Exclusive interview with Susan Bernardo

Speaking from her experience working for a leading media company with several online portals, marketer Susan Bernardo of VerticalScope Inc. drops a few tips on getting website traffic. As well, she invites website owners to plug their sites on the recently launched web hosting forum at TopHosts.com.

VerticalScope.com logo & slogan TopHosts.com logo & slogan   HostingStandart.com logo & slogan MerchantSelect.com logo & slogan

Susan Bernardo: VerticalScope Inc. is a leading media company with several online resource and directoriy portals: TopHosts.com (Web hosting), MerchantSelect.com(E-Commerce) and MarketingFind.com (Internet marketing) as well as three print publications: Modified Magazine, Modified Luxury & Exotics and The Hosting Standard Magazine. As for what brought us to the Internet… small businesses need all the help they can get to thrive online in this vastly competitive environment and service providers need an affordable avenue to showcase their products and deliver informed messages to those who require them. Essentially we adhere to the familiar win-win situation and qualities that exemplify today’s business leaders. As one of several marketers at VerticalScope, I handle marketing and promotion for VerticalScope’s technology products TopHosts.com, MarketingFind.com and MerchantSelect.com.

Susan Bernardo: We touched on that previously with the fulfilling the need response. VerticalScope identifies niche opportunities and does its best to dominate these markets.TopHosts.com is the most widely used hosting resource out there bar none and Modified Magazine has become the auto enthusiast’s favorite publication in the sport compact realm.

Susan Bernardo: TopHosts.com, MarketingFind.com and MerchantSelect.com are resources websites essentially dedicated to helping people grow their online business. One of the most difficult tasks a website owner will face is how to choose a web host. Our flagship website, TopHosts.com, is a guide to help site owners select the best web host for their needs while MerchantSelect focuses on providing information to help them select E-Commerce solutions for their site. MarketingFind, our latest resource, is dedicated to helping people market their business on the Internet. MarketingFind was a necessary step for us in our goal to provide business owners with information, tools and resources to help them grow their business on the Internet. MarketingFind features a wide array of articles focusing on all aspects of Internet marketing – from pay per click advertising, search engine optimization to affiliate programs etc. As for our other projects, they include three print publications: Modified Magazine and Modified Luxury & Exotics—encompass the automotive consumer market and The Hosting Standard which provides the most comprehensive coverage of the hosting industry and all the ancillary markets such as Internet marketing, technology advancement and business resources.

TopHosts.com

Susan Bernardo: Yes, VerticalScope definitely portrays versatility in terms of the products we offer. Although our plans for future growth are confidential, you can be sure that VerticalScope is committed to exploiting the hottest growth markets as the economy recovers.

Susan Bernardo: Well, all of our projects have been successful! Each and every one our resource sites is heavily indexed throughout the Internet and receive an unsurpassed amount of qualified web traffic. We’ve tapped into international markets with www.uk.tophosts.com, www.ca.tophosts.com, www.au.tophosts.com, www.de.tophosts.comand www.fr.tophosts.com as well as the adult hosting business with www.adult.tophosts.com. At the same time, we’ve successfully launched into the publishing industry to have the #1 selling magazine in the sport compact market with Modified Magazine. However, without a doubt, the greatest success of VerticalScope has to be its very first initiative www.TopHosts.com. In addition to being the longest running web hosting resource and directory on the Internet, TopHosts is substantially referenced by other sources as the authority on Web hosting. Our years of experience and dedication to this product has made it what it is today – simply the best. It was this success that allowed us to launch The Hosting Standard magazine to coincide.

Susan Bernardo: Yes – there are thousands of untapped websites on the Internet that have a dedicated following – no matter the industry. Contact these websites and develop partnerships with them. Be active on Forums…chat about what you know and plug your website wherever you can. And finally, search engine optimization. Probably your most qualified traffic will come from people trying to find you on a search engine. Optimize your site to ensure you can be found.

Susan Bernardo: This is an excellent idea that we need to follow through on. Look for an announcement sometime in the near future.

Susan Bernardo: Well, do your research…read The Hosting Standard, spend a few hours at TopHosts.com, make a short list of providers in your price range and ASK your prospective provider every single question you need to make an informed decision. Always make certain you understand the service level agreements and if you require technical assistance ensure you have that in place.

VerticalScope.com

Susan Bernardo: In addition to our resource sites and print publications, we’ve recently launched a web hosting forum on Tophosts.com. Due to high demand, it was time to allow our site visitors to discuss hosting amongst themselves in a very candid way. Forum users will find our rules are much more relaxed…and yes, you can plug your website on our forum. Visit www.tophosts.com/forum

Susan Bernardo: We’ve merely begun. Ask yourself if you can live without email, finding information instantly without leaving your desk or making a purchase online when you haven’t the time to go to a store. Fundamentally, our lives have changed and so have the business models; it’s just fascinating to envision what is in store only to see these services implemented in a few months later. So if one in four are making purchases online look for three out of four down the road and if four percent of the Chinese population are connected look for fifty percent reasonably soon and if it takes seconds to download a music file… well that’s starting to sound a bit scary.