Is ThomasNet Worth It? A Review of ThomasNet by WebFX

Let’s dive in!

Is ThomasNet worth it for your business?

ThomasNet is a trusted resource for buyers looking for manufacturers and suppliers, and it has served as such for many years. However, there are some downsides to being listed on ThomasNet. Let’s look at both the pros and cons of this platform:

• Pros of ThomasNet
• Cons of ThomasNet
• Verdict: Is ThomasNet worth it?

Read on for the details!

Pros of ThomasNet

ThomasNet is so widely used and trusted for a reason: It’s a very useful platform for finding suppliers and manufacturers. For industrial businesses like yours, that presents an excellent opportunity to market yourself online.

By getting your business listed on ThomasNet, you can put yourself in front of a wide range of businesses who might be interested in buying from you. Many of these businesses might not find you otherwise, especially if they like to rely purely on ThomasNet to find suppliers.

That means that using ThomasNet can potentially be a way to drive up your leads, sales, and revenue significantly.

Cons of ThomasNet

The most obvious drawback to ThomasNet is the high cost. If you find yourself competing in a saturated niche, you may have to gain many sales or high-quality leads to justify the annual expense of claiming a top listing on ThomasNet. Also, you may find yourself having to frequently outbid a competitor to retain the top spot, which can be very costly.

ThomasNet’s reporting is also not as robust as some other platforms. Their proprietary analytics program, WebTraxs, can report the number of views, clicks, and leads on your listing, but the metrics are not very detailed. WebTraxs also requires a fee to use, while programs like Google Analytics are free.

Verdict: Is ThomasNet worth it?

There is certainly value in retaining a listing on ThomasNet, as long as it is not too expensive. However, the results vary for every company.

Some may find that the ROI is very high, especially if they offer commonly searched products or services and can afford to pay for a top listing. Others, however, may find that the amount of clicks or leads gained through the site is not worth the investment into ThomasNet.

It is important to keep in mind that not every potential buyer or B2B lead will use ThomasNet to find a supplier or partner. If you invest only in ThomasNet, you may be missing out on potential sales gained through other channels, like organic search, PPC, or social media.

The usefulness of ThomasNet also depends on the size of your business. Many small businesses struggle to get a good return on investment (ROI) from it, while larger businesses sometimes fare better.

ThomasNet is best utilized in conjunction with an alternative program or marketing strategy, like search engine optimization (SEO), to increase traffic to your website and ensure your brand or B2B company reaches those searching for you in as many places as possible.

How does ThomasNet work?

In the current online format of ThomasNet, B2B suppliers pay to be listed on ThomasNet in their respective categories. An extra investment is required to be listed in particular positions in the supplier results.

For example, a supplier of balsa wood may pay to be listed in the balsa wood category, then pay extra to be the top listing in these results, beating out the rest of the competition as far as visibility is concerned.

ThomasNet listings contain information on each company, including their size, amount of annual sales, history, product information, and so on. From a company’s ThomasNet listing, a lead can send an email, request a quote, or visit the company’s website.

How much does ThomasNet cost?

ThomasNet does not charge one set price per year for a listing on its website. Instead, the company charges an annual investment for a listing based on the level of competition in each category. This variable allows ThomasNet to turn a profit.

In the example we gave above, there are only a handful of balsa wood suppliers. The cost to appear as the top balsa wood supplier may only be a few hundred dollars annually. On the other hand, there are more than 2,000 suppliers of washers. How much do you think it costs to be listed in the #1, #2, or even the #3 spot for “washers?”

On average, the cost of an annual listing on ThomasNet costs between $7,000 and $10,000. However, for very popular or saturated industries, the cost may range anywhere from $25,000 to $50,000 and beyond.

What are some ThomasNet alternatives?

There are a few alternative options available for those who do not want to work with ThomasNet. Those options include:

• IHS GlobalSpec
• Metoree
• IndustryNet
• IQS Directory
• And more!

If you’re looking for other sites where you can be listed as a supplier of a particular product or technology, you might consider searching for “[product] directory,” and reviewing the results for listing opportunities.

How does SEO work on ThomasNet?

The short answer is, it doesn’t.

In traditional search engines like Google, SEO works by ranking websites organically based on the value they offer. That value encompasses things like:

• Content quality
• Backlink profile
• Site load speed
• Functionality

On ThomasNet, though, rankings are based on payment. You may have the highest quality products in your category, but a supplier with more money may outbid you. That makes it more similar to paid search advertising than to SEO.

For that reason, it’s important not to rely solely on ThomasNet for earning online visibility. You should also optimize your website’s SEO to help you appear in organic search engine rankings.

ThomasNet vs SEO: Real client experiences

WebFX has collected a variety of testimonials and case studies from clients who either currently use ThomasNet, or have used their services in the past. These are a small sampling of the results they experienced between ThomasNet and our SEO services:

• During a 12 month period, one client received 46 qualified contact form views from their ThomasNet listing. However, in this same period, they received a total of 143 additional views from other sources, including Google, Yahoo!, and a trade show listing.
• Another WebFX client had 478 requests for additional information on their products in a 12 month period. Of these requests, only one was a referral from ThomasNet.
• A WebFX client who began an SEO campaign received 1,900 visits and 140 engaged/qualified users on their website. During this same time period, ThomasNet provided 57 referrals (visits) and 9 engaged users.

Again, there is certainly value in listing your business on services like ThomasNet, GlobalSpec client services, or others. However, by supplementing your placement and advertising with SEO, you are ensuring that you reach a wider audience, and typically doing so in a way that is far more cost-effective than paying for the first spot.

Learn more about SEO packages from WebFX

WebFX offers SEO packages for medium- to large-sized companies. We also offer custom enterprise-level SEO plans for larger companies looking to create their own package.

Our SEO strategists take the time to get to know your manufacturing company to create a personalized SEO strategy designed to outshine your competitors in the search results and drive more qualified traffic to your site that turns into product sales.

We hope this page has provided you with some additional information about the value of ThomasNet and whether the ThomasNet service is worth it. If you have any questions about ThomasNet or would like a no-obligation quote on SEO services from WebFX, we would love to hear from you!

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