Search Engines
Back to the main newsletter page.Mod Dog's Internet Newsletter - Issue 7 - 03/16/01
This newsletter contains news, trends and useful advice to help businesses develop a more successful Web site and Internet strategy.
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In this issue:
SEARCH ENGINES
HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY
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A short newsletter can only barely touch on the subject of search engines, but I have included below what I feel is some useful information and some specific tips to help you play the search engine "game". There are, of course, many great resources available for learning more. You can buy stacks of books on the subject of search engines, and of course there are many Web sites devoted to this topic.
Rather than overwhelm with too many options, I'll simply point you to what I feel is one of the best resources available - Search Engine Watch by Danny Sullivan. An acknowledged leader in the industry, you'll find a wealth of information at his site, as well as pointers to additional resources. The link to his site is at the end of the article.
For a quick primer on some important search engine issues, please read on. (note, depending on when you're reading this, it's likely that some of the information may now be outdated)
SEARCH ENGINES
If your marketing plan includes getting visitors to your Web site from search engines, it's important to understand some of the basics of how search engines operate and what some effective techniques are to help get ranked, as well as understand some limitations you may encounter.
From my first day in this business, probably the question I have been asked the most from clients is: How can I get my Web site registered in or ranked higher in the search engines?
It's important to understand that getting "registered" in a search engine is not the same thing as being "ranked" at a high level for any particular search word or search phrase.
When it comes to search engines, even getting registered has become an expense that business oriented Web sites now have to incur. Both Yahoo and LookSmart (the owner of the database that some other major search engines use to generate their results, i.e. MSN, Excite, Alta Vista) are now "pay to be reviewed/registered" for business Web sites. Paying Yahoo or LookSmart ($199) only gets your site "reviewed", and does NOT guarantee placement, much less a high position for any particular search phrase (although the vast majority of sites will at least get in).
Most of the other major search engines allow for "free" registration, but there's still no guarantee of being included and it may take weeks or even months before your site shows up.
The search engines each have their own formula for determining positioning within a search result, and some engines will place links to sites that have paid for positioning at the top of a results page. The formulas are frequently "tweaked", and occasionally undergo major overhauls, consequently while one week you may come up number 3 for your desired search phrase, a week later you may be number 300. You can also get bumped down, of course, by any competitors who have managed to get their sites ranked above yours.
Because the relevancy formulas for different search engines vary, it's extremely difficult to maintain a high position for multiple search phrases across multiple engines.
In short, getting your Web site registered with and ranked in the search engines is an ongoing process, not a one time project. Generating new clients as a result of search engine traffic needs to be part of your long term marketing plan/budget.
An important industry trend is the "pay for placement" model, best exemplified by GoTo.com. Because this is one of the Web's most heavily trafficked search engine, it's important to understand how this model works and how you can use it or others like it to drive highly targeted traffic to your Web site.
The basic premise of this model is simple: you pay for the ranking you desire for a particular search word or phrase by "bidding" on it against others. The bid amount is displayed beside each search result (unless you search for a phrase that hasn't been bid on yet), thus you can easily determine how much you need to bid to achieve your desired ranking. You only pay the amount you bid when someone actually clicks on the link to go to your site. This allows you to easily control both how much you want to pay per search phrase and your total expenditure.
Two other engines that follow this model are FindWhat.com and Kanoodle.com.
You should definitely check out these types of search engines as part of your overall marketing strategy. In many cases, it can be the most cost effective use of marketing dollars that you'll find.
Although there have been many changes with search engines over the years, and many more to come, some of the most basic elements for increasing your chances of being ranked higher remain the same. And although there are some important differences involving how the engines use different factors, if you follow these basic steps you'll have a better chance of success:
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1. Include
effective META keyword and description tags in the header of each HTML
page of your site. It's important to vary the META tag info from page
to page, emphasizing one or two particular subjects per page. Of course,
the key word here is "effective". You may want to consult with your own
local Internet guru or Search Engine Optimization specialist to help you
determine what these words should be and in what quantity.
2. Your individual page titles should include important key words and phrases. Don't simply repeat only your company name in your page titles. Also, your image "alt" tags can contain key words of importance.
3. Content, content, content. Search engines can't "read" graphics, so they depend heavily upon content to help determine relevancy. The content of each page should include the relevant key words and phrases, and some engines even place more importance on words higher up the page. Again, the key is proper use of these words in the right quantity and correct place.
Search Engine Watch by Danny Sullivan
Two recent articles on ClickZ from Danny Sullivan that you may also enjoy.
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The End for Search Engines?
Will your favorite search engine still be around tomorrow? Danny takes a step back to provide some perspective on how the future may unfold.
The End for Search Engines?
The Long-Term Strategy for Survival Continues
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HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY
Ok, so it's not the "prettiest" of sites, but would you go anywhere else on March 17?
St. Patrick's Day
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That's it for this issue of Mod Dog's Internet Newsletter. I hope you enjoyed the information you discovered and learned a few things too. I encourage and welcome any questions or comments you may have regarding anything related to Web site development or Internet strategy.
In response to many requests on how to best get an Internet strategy started, or improve one that may be floundering, I am now offering a one hour, telephone only, consulting service. Please visit my consulting services page for more information.
Best regards,
Brian White
Mod Dog Internet Services, Inc.
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