Presell Pages & Reputation Management

Presell pages are a link building method that have gradually gained a following. Tto my knowledge, the most visible firm that offers them now is WeBuildPages. A thread at WebmasterWorld, Presell Pages – your experience to date, has some interesting tidbits:

jdancing: I have found pre-sell pages or “content pages” often rank better then the site that is buying the page. Buying a page devoted to your site on a related, well established site is a great way get your website found, especially if you are stuck in the sandbox.

This “fluke” of high ranking presell pages could potentially be a huge advantage for firms in need of reputation management. When a site or service becomes “big enough”, positive and negative comments about that site or service can usually be found in the SERPs when searching for its name. If a positive presell page grabs the #2 spot, rather than a negative review of the service or blog entry of a disgruntled customer, this could have a very positive impact on the conversion rate of potential customers who do brand research before buying.

Pros of Presell Pages (as I see it)

• They provide links from keyword rich pages (and can include deeplinks)
• They provide links in the editorial block, rather than an ad block
• They potentially rank high in the SERPs, thus giving searchers a positive off-site “presell” of your products (and can also push down negative press)

Cons of Presell Pages (as I see it)

• If presell pages are not clearly marked as advertising, this could negatively impact the trust that the publisher conveys to its readers
• They seem to be a bit expensive (of course, it’s all relative–do you sell CD’s or real estate?)

More discussion on presell pages available at Threadwatch and Stuntbubl Internet Marketing Consulting.