be seen be sold - promoting software since 1997.
Shareware Promotions      
 


about us

FAQ

 

 

 


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

This document answers some of the more commonly asked questions, and was last updated on June 22, 2007 .

General

Our company and services

Software and shareware sites

Search engine optimisation/optimization



Question Do you only work with Shareware?

Answer Shareware isn't a type of software. It's a marketing method. Shareware is any form of software that allows the user to try before they buy. Some companies prefer to name their Shareware version a trial application, a demo, a free trial or demoware. All of which fall under the umbrella label of Shareware.

Many of our clients choose not to use the word Shareware on their website. And why should they? The technical term for their chosen marketing method is of as little interest to their customers as your dentist's drill preference probably is to you! No matter how you choose to label your software, if the user can try before they buy, we can work with it.

 

Question I’m a small company. What can SharewarePromotions do for me?

Answer A lot more than you can do for yourself. If you have a good product, then you already know the amount of time that’s taken up with customer support, sales issues, maintaining your website, running your business, keeping up to date with the industry and so on. And that’s before actual product development comes into the picture. And marketing? Who has time for marketing? (Hint: we do!)

Something has to give - whether it’s the emails that lie unanswered for days at a time, the fact that the new release is always “about to” come out, or the bad links on your website… there just isn’t the time to get everything done.

 

Let us lighten your workload. As well as submitting and uploading your software versions to the sites, we can raise your profile on the search-engines, on the newsgroups, and within the industry as a whole. We can help you with your product marketing, your link popularity, get you write-ups in the computer press, handle your Google AdWords, PPC advertising and more. This can be as short or long term as you like; if you have the need, then we have the time, experience and capability to carry it out.

 

Question I’m from a medium-sized or large company. What can SharewarePromotions do for me?

Answer SharewarePromotions knows the industry like no one else. We know how to get your software in front of the right people. We work with press releases, website optimisation, search engine optimisation, Google AdWords, PPC, PPD and more.

But we don't just work with these areas, we're experts in our field.

 

For example, we submit software to the shareware and software sites on a daily basis, and know where to go, what to send, and how to make sure it appears as quickly as possible. If you’re not familiar with the rules and regulations of some of the larger sites, we can help and advise you. 

 

Do you know whether there are still sites that won't list software with VisualBasic runtimes? Whether a 8.3 filename format is needed? What about naming the file - should there be a generic name, or should the version number be included? And how can you get on CNET’s Shareware.com, when there’s no way of submitting the software? And what happened to WinFiles, and ZDNet Hotfiles?? Are Download.com and CNET one and the same? Which sites now charge for submission? And which are actually worthwhile? We know our way round these issues. Problem with the listing? We’ve dealt with it many times, and know who to contact, and how to fix it. 

 

We carry-out all of our submissions by hand. Why? Because it’s the only way to be sure it’s done correctly. We aren’t interested in short-cuts or time-savers, we’re only interested in getting your software seen.

 

Our working with a large number of clients means that we get to see the bigger picture. We know what works, and what will flop. What consumers want, and what businesses are looking for. We know a good advertising opportunity when we see one, and can save you time and money in ensuring you get the most out of all your advertising and promotional campaigns.

 

When your next release comes along, rather than starting the process of submitting all the details to each of the many sites, and then spending months chasing them up, why not hand it over to the one company that only deals with software promotion and software marketing. The success of your software couldn’t be in safer, more qualified hands.

And don't forget that we handle much more than just submissions. We can advise on PPC and PPD opportunities, co-ordinate and monitor your advertising, Google AdWords management, press releases, search engine optimisation, optimise your website as a sales tool, measure advertising ROI, website behavioural analysis, pricing and more.

 

Question Is it worthwhile being listed on so many sites?

Answer Yes, definitely. There are two main reasons for being listed on as many "good" sites* as possible. First of all, even a low number of sales is worth some amount of effort. Look at it this way. How many sales would you say that a site has to generate in order to be worthwhile? One? Two? In other words if a small site generates only one single sale every month, don't you want to be listed there?

Second of all, being listed on the shareware sites is good for the search engines. Like any other website, shareware sites want to receive as much traffic as possible, and will always submit themselves to the search engines. So when someone looks for a specific type of application, they're almost certain to find some of the shareware sites in their results too. You want to make sure that your software is in there.

