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TopListed FAQ's
TopListed Sites and General FAQ's?
TopListed Glossary, Encyclopaedia and Intelligent Hyperlinking FAQ's?
TopListed Reward Points FAQ's?
TopListed Syndication FAQ's?
TopListed News FAQ's?
TopListed Blogs FAQ's?
TopListed Products FAQ's?
TopListed Search FAQ's?
TopListed Sites and General FAQ's
What is Top Listed?
How does it work?
How does it rank the sites?
Can the ranking be cheated?
What do the numbers on the statistics page mean?
Where do the images come from?
As a webmaster, why should I submit my site?
How much does it cost to submit a site?
You already have 50 sites, should I still submit?
How do I submit a site?
Why isn't my site showing in the Top 50?
What are "unverified" sites in the "More" pages?
How do I generate the link code?
How do I change my entry?
I've just submitted my site, the number of stars and it's position in the list is varying wildly. Why?
My site's thumbnail image isn't showing - what can I do?
How do I take a thumbnail screen shot?
My site's thumbnail image is out of date - what can I do?
What is Top Listed?
Top Listed aims to collect together the very best sites on a variety of topics.
The sites are ranked according to a variety of live criteria to ensure that
visitors get up-to-the-minute information about which sites are the most popular.
The top 50 sites are displayed in our list. Where there are more than 50 sites in the list,
the remaining sites can still be accessed through the "More" link at the bottom of the page.
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How does it work?
Traffic figures are recorded over a rolling period of 24 hours for each site in the list. Figures
include the number of visitors to the list, the number to each of the sites (regardless of source)
the number of visitors referred from the list to each site and the number of visitors referred from
each site to the list. At the exact moment a visitor accesses a Top Listed site, figures for all the
sites listed (and those that failed to reach the top 50) are totalled for the previous 24 hours
to the second). The sites are then ranked, sorted and displayed.
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How does it rank the sites?
The exact formula is secret and changes regularly. In simplistic terms, sites are
ranked according to a combination of the number of our visitors who click on a particular site's entry in our Top List
and the percentage of their visitors they dispatch to Top Listed.
Sites are also weighted according to their position in the list, so if a user clicks a site toward
the bottom of the list, this will carry more weight than one toward the top.
By examining the percentage of visitors referred, small sites with low traffic have an equal chance
of reaching the top of the list as a much larger site.
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Can the ranking be cheated?
We have gone to great lengths to try and eliminate click-fraud as it detracts from the
value of the entire list. Our system is capable of detecting a variety of fraudulent click mechanisms and
records these. Occasionally, legitimate votes or clicks may get discounted, however, the system
is very fair. Those sites who attract a significantly higher than average number of discounted
clicks are removed from the list.
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What do the numbers on the statistics page mean?
Against each entry in the list is a link marked [Statistics...] which displays a range of information about the entry.
At the top of the page, we display the site's details and image. Below this, we display Alexa details about the site.
We then display a summary of the clicks in and out for the day, followed by a range of blue, yellow and green charts.
The Alexa information is sourced from Alexa.com and we have no control over the content. Only very popular sites really show any detail
as this tool only displays sites which are in the top 100,000 web sites on the entire Internet (for instance, Top Listed often features in the
top 100,000).
The three blue bars then show the period, in the viewer's timezone for which we have collected today's statistics. It then shows:
-Total traffic (ie. how many visitors to your site in the last 24 hours have triggered our banner to load)
-Clicks out (ie. how many visitors we have referred to your site in the last 24 hours)
-Clicks in (ie. how many visitors we have received from people clicking on the link on your site)
The blue charts then summarise this same information for your site historically over the last 30 days.
The yellow charts show the same information but across every single site in the topic (ie. we add your figures to those of everyone listed in the topic).
Here "visitors" is the numebr of visitors to our topic and "reach" is the number of web users who have seen one of our banners on any of the listed sites from that topic.
Finally, the green figures show the same information across our entire network (ie. we add your figures to those of everyone else in this topic and every other topic we hold).
Again, "visitors" refers to visitors accessing our site, and "reach" is the number of web users who have seen one of our banner images on any of the listed sites, in any topic.
Visitors are stored by ip address and are only counted once in any given day for any action (ie. only one visit is counted, only one click in or out is counted etc.)
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Where do the images come from?
