Shill Sites

I'm not sure if there is another name for the type of websites that I describe here, but my name for them is shill sites.

If you are looking for a grantwriter, then you may have come across these sites. There are at least two of them that I know of, and they purport to rate and rank "the top 10 grant writers." Lucky me -- I'm "fortunate" to have my name listed on both of these sites. Most likely, there are similar sites for other professions.

These sites are fakes. They exist only to promote and get business for the top-ranked site, which is of course their own site and which is given 5 stars. The other 9 sites that are listed have lower rankings and are often described in negative terms, many of which are half-truths or outright lies.

The shill sites claim to back up their listings by describing their methodology for rating and ranking the 10 sites on their lists. They claim to collect and verify information on the success rate of the proposals written by each grant writer or grant writing firm, as well as on customer service/satisfaction, and the value of the grant writer's services in terms of fees. This, too, is hogwash, at least with respect to me and with respect to some of the other grantwriters on the "top 10 list." I know this is the case because I've talked with some of them.

One of the ways that you can identify shill sites like these is to go to the website of the top-ranked #1 grant writer. If you do, you will see that they are selling packages of grantwriting services that are "guaranteed to win."  That's a tipoff right there. No legitimate grant writer or grantwriting firm can guarantee that the proposal they prepare for you will result in a win.

So take these sites with a grain of salt. Anyone can set up a website and make outrageous claims. Just because it's on the Internet doesn't mean that it's true. As always, do your homework.