approvedbusiness.co.uk - Anyone use them?

[Easiprint_Ltd]

Hi,

I'm considering signing up for a premium listing on approvedbusiness.co.uk, but before I take the plunge, I just wondered if anyone had any experience with them as I cannot find much online? They currently have an offer where their fee is half price for 12 months, so £40 per month. They are mainly selling on providing 26 backlinks to my site which will help with my seo. Does anyone have good experiences with them or would I be better off putting the £40 towards hiring an seo company to work on my site?

Many thanks!

 

[Paul Carmen]

They have OK organic traffic, but its not how most people will find a company or service, that's through Google, or some sort of local advertising for some types of local business. Personally, I wouldn't expect much in the way of leads from the site, making it an expensive process at £40 a month.

It also depends what else you're doing, have you optimised your websites technical SEO and copy/content for your products/services and relevant customer searches? If not this is a far bigger ranking factor than a backlink from one directory site (what are the other 26 backlinks?).

Have you setup your NAP (name, address, phone no.) & claimed local citations consistently with it? Have you claimed your GMB & Bing listings? As again these are far better local ranking factors than paying £40 a month for one site.

Depending on what stage you're at with your site and whether you are looking to get most of you business via online sources, you would be better off getting an SEO and ranking review of your site/business/market first.

 

[mattk]

How many times have you personally used approvedbusiness.co.uk to find a company?

If the answer is "never" then you've answered your own question.

 

[fisicx]

Those 26 links won't be worth anything (google doesn't really care for directories).

And the only 'approved' part of the deal is you pay them money.

I wouldn't bother.

 

[Easiprint_Ltd]

Thanks all. You've saved me £480!!

 

[Issi newland]

My company have been using Approved Business for a number of years and we've always had excellent traffic results. In my experience If you were paying an SEO company £40 a month your not going to be seeing enough value for it to be worth your while! Considering your getting backlinks from Approved Business as well as unlimited content added to your profile, and utilising their huge email marketing database which no other directory offers! As £40 a month isn't a lot of money I would defiantly recommend upgrading!

 

[sherbetdipdab]

My company have been using Approved Business for a number of years and we've always had excellent traffic results. In my experience If you were paying an SEO company £40 a month your not going to be seeing enough value for it to be worth your while! Considering your getting backlinks from Approved Business as well as unlimited content added to your profile, and utilising their huge email marketing database which no other directory offers! As £40 a month isn't a lot of money I would defiantly recommend upgrading!

If you’re going to jump on an old thread and pretend to not be from the company in question, at least try a bit harder than that?

 

[Issi newland]

If you’re going to jump on an old thread and pretend to not be from the company in question, at least try a bit harder than that?

This a forum to give opinions I’ve come across this thread and given my opinion whether it’s 6months old or even year old doesn’t matter
But thank you for your silly comment

 

[fisicx]

He is right though. It reads like an advert for the business or one of those fake reviews you see all over the place.

And it still doesn’t change the fact that Approved Business take your money and give nothing useful in return.

 

[sherbetdipdab]

Generic directories are sooooo 1990. You rarely see them rank. Anyone remember applegate? Business magnet? And they were the big boys. I’m surprised approved Index is still going. Low overheads I guess. Yell.com is the only one that is just about hanging on in there but I doubt for long.

If you want to spend £500 a year. Find a niche directory or niche forum or community and get listed in that or pay for some banner adverts.

 

[Issi newland]

He is right though. It reads like an advert for the business or one of those fake reviews you see all over the place.

And it still doesn’t change the fact that Approved Business take your money and give nothing useful in return.

I have given my opinion in response to the question at the top of the thread, asking if this user should go with a premium listing on approved business. I’ve always used them and liked them and was simply explaining why they work as some of the posts above have explained it incorrectly

This is forum to inform and that was simply what I was doing
Thank you also for another silly comment branding me as a fake review !!

 

[fisicx]

So qualify your comment. How many leads do they generate? Does the income from these leads exceed the advertising spend? How does it measure up against your other marketing campaigns? Why would a marketing business (like yours) need to use Approved Business?

 

[Issi newland]

So qualify your comment. How many leads do they generate? Does the income from these leads exceed the advertising spend? How does it measure up against your other marketing campaigns? Why would a marketing business (like yours) need to use Approved Business?

In response to your comment, I’m not a marketing company we sell nurse call equipment. Approved business have this term and many similar terms on page 1 of google and for that reason we chose to list out company. This has provided a good number of links but more importantly a quote from a nursing home which turned into a sale, more than covering £40 a month. It may not work for some companies but for us it’s proved successful.

 

[kulture]

In response to your comment, I’m not a marketing company we sell nurse call equipment. .

This is directly contradicted by the profile information that you have posted on BOTH your accounts. You state there that you have a company "safe store" in the Industry "Marketing /PR".

So two questions, What do you really do? and which account do you want me to delete?

 

[Issi newland]

This is directly contradicted by the profile information that you have posted on BOTH your accounts. You state there that you have a company "safe store" in the Industry "Marketing /PR".

So two questions, What do you really do? and which account do you want me to delete?

So who are you directly having a go at now ? Me or approved business I don’t have to explain myself but I do marketing for multiple companies

As far as I’m concerned that’s the end of this thread

 

[kulture]

Sorry, but you come across as lying. You have two accounts, which breaks the rules, and you contradict yourself in this thread where in one post you say " I’m not a marketing company we sell nurse call equipment" and when challenged you say " I do marketing for multiple companies ".

Well not on this forum.

 

[fisicx]

I’m not a marketing company...

...I don’t have to explain myself but I do marketing for multiple companies

Liar, liar, pants on fire!

 

[justinaldridge]

I can't see pricing on their site, you have to contact them for it but certainly wouldn't pay that amount of money to be on there.

However, despite the negativity towards it, it does rank, it does get traffic and it could work for some businesses. Certainly wouldn't rule it out completely without trying it out first.

 

[kulture]

Agreed, depending on the contact. My only problem is a person who in my opinion transparently lies about who they are and blatantly promotes them.

 

[fisicx]

If they are offering half price at £40/month then logic suggests it's £80/month normally which is close to £1000/year. And I'd put money on them offering enhanced listings and extra features for £££.

And look at their Google reviews. They really are a bunch of numpties.