Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do you require members to put an additional page on their site showing the Link List's database results?

A: Yes. Once you add a link to your account and your link is approved, you can log in and get a formatted/unformatted table of data directly from the database, as well as a stylesheet that you *can* use (not required) to format the display further.

The reason for this is that Google ranks your page based on how many other "quality" (good, related) sites link back to you. So, as designers/developers (yes, straight programmers, designers, and VA are all included in the Link List), we are all helping each other get better rankings.

The list is also our way of showing that we support search engine rules. We do not allow sites who break those rules to join. We link to each other to provide our visitors a great resource as well.

Q: How often is the list updated?

A: The list itself is updated dynamically. We require that at least once a month you log into your account and *download* the current list and then update/put it on your site. You are also required to put "Last updated on ..." on your page so that we can see when it was last done. Do NOT use code to generate the current date because our review committee will be looking at the actual results displayed to ensure the latest sites added appear.

Q: Do I need a database for this?

A: No. If you would like to use a database to display the unformatted version of the list, you are more than welcome to. We provide a text version of the list that you can use to accomplish this. However, we also provide a formatted table version of the list so that you do not have to use a database.

Q: What determines the listing order of listers on the list?

A: At this time it is a first come first serve basis. When a person signs up and their link is approved, the link is then added to the bottom of the list. We will be looking into other ways of listing the links in the future.

Q: Can we use the text from the home page to promote the list on our page or in articles we write?

A: Members are allowed to copy and use the introduction paragraph from the homepage when promoting the group.

Q: How do I submit my link to a sub-category?

A: To add your link to a sub-category, you must select the sub-category under the main category. For instance to add your site to Programming -> Perl / CGI, you would go under Programming, then choose Perl / CGI, and add your link there.

Q: I've created an account and added a link, but I cannot find the place where I download the list to add to my site. Did I do something wrong?

A: No you did not do anything wrong! In order to download the list, your link must first be approved. Once approved, when you log into your account and click on "Manage Account", you will see a new link on the bottom righthand side that says "The-Link-List.com link access". This is where you go to download the list in either text or html format.