We have our own site thumbnail generation software. This will automatically generate and cache
your web site image within 12-24 hours of registration. Whilst awaiting generation, an attempt is also made to
locate an image courtesy of thumbshots.com. If thumbshots.com do not have the image, a final attempt is
made to locate an image on the registrant's own web site. If all of these fail, an "Awaiting Image" placeholder
will be used until our software generates your web site's thumbnail image. See further FAQs for how to generate
and upload your own image.
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As a webmaster, why should I submit my site?
1) Top Listed drives free traffic to your site
Because of their rich content, Top Listed sites do very well on search engines. Plus, each site
on the list typically contains a link to the Top Listed site. This means we have a rich amount of highly targeted
traffic to distribute amongst our subscribers. Our visitors like the clean way our information is presented and
frequently return to peruse through the list of sites. In short, being Top Listed can drive a massive amount
of traffic to your site, even if your site itself does not do particularly well on search engines.
2) Provides free links to your site
Every web master knows that inbound links are valuable for both enhancing search engine promotion and increasing Page Rank.
3) Provides free traffic information about your site
The statistics Top Listed collects are very accurate and relate to the immediate 24 hour period.
At the time a visitor accesses the list, any traffic and click figures collected within the last 24 hours are displayed.
We don't, therefore, need to 'clear down' the traffic figures once a day and you can effectively monitor your traffic *live*
through our site.
4) Free copy of the Top Listed Webmaster Tips eZine
Webmasters who submit to Top Listed benefit from a monthly newsletter packed full of useful
articles of interest to WebMasters - covering topics such as SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
Web Markering, eCommerce, HTML tips and tricks, special offers, plus much more.
5) Finally, subscribers to the list place a logo on their site proclaiming it to have been awarded
'Top Listed' status within their applicable topic. A click on this link opens the Top Listed site in a new window,
retaining your site, so you don't need to worry about losing traffic.
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How much does it cost to submit a site?
NOTHING! It is totally free to list a site and always will be.
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You already have 50 sites, should I still submit?
Definitely. Traffic is recorded for all sites, and there is every chance your site
may move up into the Top 50 within 24 hours. All sites are available through the "more"
link at the bottom of the page, regardless of whether they are in the Top 50. Each
submitted site will also gain from an inbound link, helping your search engine promotion and page rank.
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How do I submit a site?
Simply click the "suggest a url" link at the top of the page and fill out the simple form.
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Why isn't my site showing in the Top 50?
You must display our link code somewhere on your site before it will appear in our listing.
Once this is included on your web page(s), and those pages have received visitors, your
entry will automatically appear in our listings. Of course, this does not guarantee you will
appear in the Top 50 sites - that will depend on the popularity of your site compared to
all of the other sites listed with us.
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What are "unverified" sites in the "More" pages?
Top Listed ranks and validates sites according, in part, to the traffic they receive.
We are unable to collect traffic figures or verify the existence of sites where they either do not
display our link code, or only display our link code on pages which do not receive traffic.
To verify your site's link, simply add the link code to your web site and view that page - verification is automatic.
If you have trouble generating the link code, please email us.
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How do I generate the link code?
Follow the link on Top Listed to log in to your account using the username and password you
registered with (confirmation of this should have been sent to you in an email). You will
then find a link to re-generate your link code. Simply choose your preferred options and
the html will be generated for you. Finally, copy and paste the generated html into your
web page(s).
You must display our link code somewhere on your site before it will appear on Top Listed
and contiinue to display the link code to ensure that your site remains listed.
If you use a popular tool to edit your pages, you may wish to check our Tool guidelines.
For details of inserting the Linkcode using Frontpage 97,2000,2002, Microsoft Publisher,
Netscape Composer, AOL Hometown, Adobe Pagemill, Dreamweaver 2, Dream weaver 3, Hotdog Pro,
Hot Metal Pro, Net Objects Fusion, Visual Page 2.0, BBEdit (MAC), MSN Groups, Freewebs.com,
Xanga.com, Typepad.com, please CLICK HERE
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How do I change my entry?
Follow the "account" link at the top of the page, enter your username and password, and you
will then be able to change your registration details.
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I've just submitted my site, the number of stars and its position in the list is varying wildly. Why?
The traffic and click figures are collected and updated over a rolling period of 24 hours.
When a site is first listed, there will not yet be 24 hours worth of data and a single new visitor or
a single click can drastically effect your position in the list and the number of stars awarded.
Once the first 24 hours worth of data has been collected, your position and the number of stars awarded will
settle and any fluctuation should be far more gradual.
