I've been doing allot of google searching and noticed under the hosting keywords that the adwords are being bought by all these top10 hosting lists. It seems they are basic 2-3 page sites that signup for 10 affiliate programs.

Has anyone actually setup one of these sites? How profitable are they?

Hmm. Another fraudulent top10 site, claiming a host is "top 10" in exchange for money.

Are you willing to sacrifice your morals in exchange for a few extra bucks? Or do you not have any morals to begin with?

Sorry to start out on the offensive, but those sites are at the core of the majority of the issues currently facing this industry. I think it is a matter of time until those types of sites become illegal and Google won't list them any more. Even if I had no ethics at all, I wouldn't start one for that reason alone.

I don't' like them either but I must say it's a brilliant marketing strategy. I wouldn't be surprised if web hosting companies own these sites, place themselves as Number 1 and than do affiliate links to the other 9. they also seem to pay big money on the google adwords, high PPC bids and large monthly budgets. I wonder how much they are pushing through a month in orders.

There is no doubt that some of these sites are owned by the "top" web hosts themselves.

I've been doing allot of google searching and noticed under the hosting keywords that the adwords are being bought by all these top10 hosting lists. It seems they are basic 2-3 page sites that signup for 10 affiliate programs.

Has anyone actually setup one of these sites? How profitable are they?

if you can get traffic, it is very profitable.

You see the same companies on the lists on them. One after the other you can tell who is paying and who isn't. I don't think they are fair for the consumer to have to read "paid for" great reviews on a company. Thems my 2 cents.

I'm pretty sure what they are doing is illegal, but until someone steps up and takes on those organizations and their high-priced lawyers, those sites will continue.

When I knew less than I know now, I actually followed the advice of one of these sites, and was sorry I did (I chose ipowerweb...big mistake). I don't know what it say about a solution, but I don't like them.

I'm pretty sure what they are doing is illegal, but until someone steps up and takes on those organizations and their high-priced lawyers, those sites will continue.

Hm, quite frankly I'm not sure what laws they would be breaking.
In some cases they go to great lengths (in my opinion, even fraud -- so those could get nailed) for conversions but the majority are just lists.

The majority are sleazy though.

Yes, there's a difference between shady practices and illegal. For a "review" site to say that a host is "great" might be questionable given the affiliate relationship between them, but "great" is hard to establish as misleading.

Sleezy indeed, lots of affiliates peddling out the 'top host' spot to whatever host pays the most...

Maybe some host with ethics and a big budget will place their own ad in the top position that says "the TRUTH about hosting review sites" with a link to a page that will properly educate the consumer.

Goes hand in hand with the various 'awards' handed out all over the shop - conveniently to those with advertising all over the site :-)

Hm, quite frankly I'm not sure what laws they would be breaking.
In some cases they go to great lengths (in my opinion, even fraud -- so those could get nailed) for conversions but the majority are just lists.

The majority are sleazy though.

I'm no expert, but they are saying these are the "best" hosting companies, as if consumers everywhere gave them the best votes. Yet most of the hosts listed there have horrible reviews. They are not the "best" companies, they just have the best-paying affiliate programs. There is "misleading," and there are outright lies.

If they were to say, "These hosts have the best paying affiliate programs, and therefore the biggest pockets, so in theory they must be pretty good..." that would be honest, and perfectly legal. Its the same principle as pay-per-click advertising. PPC advertising is honest about the fact that the top listings are the ones paying the most. So it is legal.

I think anyone who wanted to shut down these sights would have a valid case, but maybe that is just me.

Everity,

The adjectives are relative. If I think it's the best because they pay me $200 every click, by golly, it's the best to me!
Get it? :)

Companies advertise themselves as number one all the time. Is that illegal too?

I don't like these bogus "review" sites either, but I don't think what they are doing is illegal. These kind of biases exist everywhere.