Interview with Marc McDonald (FreebieDirectoy.com)
By Brad CulbertMarc McDonald is an extremely experienced Webmaster currently running FreebieDirectory.com, a large searchable directory of free stuff. Marc has over 15 years experience as a newspaper editor and reporter, and in recent years, has moved to the online world running some very successful Websites. Marc also created TheFreeSite.com which is one of the largest "Free Stuff" sites on the Internet.
You seem to have taken a "Yahoo!" style approach to the layout of FreebieDirectory.com. What things were you trying to achieve when designing and implementing this layout?
The main things I try to achieve in the layout are: ease-of-use and fast-loading pages. It is my aim that people can click into my site and, within a few seconds, discern what the site's purpose is. And, (hopefully), they find it useful and compelling enough to warrant a bookmark. It's a goal I think all Webmasters should aim for.
There are many things that turn me off about sites when I'm surfing the Web. Stuff like pop-up ads, unnecessary multi-media eye candy (such as Flash animations) and slow-loading banners. I have a general rule: if there's something that I don't like myself, then I never implement it on one of my pages.
Most web surfers will be able to tell you that there are hundreds, if not thousands of "Free Stuff" sites on the Internet, all of varying quality. How have you attempted to set yourself apart from the rest and gain trust amongst your visitors?
The main thing I shoot for is credibility. This is the single most important feature that a site like FreebieDirectory.com can have. Surfers on the Web these days are (understandably) jaded. When they hear the word "free" they're skeptical. Therefore, I work hard to make sure that the free items I list are really free, with no catches.
The vast majority of freebie listings I see out there either have catches (such as bogus postage charges) or they're not really worthwhile. Sites with affiliate programs typically fall into this category. I mean, if you offer a freebie that's really worthwhile, then, in most cases, you aren't going to have to pay for traffic. Word-of-mouth alone will ensure that you get loads of visitors.
I think one thing that sets me "apart from the pack" of other freebie sites out there is that I can write. To be sure, I'm no Hemingway. But I did pay my dues and spend 15 years in the newspaper business as a reporter and editor.
Good writing is something that you can't fake. I'm often appalled at the poor writing that I see on many sites---even large, corporate sites. And I've long been disappointed to find that many freebies sites out there, rather than doing their own work, research and writing, simply copy my listings, (often word for word). Needless to say, my attorney is a busy man these days.
I noticed you have a search box other Webmasters can place on their sites to allow their visitors to search FreebieDirectory.com. How successful has this program been in bringing extra traffic to your site?
It's hard to tell, because the stats package that I use doesn't break down traffic by number of people using the search engine on their own sites. I think it's been a plus, though.
Many "Free Stuff" sites and other website owners, exchange main page links and form link partnerships with related websites, just as you have on the main page of FreebieDirectory.com. How effective are these main page link swaps? What advice would you give other Webmasters looking to start partnerships like this?
I've always been a big believer in link swaps. There's no better way to build traffic. As far as advice, I'd suggest that Webmasters set up a page on their sites that offers suggestions for linkbacks, and includes various images to select from, ranging in size from 88X31 buttons to full-sized 468X60 banners. In fact, if you do so, and people like your site, you'll find that some folks will link you, simply because they like your site (and they'll not even ask for anything in return).
If you do work out a series of linkbacks with other Webmasters, of course, you'll need a stats program that shows you how many hits you're getting from your link partners. It's important that the number of hits you send your partners and the number of visitors they send you is approximately equal.
A lot of the freebies which can be found on the Internet, require you you to give out personal information such as name, email and address. Do you hear of many problems regarding large amounts of junk email or other abuses of this information after signing up for free products and services?
Once in a while, I'll get a complaint about a given freebie. This used to be more common for me years ago, when I first got involved in the freebies field. However, five years of experience has shown me what types of freebies to avoid. If I get complaints these days, it's because a given freebie has changed its terms since I first began listing it. (For example, some freeware programs eventually change to a shareware model).
As far as junk mail, I always point out to my visitors that any time you enter your E-mail address in ANY form on the Web (not just for freebies), you run the risk of getting spammed. I always encourage people to not use their primary E-mail address---but, rather, to open an account with a free Web-based E-mail service and use that address instead. In any case, if one of the people I list sends spam or doesn't deliver on what they promise, I hear about it quickly from my visitors----and I remove their listing immediately.
Your other website The Free Site is possibly the biggest "Free Stuff" site on the Internet. What do you think made it so successful?
I got an early start in the field, for one thing. And when I owned it, it was clearly the best freebies site around. It was no fluke that I was routinely getting national and international media exposure. I worked hard on the site....70 to 80 hours a week for five years. If any Webmaster out there works that many hours on his or her site and they're not very successful, then they really need to consider doing a major overhaul of their site...or get into another line of work.
Bottom line: I expected competition when I launched TheFreeSite.com. But I was consistently disappointed over the years by the utter lack of work and research that most other freebies site owners did. Most sites were just basically copying my ideas, and few people ever seemed to have an original idea of their own to add to the genre.
Having recently sold The Free Site to iBoost, a large Internet company based in LA, what advice would you give other Webmasters faced with the prospect of selling their website to another company? Would you recommend they go ahead with it?
I would not recommend selling one's site in this Dot Com recession. Indeed, I wouldn't recommend selling, period. If you've worked hard on your site for years, you're really better off keeping it. There's no better feeling than controlling your own destiny.
Finally, what plans do you have for FreebieDirectory.com in the near and long-term future?
I want it to be the Web's definitive "site of record" for freebies. If you offer the best content of any site in a given Web genre, you will eventually find the biggest audience. That's a simple fact of life on the Net.