In the earlier days of the internet, after several attempts at creating search engines and directories failed, many people speculated that topsites would become the next best option.
Obviously we all know that this never happened, however topsites can still be of some use when attempting to promote your arcade.
What is a topsite?
A topsite is basically a list of websites ranked according to popularity. Featured websites typically display a link or button which directs their visitors towards the topsite to register a positive votes. It is these votes which determine the rank of the site, and as such its place in the topsite listings, or “chart”.
Usually these rankings will be based on either the total number of votes a site has received since joining the topsite, or alternatively the ranks will be based on daily votes which prevents, for example, older members of a topsite continuously dominating the top spots.
Using topsites to promote your arcade
Topsites have generally wained in popularity in recent years, and no longer provide as valuable a promotional outlet as they previous did - however, the majority of topsites are free to join, and as an arcade webmaster you should never write off free publicity.
The only thing you really need to consider is whether you can “afford” the space on your arcade site which would be taken up by a topsite link or button. Usually these buttons are only 88px x 31px and as such do not take up a great deal of space, however when joining several topsites you could find yourself filling up a lot of space which could be better used for either displaying ads or banner exchange code.
If you are fortunate to have a community of visitors either through a forum, or through personal friends etc, then membership of a topsite may benefit you more than others; as a close-knit community with ties to your website will be more likely to vote for your arcade, and as such, assist you in rising up the ranks - however bear in mind that topsites have anti-cheat code in place, so asking friends to continuously click your vote link will not pay off, and could result in you being banned from the service.
In general, don’t expect an arcade topsite to bring in floods of visitors - however as the handful they will likely bring in will be obtained for free, then its definitely worth considering.