*Click here for details of how we choose the sites

Question Will you work with any software?

Answer No. We no longer work with games of any kind.

We also reserve the right to refuse to work with any application that we are not comfortable with. This may include (but is not limited to) adult, gambling, lottery, fortune telling, applications that are based on unsound principles, applications promoting violence of any kind, and any application that we deem unfit.

In addition, we will not work with any software that we feel will not benefit from our services. This may include (but is not limited to) software that we feel will not sell, software that is poorly implemented or software offering no competitive advantage.

 

Question Just another submission service?

Answer No - far from it. While there are many services that can promote your website and even your software, you won't find a single other company that only work with software promotion, that will take care of all aspects of your submissions (including file uploads and on-site registrations), with our experience, expertise and knowledge of the industry. We handle everything - registration with the sites, uploading of your software, sending the screenshots, the icons, the GIF files, the modified PAD files, and even checking-up on the listing, weeks after the submission.

We also work with the search-engines, Google AdWords, press releases, copy writing, help-file optimisation, website navigation, advertising, web log analysis, tracking your marketing efforts and more.

 

We have the benefit of years of experience, and have worked with a vast number of different applications, in a multitude of different markets. Consumer applications, internet tools, network software, browser tools, plug-ins, office software, financial analysis, business applications, management tools, financial applications, server-side applications, security, monitoring, image manipulation and many more. If you have a product, and there are people out there who want or need it, then you need our services.

 

Question What am I paying for?

Answer The specifics depend on the package of your choice, but as well as the A’s, B’s, and C’s of what we do for you, you’ll find us to be a useful source of information, with a knowledge of the industry like no-one else. Just as important as the package components, you get our experience, our professionalism, and our knowledge. If you’re wondering what this is worth, take a look at what some of our previous clients have said about us, then decide for yourself.

Even taking into account our reasonable prices, never forget that we generate more than we cost. How else can you explain the number of clients that continue using our services on a constant basis?

 

Question Where are your prices?

Answer Our short term solutions have fixed prices, as outlined on the service pages . The price for our Premium service depends on how much you'd like us to do for you. To receive a price quote to suit your needs and requirements, please fill-out our short form here.

 

Question What about follow-up?

Answer For our Premium clients, we follow-up all the work that we carry out on a continual basis. We know how long each site should take before listing your software, so know when to resubmit your file. We know how long to wait after a magazine editor hasn't yet answered our enquiry. We know how to catch the interest and attention of the people who write newsletters, and how often we can do so without stepping on their toes! We know how long the different search engines may be taking to list new content. We’ve done it all before, and know what we're doing.

We know how to maximise your ROI with your PPC campaigns, and can improve, optimise, monitor and evaluate any ad campaigns that you may be running. All the work that we do is carefully scheduled, and constantly following-up and evaluating the work we've done so far is a regular part of our service.

 

Question Why do you keep mentioning that availability is limited?

Answer SharewarePromotions is a small company. At the time of writing this, there are three full-time people, and all of our work is carried out by hand.

We do not use software to automate any of the work that we do, as our experience has shown us that the best results are obtained by hand, with a combination of knowledge, experience and expertise.

 

Our time is therefore limited, and we prefer to reserve as much of it as possible for our paying clients.

 

We are also careful to ensure that we never take on too much work at any given time, and have occasionally had to open a waiting list for companies wishing to engage our services.

 

If or when you and your company start to use our services, you will appreciate our working methods and priorities.

 

Question Which sites do you submit to?

Answer This depends on a combination of different factors - the package that you choose, and the software itself. In general - all the main sites, and many of the better "not-so-main" ones too! More information on how we choose the sites may be found on our site selection information page.

 

Question Do you submit to sites that charge for submission?

Answer Most shareware and software sites will accept submissions without charging a fee. However, a small number of sites are now charging for software submissions and updates. We can (and do) take care of this for some of our Premium package clients as required, by paying for this service on their behalf.

 

Question Why don't you submit to hundreds of software sites?

Answer Because when you reach a certain level, the time required to submit to the very small sites may be better spent elsewhere. More information on how we choose the sites may be found on our site selection information page.

 

Question If there’s a site that we want to submit to?

