By now, virtually every webmaster has heard or read that the major search engines are responsible for 80% or more of the traffic received by most web sites and that most searchers never look beyond the first 20 - 50 search results. Not surprisingly, an entire industry devoted to search engine ranking and search engine optimization (SEO) has sprung up to capitalize on these well known facts.
Tens of thousands of web sites compete to achieve top ranking for their chosen keywords and keyword phrases. We've published numerous articles by various SEO experts on linking strategies, optimizing meta tags and page content, and relevant page content. And, undoubtedly, we'll publish many more. Achieving a top ranking for a particular keyword or phrase is a major accomplishment, but the sad fact is that most web sites will never come close to reaching a top 10, a top 30, or even a top 100, listing in any major search engine.
Is it possible to be listed in the top 10 - 30 search results of a major search engine? Yes, possible, just not very likely for the average web site. It's a lot like playing the lottery and with the same appeal. Get your site in the top 10 search results and the payoffs are big - you just need to knock out a few million competitors.
THE RISE OF PAY-PER-CLICK
The difficulty in achieving a top ranking for a free site listing has in recent years given rise to the pay-per-click search engine phenomena. Overture's singular success with this model has resulted in hundreds of search engines jumping on the pay-per-click bandwagon. Pay-per-click is a great idea and taps right into the frustrated webmaster/site owner market. Many site owners simply do not want to be bothered with checking keyword density, tweaking their page content, fiddling with their meta tags and undertaking linking campaigns.
With pay-per-click, you get the site ranking you can afford. A simple, understandable concept. If money isn't a problem, the PPC system is hard to beat.
Most experts would probably recommend combining search engine optimization with PPC for maximizing traffic. And, there you have it - the two dominant methods for driving targeted visitors to your web site. Dominant, but probably irrelevant to the vast majority of site owners and webmasters who don't have the time to learn the ever-changing art of SEO or the budget for PPC's and SEO firms.
What should be relevant is how to get traffic to your site without breaking the bank or having to earn a degree in SEO techniques. Where it comes from should be secondary. Don't limit your traffic building efforts to just a few of the majors like Google, Yahoo, Inktomi and Overture. The top 8 or 10 search engines may be popular but that doesn't mean that your site will reap the benefits.
Here are several reasons why:
1. Sometimes the numbers work against you. Another billion pages added to Google or AlltheWeb are NOT going to help the average site owner - they are just going to bury the needle - your website - deeper in the haystack. And search traffic is only important, if your website can be found.
2. The major search engines cater primarily to searchers not webmasters. Why? Because more search traffic means more revenue and there are far more searchers than webmasters.
3. Even PPC engines deliver more than top 50 search results. That means unless you're a high bidder, your website may still not be seen by many.
From a webmaster's perspective what you should be looking for in a search engine is the right balance of search traffic and understandable site listing/ranking options. Engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN, AOL, and Ask Jeeves have massive traffic, but you need to evaluate your chances for having your web site added and then ranked well. You also need to determine if a search engine is more focused on revenue generation through ads, paid inclusion and Sponsored listings than they are in catering to your concerns about where your web site appears.
More specifically, when evaluating any engine regardless of size or traffic, you should consider the following factors:
1. Free Site Listings
A few years ago, you could submit your site to almost any search engine, small or large, for free. But times have changed. Today, even many second tier engines have PPC or paid inclusion programs, and free submissions, where offered, are often given little attention. This ties right into the second feature you should be looking for in a search engine.
2. Indexing Speed
The usual pitch is that free listings can take a month or more to be added (with some SE's, never is more likely), but a paid listing will be added within 48 hours to a week. Does this make sense? Most search engines don't manually review site submissions so whether a submission is free or paid shouldn't affect indexing speed. Slow indexing for free site submissions is most often nothing more than a deliberate ploy to get your money.
3. Ranking Options
Look for a search engine that offers some clues on how to improve your site ranking, short of emptying your wallet. Few engines reveal all the factors they use in ranking sites but knowing where the emphasis is (content, link popularity, meta tags, etc.) can be enough to point you in the right direction. There are also a handful of engines and directories that offer innovative listing options that give your website a much better chance of being seen.
4. Quality Searches
Important to site owners and searchers alike. When quality sites are buried in a sea of second rate listings, no one benefits.
5. Traffic
If you want your website seen, the traffic a search engine attracts is important, but don't be too quick to write off smaller, up and coming engines. Not too long ago both Google and Overture were considered long shots in the search engine wars. Also, keep in mind that top ranking in an engine that receives a few million searches per month may be more important to you than no ranking in an engine that receives millions of searches per day.
