Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

One of my websites: Resume Builder allows people to create their resume online, using a step-by-step wizard (they receive  a resume website, files to create an interactive resume, can download to Word or PDF).

I've had little success with this site and I am thinking about allowing people to sign up for free (currently, it's $10/year).

Free...with a caveat: I'm thinking of adding Google Adwords to the users Resume Website (click for a sample).

If the user doesn't want ads to show, they will have the option of turning it off, but, they have to pay to turn off the ads.

What do you think?

Anyone?

The free sign-up with ads (pay to opt out of the ads) sounds like a good solution, if your problem is the price. Are you getting a lot of traffic to your site, but few sign-ups?

Some other options to consider are a free trial (say 30 days) with either an automatic sign-up at the end of the trial or an option to sign up then. One service I use (www.formexperts.com) uses a free trial with a sign up after that on a monthly or annual basis. I signed up for free, liked what I was getting, and now subscribe.

One thing to think about is that hopefully most people who need a resume will only need it for a short time (1-3 months). What if you changed your subscription period to quarterly ($5 per quarter)?

Best regards,

Molly Donaldson

I think your biggest problem is that you are competing against to many sites like Monster.com.  These site offer free resume' builders and the user can post his/her resume' directly to an employer.

Well, I decided to switch my site from paid to free and the results have been WONDERFUL!

Please pass the word around: Build your resume for free at www.getnoticedfirst.com!

I did something similar recently with a business of mine and the results were great. Even though my website has become information based it is getting known as a good resource and developing a good crowd behind it who may be willing to purchase down the road.

Not everything should have to cost money, and it is rare that things don't. Good luck to your busine