
described above. You
then give them a cookie that identifies where they came from, track
their progress through your website, and read the cookie when they
order. The low-tech way
is to ask them how they found you. We recommend using both
ways.
What do you do to prevent
hackers from accessing your site?
Numerous security measures to defeat hackers
are taken on our website servers and on our internal network in our
offices. We do not divulge exactly what we do because that would
only assist them in their evil efforts. Let's just say we believe
these dirt bags should be taken out and strung up in a tree, and we are
doing everything we legally can to achieve this electronically.
Why should I advertise my site here? Aren't search engines enough?
Many people think they can create a website,
register their site with a few of the search engines, and the world will
beat a path to their door. The fact is, you have to very actively
promote your website to get people to come see it.
Our
12 Reasons to Advertise with USA Web Directories page shows you many
of the things we do to attract visitors to our website and funnel them
to yours. You can benefit greatly from advertising with us because
you share just a small part of our total cost of providing traffic to
you and other advertisers, and yet it costs you
only when you receive visitor traffic to your website!
Do you email a
newsletter to your website visitors?
We are currently collecting the names and
email addresses from visitors who choose to "opt-in" to our mailing
list. We will soon be sending out one or more regular newsletters by email to everyone who signed
up to receive information about their area.
Copyright © 2008 by USA Web
Directories. All rights reserved worldwide.