Best of the Web owes much of its success to affiliates, each of whom plays a part in reinforcing the BOTW brand across the web, particularly within the Internet marketing community. As a result, every so often we like to express our appreciation to those savvy BOTW Resellers by giving them the opportunity to showcase their competitive marketing skills for the chance to win big prizes. In the past, winners of BOTW Reseller Contests have been the recipients of HDTVs and iPads with all the latest features.

The Program
For those few BOTW fans out there who are unfamiliar with the Reseller Program, it provides webmasters and marketers alike with a way to earn money through referrals to the Web Directory while promoting their own websites. You can join the reseller ranks for free, either by upgrading an existing BOTW account or creating one, and immediately start earning 25% commission on all sales.

The Contest
We’re now holding a Reseller Contest that requires that competitive edge and creativity that we know all of our affiliates possess, but can be won without maxing out on referred customers. Here’s how:

Create a video of yourself recommending Best of the Web to potential customers and, once finished, email it with the subject “Reseller Video Contest” to contest@bestoftheweb.com. All affiliates who submit a recommendation video before July 31 will automatically receive a $25 Amazon gift card. The overall winner* will be awarded a $500 American Express gift card.

The winning video will then be displayed on prominent pages of the BOTW Directory**, and therefore all submissions should have a focused message while being both creative and authentic. Video submissions will be accepted throughout July, and the grand prize winner will be announced at the beginning of August, so don’t delay – start creating today!

The Details
Video submissions should be roughly 60 seconds long, and must be submitted by July 31 to be eligible for the prize. If you’re having trouble finding a focus for your recommendation (because with 60 seconds of camera time, you’ll need to choose a talking point) – here are a few suggestions:

• Consider the benefits of having a listing in the Web Directory or Local Directory.
• Explain why you submit to Best of the Web for your business or for clients.
• Talk about your experiences with Best of the Web.

If you’re still struggling for ideas, find your inspiration by taking a look around the BOTW Directory. While you’re there, read over our Reseller Terms of Service, as they were recently updated.

*The winning video will be selected solely at the discretion of Best of the Web. All decisions are final.

**We reserve the right to use, edit, and display any parts of, or whole video submissions in any ways and for all chosen purposes deemed appropriate by and relating to Best of the Web.

Just what you’ve been waiting for… 20% OFF
First BOTW promo in months… and it works in the BOTW Directory, the BOTW UK & Ireland Directory, and the BOTW Blog Directory. If you’ve been waiting for a break, here’s your chance to submit to one or all of these premium directories at a substantial discount.

This is UNLIMITED thru End of Month
You may use this for multiple site submissions, submissions to multiple directory products, or any combination of multiple and submit you want. As long as it’s still February 2011 and you’re submitting to the directories named above, this discount code works. Nice eh?

Procedure to Submit Site
To submit your site for consideration, go to the appropriate category in the directory to which you’re submitting and click on the link at upper right that says “Submit Site”. Follow the prompts from there. If you need a hand picking the best category, you’ll find some tips here: Selecting a Category When Submitting.

Be sure to enter the Promo Code: FEB20
This discount program IS commisionable for BOTW resellers, so resellers, we look forward to working with you on these.

Note to Serial Procrastinators:
Don’t feel bad, I never started my homework on time either. Why waste a good weekend when there’s Sunday nite? Figured it’s worth mentioning February is only 28 days long…  plan accordingly. [Yeah, having an odd month in the year is evil, but nobody asked me.]

That’s all the news that’s fit to print. You guys have a great week, and get those submissions in while they’re cheap.

Small World These Days
Always amazes me how small the world gets in the age of the internet. Yeah, I know, that dates me a bit since a lot of the guys reading this were probably born post net. Hey I’m a fossil, sue me. Anyway, when Rob Schmid told me the name of the winner of our October BOTW Reseller Contest the name rang a bell.

Winner: Wesley LeFebvre of SEOrankings.com
Wesley LeFebvre owns a media publishing company which runs network of websites focused on search engine optimization and internet marketing. Reason the name sounded familiar is I’ve noticed some quality posts from him over at the V7n Webmaster Forum, including one where he offers a free SEO Book just for signing up at his blog.