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My site's thumbnail image isn't showing - what can I do?
Our software will usually generate a thumbnail of your site automatically within 12-24 hours of your site being
listed. This requires no action on your part. Whilst waiting for our software to generate this image, an attempt
is also made to temporarily locate an image courtesy of thumbshots.com.
You may also generate your own image for us to use temporarily. This image must be exactly 120x90 pixels in size
and should be compressed to around 3k in size. It must be named "toplisted.jpg" (lowercase, please) and placed
on your own website, so that it is available via your own website's URL. In otherwords, if you registered your
site as http://www.mysite.com, our system will look for http://www.mysite.com/toplisted.jpg.
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How do I take a thumbnail screen shot?
Normally you don't need to - our software will automatically generate your web site's image. This will be used
in preference to any other image. If you wish to provide your own image temporarily, follow these instructions...
Load your website into your browser and maximise the window. If possible, set the window to "Full Screen" size.
Press and hold down the 'Alt' key and then press the 'Print screen' key (normally next to F12).
This will copy the screen and place it into the clipboard.
Next, open any image editing program, such as Paint Shop Pro or Adobe Photoshop. Paste the clip board contents.
You should now be able to use your normal editing tools to cut out the part of the image you want (ie. excluding the portions of the browser itself that were captured).
Size the image to 120x90 pixels. If you have a "smart size" option you may get better results than with a "dither" option.
The image must be named "toplisted.jpg" (lowercase, please) and placed on your own website, so that it is
available via your own website's URL. In otherwords, if you registered your site as http://www.mysite.com, our system will look for http://www.mysite.com/toplisted.jpg.
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My site's thumbnail image is out of date - what can I do?
Follow the link at the top of the page to "account". Log in using the username and password you specified at registration
(this should have been sent to you in an email upon registration).
Follow the link on that page to regenerate your image.
Note that to reduce load on our servers, our system instructs your browser to cache images for a period of 24 hours. Therfore,
you may not notice any changes for this period of time.
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TopListed Glossary, Encyclopaedia and
Intelligent Hyperlinking FAQ's
What is the Glossary and Encyclopaedia?
Why/how are words in my website listing hyperlinked?
Can anyone edit an entry?
Are there any rules for what I submit?
How do you stop abuse of the system?
What is the Glossary and Encyclopaedia?
The Glossary and Encyclopaedia is content designed to provide background information about our topic. We recognise that the people who choose to list with us are experts in their field and this provides a way of channeling their wealth of knowledge into a useful resource for visitors and other site owners alike.
The encylopaedia entry appears at the top of the page and contains general information about the topic, much like you'd find at Wikipedia or Encarta. It is "open content" in that anyone with an understanding of or expertise in the subject, may edit, correct, amend or supplement the information.
We credit all those who contribute by displaying their name and providing a link to their website (if one is given). We display a history of contributors, with links, so everyone is credited.
The glossary works in a similar way. Our system studies the content entered on our pages and draws out key terms. It then supplements these by gathering other related terms from the Internet. We provide starting definitions for most of the terms but anyone with an understanding of or expertise in the subject may edit, correct, amend or supplement the information and we provide contributor recognition in a similar way to the encyclopaedic entry.
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Why/how are words in my website listing hyperlinked?
Our system automatically highlights and links occurances of key glossary terms throughout the site, providing popup definitions of each term. We distribute these links randomly throughout the page. We only highlight one occurance of each term on any one page, and distribute them evenly so that the highlights do not all cluster at the top of the page.
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Can anyone edit an entry?
Yes, anyone can edit an entry. We do ask that any contribution adds some value to the existing definition and follows a similar tone to that used on the page already. Please do not blatantly plug your site or product in the entry. You will be asked for your website when you submit the entry and we will link to you. Please do not breach copyright and plagarise content from other websites. Note that all entries are verified and reviewed before publishing.
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Are there any rules for what I submit?
The entry must add value to the existing definition.
The entry should be written clearly, in a similar tone to that used - and please check for spelling and grammatical errors.
The entry must not viloate copyright.
You must provide an email address. We do not publish this or use it for any reason other than allowing you to verify your entry and to receive notification if someone later amends your entry.
The entry must not include HTML. Our system will strip any HTML from the entry. We do allow certain formatting in the enclyclopaedic entry as well as hyperlinks and images, however these must be entered using the special tags displayed alongside the entry edit box.
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How do you stop abuse of the system?
