New Ideas For The Forum?

[Brent Deines]

It has been a problem in the past. People join the forum only to have links to their websites, often promoting products and services that have nothing to do with our industry. That is one of the reasons we created windshieldreferral.com. It helps us avoid spam on the forum but still gives windshield repair technicians a place to advertise their URL.

Let's try this. We'll allow forum members to post the URL to their windshielreferral.com page. Since that page is an advertisement that you created for your company, it will likely contain your telephone number, email address, and URL (live link to your website).

The difference is that windshieldreferral.com listings have to be manually approved. I think this will accomplish the same goal but without inviting additional spam to the windshield repair forum.

This would be our link. http://www.windshieldreferral.com/user/profile/1

[Auto Glass Rescue]

It has been a problem in the past. People join the forum only to have links to their websites, often promoting products and services that have nothing to do with our industry. That is one of the reasons we created windshieldreferral.com. It helps us avoid spam on the forum but still gives windshield repair technicians a place to advertise their URL.

Let's try this. We'll allow forum members to post the URL to their windshielreferral.com page. Since that page is an advertisement that you created for your company, it will likely contain your telephone number, email address, and URL (live link to your website).

The difference is that windshieldreferral.com listings have to be manually approved. I think this will accomplish the same goal but without inviting additional spam to the windshield repair forum.

This would be our link. http://www.windshieldreferral.com/user/profile/1

Brent,

Totally understandable and thank you for allowing your suggestion. Hope it works out!

[Brent Deines]

Thanks for the suggestion! Hopefully it is a compromise that will benefit everyone. Let me know if it works for you.

[GWR]

Thanks Brent!!!

[Brent Deines]

No problem.

[Auto Glass Rescue]

Thanks for the suggestion! Hopefully it is a compromise that will benefit everyone. Let me know if it works for you.

Brent,

It's been almost four months since you allowed us to do this. I checked my analytics and this is not creating backlinks to the website - not even one. Just wanted to give you a heads up like you requested and thank you again for allowing what you have.

[Brent Deines]

Thanks for the feedback. When someone finds you on windshieldreferral.com they are more likely to call than to go from there to your website but I'll pass your comment on to Danny and see if he has any suggestions.

One major disadvantage to offering a free referral site that allows phone numbers is that we have no way to track how many customers call a listed company. If we charge for the listing we could afford to assign a trackable phone number, but with a free site there is just no budget for things like tracking phone numbers and search engine optimization for every city. We also know from experience that even if you always ask how a customer heard about you a very large percentage will provide misinformation or no information at all. Although not on purpose, I am guilty of that myself; I rarely remember how I found a company.

One of us will give you a call.

[Auto Glass Rescue]

Sorry for the confusion Brent! I was just referring to building back-links to a website from the signature within this forum.

Thanks and have a good one!

[Brent Deines]

Gotcha. Danny is out of the office this week but I'll have him contact you next week if not before. Thanks again.