You can follow Wes at SEOrankings.com, a regularly updated search engine optimization guide for people interested in learning how to make money online through improved search engine rankings.

Anyway, made it a little more special to get to write this post for someone that wasn’t just a name on an email. Reminds me of the time Microsoft transferred me to a tech in India and it turned out he and I knew each other in several net venues. Gotta love the internet.

Congrats to Wes on winning the Ipad for his October efforts. We appreciate the BOTW Reseller crew, you make our jobs easier while you earn.

Note to BOTW Owners: IPads make great gifts for staff members too.

If you’d like to become a BOTW Reseller…
You too could be earning a 25% commission on all sales. Here are links to BOTW Reseller Information and the Best of the Web Reseller FAQ. In a nutshell, it’s a great way to be able to offer customers, friends, and even yourself a great deal on submissions to the oldest directory on the web… and set up a nice passive income in the process. [Who doesn't like that?]. Tends to add up, and you effectively lock in a super discount for yourself as well.

The BOTW Reseller program’s a win-win for all involved. Check it out, and as always, hope you’re all having a great day. ~ RobJ

Online Visibility – The Holy Grail
Every webmaster wants better visibility and targeted traffic. Best of the Web assists in that quest via a number of products… the Best of the Web Directory and the sister site, BOTW UK & Ireland Directory, the BOTW Blog Directory, and BOTW Local to name a few.

We also offer multiple site solutions for customers with 20 or more sites, and recently we’ve added “bundled discounts” for those that wish to use a multi-prong approach for even better results.

Moving to the Next Level: BOTW CATEGORY SPONSOR
One way to enhance visibility beyond those means is a BOTW Category Sponsorship. Category Sponsors are displayed at the top of a relevant directory category, and to drive even more targeted traffic, Sponsors now appear alongside BOTW Local search results and the recently enhanced BOTW Directory search results.

Making a Good Deal a GREAT Deal – Give it away FREE
Right now your first Category Sponsorship is FREE for 30 days and afterward bills monthly at a 30% Discount! This offer is valid only if the sponsorship is ordered during the month of March. To take advantage, use Promo Code “THIRTY30″. Thirty percent off is pretty darned good… but getting to test it out for FREE first makes it a no-risk proposition. Nice bonus.

Note to Resellers: Here’s an opportunity to have fun. How hard is it to give away FREE ads? Enjoy.

RECAP: Promo Code THIRTY30 gets you…

• 30 Day Free Trial – (a $50 value)
• Premier placement in a relevant category.
• Featured visibility alongside the search results of the BOTW Directory and BOTW Local.
• Control your marketing message.

Caveat – Quality and Relevance Count
In order to present users the most relevant sites available, sites in the BOTW Category Sponsorship Program must meet the same editorial guidelines for relevance and quality as listings in our directory.

Are YOU Ready for the Next Level?
If you’re ready and your site qualifies… here’s where to get started!  BOTW Category Sponsorship

To protect the good name of the many legitimate practitioners in the BOTW Affiliate Program and to protect the interests of potential submitters to our directory products, BOTW staff is offering an alert regarding a known scam in progress.

SCAM ALERT:

An individual is advertising unrealistic discounts on BOTW submissions at Digitalpoint in THIS THREAD and THIS THREAD. The same offer is also shown at webhostingscoop.net in THIS POST. The poster at Digitalpoint goes by the name Arale, and may be employing shills to “verify” his service.

Best of the Web wishes to warn potential submitters that BOTW has no affiliation with the service shown. The BOTW referral ID of the original poster of those threads has been identified as an individual whose submits are removed from the directory as it is part of a known scam.

Anyone that responds to that offer or similar offers by that individual elsewhere with intent to obtain a listing at BOTW does so at their own risk. Again, it is NOT associated with any legitimate BOTW offer and will not result in a listing in the BOTW Directory, the BOTW Blog Directory, or any affiliated product.

~ Thanks

Rob Jones
Best of the Web Directory