Answer It depends on the package. If you’re a Premium client - no problem. Our clients can and do send us URLs all the time; we take care of the submitting almost immediately.

 

Question Why do you insist on working with a PAD file?

Answer Because it is simply the fastest and most efficient means of getting your software out there as quickly as possible. It is better for the shareware and software sites, better for you, and better for us. Further details about PAD are available here.

 

Question Do you upload the actual files as well? What about the other files that some sites require?

Answer We take care of everything, and send the file itself, screenshot, icons, text-files, PAD files and logos all in the correct formats as needed.

 

Question Demos, shareware, freeware, adware, trialware???

Answer We can work with any category of software.

 

Question What happens when we finish using your services?

Answer When we have completed the work for a company, we send a list of all user accounts, details and passwords that were setup or used on their behalf.

In other words, we do not force you to continue to work with us, nor do we in any way tie you in to our services. The next time you have a new release, should you decide to handle this yourself, you will have all the information you need at your disposal, in one place.

It has come to our attention that some of our competitors force their clients to use their own domain name for the submissions. Our experience has also been that the same companies are extremely unwilling to disclose any account details, even though these have been setup on behalf of their paying clients.

 

When you use SharewarePromotions, we will supply all details that you may need to pick-up where we left off. We hope that you choose to use our services again, but prefer you to use the results of the work that we do, as opposed to forcing you to stick with us!

 

Question Do you work with Search Engine Optimisation?

Answer Yes we do. Despite the overwhelming number of changes that have taken place over the past few years, the Search Engines still offer an extremely cost-effective means of drawing in the most highly-targeted of traffic. We have been working with Search Engine Optimisation for many of our long-term clients for the past few years, and now offer this as a standalone package. Click here for details of our search engine optimisation packages. Or click here to see a case study of one of our clients.

 

Question Are doorway pages dangerous?

Answer Like many issues related to search engine optimisation, there is a great deal of confusion, and more speculation than fact. On the issue of doorway pages, there are in general two types of doorway pages. Those that are legitimate, and those that are not.

A legitimate doorway page is a page that is setup to address one particular aspect of an application. For example, if the application in question is a network messaging tool, there might be a page detailing the security risks of using a web-based messaging tool versus a network messaging solution. Another page might address the benefits of using internal messaging over email. Another might compare the product in question with ICQ, Messenger and so on.

 

In general, we create a very small number of these pages, each covering a very distinct and separate topic, and each built around two or three very specific keywords.

 

These pages are not designed to trick the search engines. They are perfectly legitimate content pages that can and should be linked to from within the rest of the site. Upon finding one of these pages, the visitor will be unaware that the page is any different from the rest of the site. The risk of being penalised by the search engines for using one of these pages is zero, as the pages are perfectly standard, genuine content, and do not employ any tricks or specialised techniques to trick the search engine spiders.

 

There are other types of doorway pages, those that aim to trick, deceive or "tweak" the search engines. In the past some of these techniques worked very well, but they've had their time, and nowadays range from either harmless and ineffective to high-risk!

 

As the search-engines become ever more adaptive to the latest tricks, the only reliable means of performing well on the search engines is good, solid keyword research, substantial content, and effective implementation.

 

Question Your spelling is UK based. Will this be a problem?

Answer Not at all. We have worked with many US based companies over the years, and in fact tend to tailor most of the work that we do around a US based spelling system. Bearing in mind that we have been promoting software via the web since 1997, this has never caused a single issue or problem.

 

Question And if I have any more questions?

Answer Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. We take all enquiries seriously, and will usually reply within one working day. You can contact us in any of the following ways:

By email:  Write to dave@sharewarepromotions.com

By phone:  +44 796 759 5911

By fax:  +44 870 442 5271

By ICQ:  19120203 - no authorisation is necessary

 

Please understand, however, that we are only a small company with a limited amount of time on our hands; most of which we prefer to devote to our paying clients. Because of this, you will receive a far faster response to an email enquiry than a voicemail message.

 

If or when you sign up for our services, you'll appreciate this approach!

 

 

 

 

VAT Registration: 784 6502 04
Phone: +44 1425 613 927
Fax: +44 870 442 5271
mail@sharewarepromotions.com

© 1997-2008 by SharewarePromotions Ltd.

 

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