Qype!!!!!!!!!!!! Huh

slap me round the head if I'm teaching you to suck eggs, but have you got Google Analytics plumbed in? Then you can track any click throughs to your site. Free and pretty simple to use.

One way to track phone calls when listing on directories is to utilise another number, ie an 0844 number ghosted over yours. That way you can track in say 6 months how many calls came via the 0844.

Its something we do now on our directory if someones adamant its not working, but were sure it is, as theres nothing more frustrating when you know an advert has had xyz number of pageviews, so must have had some clicks or calls, but the customer will moan and say, nothing, never had a bean. At least now we can say, "well we know you had 25 phone calls, surely you converted one of them "

Just a thought. Glad you got things sorted out though.

Steve is spot on the tracking methods. However, I find GetClicky great a lot better than Google Analytics, you have to pay for it, but not a huge amount of money.

Our figures are the numbers of real visitors to each site weekly as per the visitors counter on the site which is on display for all to see, also it is as per the figures i get from my hosting companies. QYPE only achieved 49 visits in the first month to the advert with them not follow throughs.
QYPE are NOT pushing any more vivitors to my domains (websites) according to the stats supplied by the hosting company as to where the visits come from, as far as my memory serves me i have had 2 fololow throughs to my site from QYPE.
so i will be pushing the freebies again, Hot frog has produced a fair number of jobs and reasonably priced work as well, and that was free, i wont go down the long list of advertisers i use, but!!!!!!!!!!!
i pay

Google analytics are there and give us the same figures so we know we are getting them, the problem we get is the niche market bit, people will only look at insulation when they are cold and only look at mould when they see it, and so this time of the year our advertising is more a case of telling the potential customers that we are here when you want us. The pest control side of the business is a different ball game altogether, we pay a company

Well thats great to hear!

I think being in a niche market is sometimes better than being in broad market like "IT services". I have found it easier to rank higher with websites that I have on niche markets. That's not to say it's easy. We are competing against some big companies that have around a very long time and can spend a lot of money on the seo and marketing strategy. When you putting into that perspective we do pretty good.

I will consider Steve's site since you have given it a good review. I am compiling a list of paid and non paid places to advertise (online only) with high PR. So, if you have a list of any kind, I would appreciate it if you could pm it to me. If I can do anything in return, please ask.

Steve, do we get a discount for to advertise as forum members?

By the way, I have a huge list of Free listing places. I suppose I am after descent paid ones.

Same as that, very reasonable to say the least.

I dunno, taking the food out of my babies mouth! Go on then:
http://www.mylocalforums.com/village-market/1337-summer-offer-my-local-services.html#post7093

Now don't want to hijack the thread, so back to Qype, and will be interested in Steves (it has to be done) findings after say 6 months or so.

We had a thread about different directories and peoples feedback, good or bad, which may be of interest:
http://www.mylocalforums.com/offline-sales-marketing-pr/939-business-directories-who-do-you-use-why.html

One of the problems that i find annoying is that most but not all of the freebies will try to chase for us to pay for an advert afterthe freebie enticer has gone live. if it is free i dont want people to chase me to spend, i know thats how they are surviving but it should be introduced as an email not a phone call, go locla has a good system for this and it worked for me, QYPE just phoned and was a drone of i can do this or that for you and the pressure selling took over, fine i could have said no and in fact i did for best part of a year, and at one stage i deleted the account, cos i was mad at the phone calls. i DONT sit in an office all day, i have to work and so it is only by chance if i am here at all, normally i do a 12 hour day and then the office work afterwards if i am lucky.
I will certainly keep you posted on the results after a few months, but i am sure that as things are i wont be there after 6 months.