The system works through a combination of trust and peer review. Initially, all entries are "owned" by us. When a new contribution is made, the following process is followed:
Step 1 - The entry is locked to prevent any other edits until the new contribution is approved/rejected.
Step 2 - An email is sent to the new contributor, asking them to verify their entry by clicking a link in the email. If verification does not occur within 1 hour, the new contribution is rejected automatically and the entry unlocked.
Step 3 - Once the new contributor verifies, an email is sent to the current "owner" of the content - ie. the last person who contributed to that entry, containing a link to accept/reject the new contribution.
Step 4 - The current "owner" has a maximum of 72 hours to either accept or reject an entry. If they do not respond, or reject the entry, an email is dispatched to the Toplisted glossary team who will arbitrate and make a final decision.
Step 5 - Once an entry is accepted, it is automatically published on the site, the new contributor credited and the entry unlocked so others may further edit or refine it.
Toplisted reserves the right to edit or remove any entry, at any time, without notification or warning.
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Top Listed Reward Points FAQ's
What Are Top Listed Reward Points?
How Do I Earn Reward Points?
How Do I Spend Reward Points?
How Do I Check My Reward Points balance?
What Are Top Listed Reward Points?
Top Listed Reward Points provide a mechanism for rewarding those sites who contribute in some
way to the continued growth and operation of the Top Listed network. Reward Points can
be earned in various ways and then redeemed against special promotions or features that we may
periodically offer alongside our normal free listing services.
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How Do I Earn Reward Points?
From time to time, Top Listed will advertise Reward Point earning programmes. For example,
syndicating one of our free lists (displaying the list on your own site) will earn Reward
Points each time that page is viewed. If you chose to display our Top 10 News Stories, or
Top 50 Sites on a page on your own web site, you would benefit from both the added value you
are able to offer your visitors and from the accumulation of Reward Points.
Note: Syndication is free and just involves the insertion of a single line of HTML on your page.
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How Do I Spend Reward Points?
Top Listed will periodically launch additional services for which you may exchange
a stated number of Reward Points. For example, you may be able to redeem Reward Points to purchase
the Featured Site of The Day position, which sits above the main list. This position can be
very attractive as it is the first thing our visitors see and naturally collects a good number
of out clicks. Current offers are listed in your account details page.
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How Do I Check My Reward Points Balance?
To check your Reward Points balance, or see the current available offers, together with the number of
points required, simply log in to your account by following the link at the top of the page
and entering your account username and password.
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Top Listed Syndication FAQ's
What Is Syndication?
What Can I Syndicate?
How Do I Syndicate A List - Is It Easy?
How Does Syndication Benefit Me And My Web Site?
What Is Syndication?
Syndication is the inclusion of some of Toplisted.net's content and functionality on your own web site.
For example, you can syndicate one of Toplisted.net's Top 50 web sites lists. The core portion of our page
(the list itself without our branded header, footer links and so on) will appear on your web site.
Alternatively, if you select to syndicate one of the Top 10 Topic News Stories. Toplisted.net will locate,
organise, manage, and format the latest up to date news stories and automatically insert them on your web site.
We reward those who syndicate with Reward Points.
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What Can I Syndicate?
At present, you can select to syndicate any, and as many, of the Toplisted.net Top 50 web sites lists,
or associated Top 10 News Stories, Top 10 Blogs, or Top 50 Products, as you wish.
Further syndication opportunities will be available shortly.
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How Do I Syndicate A List - Is It Easy?
It is very easy! Our system does all the work. All you need to do is insert a single line of HTML on
your page (much like the link code you have already inserted). Our system generates this HTML for you.
Once the HTML code has been inserted, the list, fully formatted, will appear.
To generate the syndication link code, log into your account by clicking the link at the top of the page,
and then choose the list to syndicate. You will then be given the link code.
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How Does Syndication Benefit Me And My Web Site?
Clearly, this offers the opportunity of adding useful content to your site, directly related to your
site's topic. In addition, we reward you by crediting your Rewards Points balance by 0.01 credits for each
unique visitor that views your syndicated list(s). You can redeem your Reward Points for selected Toplisted.net
services and products that are offered alongside or in addition to the Free listing services, such as the
Featured Site of the Day advertising opportunity.
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TopListed News FAQ's
What is Top Listed News?
How does it work?
Can I get the News headlines by email?
I have an RSS news feed, will you read my news feed?
What is Top Listed News?
Top Listed News automatically scans and aggregates news from multiple news feeds related to the Top List.
