FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT LISTING IN OUR DIRECTORY
Click here to place your business
listing online
Why should I advertise on this website?
As a business owner you already recognize the importance of
advertising and reaching new customers. More than 400,000
people in Sarasota & Manatee Counties use the Internet on a
regular basis.
For $20/month there is
no better way of reaching potential new
customers who are on the Internet every day, searching for
information on local businesses.
For most businesses - even the very smallest , FindSarasota.com
represents the BEST advertising value.
Unlike the Yellow Pages, you can put lots of information about
your business - hours of operation, driving directions,
specialties, references - anything you want to say about your
business - all for the basic fee of $20/month.
What is the actual cost of a listing in the directory?
It really is $20/month.
What is the REAL actual cost of listing in the directory?
Well, ok. It really is $20/month.
Every business is automatically listed in one category. If you
want to be listed in two, three or four categories, that is an
extra $8, $15, or $20/month.
See our
rate sheet.
I already have a website - can my ad link
directly to my website?
Absolutely. In fact, your listing on FindSarasota.com
will quickly become your best source of traffic to your website
because we serve as a portal for everybody who has an interest
in Sarasota.
Each client is allowed to create an Information Page describing
their business. You can show your web link on your
Information Page, or you can bypass the Information Page and
link straight to your website - it's your choice.
I don't have a website for my business - do I
need one?
No - you do not need a website in order to advertise your
business on FindSarasota.com. The FindSarasota.com
Business Directory was developed specifically for small
businesses - most don't have a website. When you place
your ad, you will create an Information Page which describes
your business in detail.
Some businesses may still want to have a website, and we can
help you find very low cost web design services. Please
contact us
if you would like more information on developing a website for
your small business.
I don't use the Internet - why shouldn't I
just get my customers the old fashioned way?
Very funny. If you're reading this then you use the
Internet - and so do thousands of your potential customers.
For the low monthly cost of advertising on FindSarasota.com it
doesn't make sense not to reach out to these potential customers
- even if you don't use the Internet yourself (but you do
because you're reading this - or perhaps your wife dragged you
over to the computer to see this...).
Do I have to call you, or can I place my listing directly
online?
Either way. It's very easy to
place your listing online,
or you can call us and we will enter your listing for you.
(941) 373-1501
Before you start the process you should have all the information
about your business - including any statements and descriptions
of your services/specialties that you want to include.
Once your listing is in the directory, you can always go back to
the website at any time, log on and edit any part of our
listing.
Can I get my business listed first in my category?
Yes, if that position is available. While you are placing your
listing, you will see what Top 10 positions are available, and
the cost of this placement. The cost of a Top 10 listing
depends on the category. You can then decide if you want a Top
10 listing, or just want to be listed after the Top 10.
See our rate sheet.
Businesses that don't pay a premium for Top 10 listings are then
listed by date order - i.e. our first customers are listed ahead
of businesses that advertise later. It's possible that even if
you don't pay for a Top 10 listing your business could be listed
first in a category for a few weeks or even months, but as soon as
another business pays for a Top 10 listing, they will be listed
first.
How many people will see my listing?
There are four main factors which affect the number of people
who will see your listing on FindSarasota.com:
1. Type of business you are in. People come to our
website to find all sorts of things - from Wedding Cakes to
Divorce Attorneys. When they get to our site - they visit
the category they're interested in at the time.
2. Your positioning on the list.
Obviously those businesses listed most
prominently at the top will have the best shot at getting the customer.
3. The name of your business and your
slogan. If you're a plumber and the name of your business
is Rick's Plumbing, you'll get more people clicking on your
listing than BG Industries (because it doesn't sound like a
plumber). Also, believe it or not, your slogan i.e. "24
Hour Emergency Plumbing Service" vs. "Serving All Your
Leaks" makes a huge difference in whether you attract clicks or
not. People click on a clever, relevant slogan and they
don't click on boring, irrelevant slogans.
4. You will get more clicks if you are
listed in more than one category. For example, a
restaurant that's listed in Seafood Restaurants won't get as
many visits as one that's listed in Seafood, Steakhouses,
American and Cafes. As long as the other categories are
relevant to your business, you should be in as many categories
as appropriate (up to four). If you're in more categories,
more people will see your listing.
How do you drive traffic to FindSarasota.com?
We have a multi-faceted approach to increasing the traffic to
our site (and thus continually increasing the number of people
that will eventually see your business listing).
1. Search engine placement.
2. Advertising
3. Links and partnerships
4. Weekly contests and content updates
5. Many people have made FindSarasota.com their home page
and these people come back to our site many times each day.
We get visits from tens of thousands of local
people in Sarasota/Manatee, and also thousands more a month a
month from out of the state and out of the country who are
planning a vacation, retirement, or relocation to our area.