6. Paid Listing Options:
Look for paid listing options that offer more than fast inclusion in a database. With PPC, you get what you pay for, but with paid inclusion, you should receive more than you would with a free listing.
If you're not familiar with any search engines other than the big players, check out FreeWebSubmission.com (http://www.freewebsubmission.com) where you can find a list of the 50 top search engines that still offer free site listings. Engines are ranked by their Alexa rating which indicates their user popularity. Here's a list of the top 10 from FWS with current Alexa rankings:
Some other engines and directories worth considering in your promotion efforts are Gimpsy (http://www.gimpsy.com/), RoList (http://www.rolist.com), SitesOnDisplay (http://www.sitesondisplay.com) and National Directory (http://www.nationaldirectory.com).
About The Author
Mel Strocen is CEO of the Jayde Online Network of websites. The Jayde network currently consists of 12 websites, including ExactSeek.com (http://www.exactseek.com) and SiteProNews.com (http://www.sitepronews.com).
SEO is all about "Individualism"According to me SEO is not... Read More
There are millions of web sites trying to get listed... Read More
Targeted traffic is the lifeblood of any online business. The... Read More
In this three part article, you'll find many tools that... Read More
Over the past few years, there have been many debates... Read More
The most important thing you can do for your business... Read More
The chase for a high web ranking is constantly on... Read More
Back in November, when the Google Dance began, Barry Lloyd... Read More
Everyone knows that if your website has a high Google... Read More
According to author Frank Peretti, "A fixed point of reference... Read More
It is a well known fact that writing, distributing and... Read More
Web users turn to search engines for answers to their... Read More
For the first few months after Yahoo decided to go... Read More
Selecting the right keyword phrases is the key to a... Read More
SEO companies come in all shapes and sizes. You've got... Read More
Everyone seems to want the benefits from working at home:... Read More
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) doctrine states that you should always... Read More
Do you realize that if you manage your website, SEO... Read More
Optimizing web pages for high rankings in the search engines... Read More
Google likes incoming links, especially links from high-ranking, on-topic pages... Read More
Trying to improve search engine rankings is just like a... Read More
As keyword marketing becomes more and more expensive and competitive,... Read More
Some very early users of the Internet - not the... Read More
Increasing your web traffic and rank in search engines is... Read More
The question for this article is whether or not you... Read More
When used properly in combination with other basic search engine... Read More
The internet is the largest market place on earth. It... Read More
Introduction"Link Popularity" ? these words may have caught your attention... Read More
For more than 4 years now I have been modifying... Read More
Computers have become a way of life for people around... Read More
While it is okay to admire and envy all those... Read More
I don't mind admitting that every time some new fangled... Read More
Search Engine traffic has always been and continues to be... Read More
Source code optimization.{title}...{/title}This tag is to be a winner. This... Read More
There are more than 105 million of them in the... Read More
My Grandfather ran a small Grocery Store and when you... Read More
When, shopping for a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) company/specialist you... Read More
Back in November, when the Google Dance began, Barry Lloyd... Read More
As you may already know, keywords are an essential part... Read More
With apologies for the cheap trick of mentioning Paris Hilton... Read More
While searching the web these days, it's hard not to... Read More
To get your website listed well in the major search... Read More
When it comes to search engine optimization there is a... Read More
'Are Google's Days in the Dominant Position in Search Technology... Read More
Most people feel that optimizing is to target the search... Read More
Listen. Some make submitting pages to search engines sound like... Read More
As we all know Google uses their PageRank technology to... Read More
In my last newsletter I wrote about how your websites... Read More
Generating high traffic to your web site can be costly,... Read More
Bringing visitors to your site from the main Search engines... Read More
Statistics show that 85% of pages visited on the Internet... Read More
First, here's the rundown of some of the terminology I'm... Read More
When it comes to search engine optimization strategy, there are... Read More
Is your website listed on search engines? When people search... Read More
It's interesting how potential clients have preconceived notions about which... Read More
A recent Google patent application has the SEO community buzzing.... Read More
With the help of MSN, recently I've been reminiscing about... Read More
As with any good web developer, the ability to time... Read More
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is big business. If you... Read More
Below are what I call the "10 Commandments" for Keywords.To... Read More
I often talk to people who have lost faith in... Read More
The popularity of weblogs or blogs has gotten a lot... Read More
Question 1How do keywords effect your conversion rate in terms... Read More
Like all things, theft is theft, misery loves company, negative... Read More
Getting your website listed in the search engines is relatively... Read More
If you want to increase traffic to your website and... Read More
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) |