If there is any niche that has abused (and raped and pillaged) the definition of a ‘website directory’, the honor definitely belongs to web hosting directories.

I just did a search for web hosting directory on Google. Lets look at the top 10 sites:

  1. Shill. Using the guise of ‘award winners’ they list every advertiser they could possibly cram into the site.
  2. Shill. From ‘top 10 web hosts’ to ‘hosts they recommend’, just a big big list of advertisers.
  3. Shill. ‘Showcase’ – what about an actual directory?
  4. Shill. What a surprise – TopHosts.com is the grand-daddy of shill hosting directories. On the frontpage alone I saw 16 image ads and 20 text link ads (both direct and redirects).
  5. Mostly Shill. Their search does seem to bring up honest results, but everything else is shill/sponsored.
  6. Shill. Their top 10 hosts are really ‘top 10 who will pay me the most’
  7. Legitimate. Or sort of. They do push HostGator down your throat without mentioning its an advertisement, but its far better than the rest. The name is also very miss-leading (free?)
  8. Semi-legitimate. I actually created this site a long long time ago. It was sold a long time ago (opportunity cost folks), and it looks like it has not been updated in ages. They have splashed AdSense all over the site (which didn’t exist when I made this site), and also list sites with an affiliate program first.
  9. Shill. Ads and ads and more ads.
  10. Broken. I couldn’t get any search form to work.

There is so many crappy websites out there claiming to be a web hosting directory it makes me gag. My above list only factors in ’sponsors’ – when you start adding the fake ‘reviews’ thrown in there that do nothing more than shill for the top paying hosting companies – gag x 2.

So whats a person like me to do? Write his own web hosting directory. More on that soon :)

UPDATE January 29: It is now live.