Why would a software company overlook one of the easiest and fastest ways to promote their products online? This seems like a rhetorical question, except for the fact that I run a shareware site and am always looking for new software to add to my site. The thing is, only half of the programs I want to add to my database have PAD files available.
A PAD file is a simple XML file that contains all the information a developer would normally enter into a web form on a software page. No knowledge of XML is required to create a PAD file. You can get one for free at http://www.padgen.org/.
The software is basically self-explanatory. Just fill out the forms. It only takes about an hour and a half to create a mat file and upload it to your website. It takes even less time if you already have a website to promote your product. After that, you can just copy and paste the information you already have. And once your pad file is ready, submitting to shareware sites is as easy as copying and pasting the address of your PAD file.
But why isn't PAD technology used more often? Of course it could be ignorance. Ignorance is not a bad word. It just means you haven't heard of this technology that can triple the downloads of your products, technology that means you can send 300 to 700 software pages on the internet in an hour, depending on whose data you use.
Most sites that use pad files don't even require a membership. Mine doesn't. This means you can submit your software on one page in the time it takes to copy and paste the pad file address into one form, press submit, then select a category. Then you go to the next website. Send and forget.
If this still seems like too much work, you can download software programs that will do all the shipping work for you. Just think it could finish submitting your software to hundreds of websites in the time it takes you to eat lunch.
Or maybe software marketers just don't know the true value of submitting software to software sites. People actually go to software sites to find software. It sounds like a silly statement, but not when you consider that most general directories, except perhaps DMOZ or Yahoo, are rarely used as search engines. They have become primarily an SEO tool. When searchers are looking for something general, they go to Google, Yahoo or MSN. But when they're looking for software, they usually end up on a shareware site and stay there for a while.
Maybe you don't develop shareware. The software you develop must be purchased before you can use it. No trial period, due to risk of cracking. It's alright. I really understand this reason. I was a developer who got my software cracked three times before giving up on shareware altogether. But that doesn't mean you can't create a demo, a stand-alone program that acts as a trailer. It will only be a matter of time before the user of the software decides to go for the full version. Just make sure your demo teases enough, but not too much.
So posting PAD files to software sites kills two birds with one stone. Yes, you will get a lot of links back to your site, but those links are worth more than just increasing your PageRank. People will actually use them to get to your site. As software developers, we have a tool that makes this process much easier and faster than other marketers. Not using it now that you know is laziness.
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