The news is refreshed every few hours so it is always right up to date.
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How does it work?
News sources who wish to have their news syndicated publish news feeds in a standard format named RSS.
Our system is capable of reading feeds in this format.
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Can I get the News headlines by email?
We are considering offering this in the near future. Please email us if you are interested in this service.
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I have an RSS news feed, will you read my news feed?
We are considering offering this in the near future. Please email us if you are interested in this service.
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TopListed Blogs FAQ's
What is Top Listed Blogs?
How does it work?
Can I get the Blogs headlines by email?
I have an XML feed on my Blog, will you read my feed?
What is Top Listed Blogs?
Top Listed News automatically scans and aggregates Blog entries (a kind of online journal) from multiple XML feeds
related to the Top List. The Blog extracts are refreshed every few hours so they are always right up to date.
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How does it work?
Blog publishers who wish to have their news syndicated publish feeds in a standard format named XML.
Our system is capable of reading feeds in this format.
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Can I get the Blog headlines by email?
We are considering offering this in the near future. Please email us if you are interested in this service.
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I have an RSS/XML blog feed, will you read my blog feed?
We are considering offering this in the near future. Please email us if you are interested in this service.
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TopListed Products FAQ's
What is Top Listed Products?
How does it work?
How does it rank the products?
Can the ranking be cheated?
Where do the products/images come from?
As a webmaster, why should I submit my products?
How much does it cost to submit my products?
I am an affiliate of company X, can I submit these products?
How do I submit my products?
What is Top Listed Products?
Top Listed Products collects, categorises and presents a range of products from
multiple web sites related to the Top List's theme.
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How does it work?
Web site owners, wishing to list their products, provide a simple Excel file containing details of their products and prices.
Our system then processes this file, and automatically builds the product lists and categories.
The system allows for browsing by category, sorting by rank or price, and viewing product details in more depth.
It also provides links to the source web site for the product.
Please contact us for details of the Excel file format.
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How does it rank the products?
Products are ranked according to the number of our visitors who have clicked on that product in the previous week.
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Can the ranking be cheated?
We have gone to great lengths to try and eliminate click-fraud as it detracts from the
value of the entire list. Our system is capable of detecting a variety of fraudulent click mechanisms and
records these. Occasionally, legitimate votes or clicks may get discounted, however, the system
is very fair. Those sites who attract a significantly higher than average number of discounted
clicks are removed from the list.
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Where do the products/images come from?
Any web site, listed on the Top 50 sites pages is eligible to submit their products. The product descriptions are as
provided by the web site owner in the feed file and Top Listed is not responsible for the accuracy of the descriptions.
The images are pulled directly from the product's web site.
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As a webmaster, why should I submit my products?
The service is a completly free way of gaining extra exposure for your products.
Because our Top Lists are all targetted to particular audiences, you can be sure that your products will be viewed by
consumers who are already interested in your product range. Our ranking system then ensures popular products appear
near the top of the lists.
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How much does it cost to submit my products?
The service is totally free. There is no charge to list products. There is no charge for clicks. We do not charge any
affiliate commission on referrals.
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I am an affiliate of company X, can I submit these products?
Sites selling affiliated products may list their products providing the company to which they are affiliated does not
already do so. Should the company to which they are affiliated decide to list the products directly at a later date,
the affiliate will be required to remove their products.
For example, if web site Y is an affiliate of web site X and advertises web site X's products on their own site, web site Y
may list these products with us providing web site X does not already do so and may continue list these products until such time as
as web site X decides to list directly.
Affiliates may choose whether product links point to their web site or direct to the product vendor's site - tho care should
be taken to ensure all Url's include the correct affiliation link code.
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How do I submit my products?
The following files should give you all the information you require. Do email though if you need further guidance:
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TopListed Search FAQ's
What is Top Listed Search?
How do I use it?
It isn't finding things I know are on the site?
What is Top Listed Search?
Top Listed Search uses Google's site search technology to search our network content.
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How do I use it?
When looking at a Top List, accessing the Search tab will allow a search to be carried out
within the site, news, blog and product pages of that list topic.
When looking at the main TopListed home page (www.toplisted.net) the search will be carried out
accross the site, news, blog and product pages of every TopListed topic.
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It isn't finding things I know are on the site?
Search uses Google's site search technology and as such is dependent upon Google indexing the pages.
With new lists, it can take several months for the topic to be fully indexed.
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