Introduction to Topsites
Topsites are similar to reciprocal links pages; They require a link back to the listing site. There are many differences between topsites and links lists.
Topsites show the number of hits to the linked sites, allow for others to rate them and rank them according to the number of hits the sites receive. The hits are not all from the topsites list, but include visitors who found your site from other sources too.
The more visitors you get to your website, the higher you will move up the topsites list. Generally, the sites on top of the list will encourage more people to click the links and visit those sites because they are more popular. That creates sort of an domino effect where popular sites continue to get more traffic than the others.
Topsites Ratings
Visitors to the Topsites lists can rate the sites and leave their comments or reviews about those sites. The ratings will help other topsites viewers know what you think of those sites. Sites are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars with 5 stars being the best. You should rate sites so others will have an general idea of the site quality before visiting it.
Topsites and Search Engines
Having your website listed on topsites can have an effect on your search engine rankings. To get better rankings, choose topsites that are related to your website.
That relation has a direct effect on the quality of links you get to your site. Search engines like having related sites linked together and rank them accordingly.
Topsites Overload
Remember that when you link to topsites you will use a small image that is taken from those sites. Your website will rely on those topsites delivering the images quickly. When the topsites server is slow, it can also slow the loading of your web page.
Having too many topsites buttons on your web page can slow your page down dramatically. Choose the sites wisely and either limit yourself to a maximum number of topsites, or put the buttons in a position on your page, normally at the bottom, that will not affect the rest of your site loading. If a website takes more than 3 or 4 seconds to load, you will most likely lose that visitor.
Conclusion
Topsites are a good way to get traffic, both direct and through search engines. Use them wisely and watch your traffic and rankings climb above the others. I see the topsites lists as a reminder of my overall website traffic and gives me the ambition to continue marketing those sites to get them to the top of that topsites list. Think of it as friendly competition to see who can get to, and remain, on top.