Search Engines from a Webmaster Perspective
By Mel Strocen (c) 2003
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Quality Searches
Important to site owners and searchers alike.
When quality sites are buried in a sea of second
rate listings, no one benefits.
- 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.
- 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
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:
-
Google - 5
-
Lycos - 44
-
AltaVista - 64
-
About - 86
-
Open Directory - 157
-
AlltheWeb - 215
-
ExactSeek - 1,999
-
ScrubTheWeb - 2,483
-
What U Seek - 2,868
-
SearchHippo - 2,905
Some other engines and directories worth considering
in your
promotion efforts are
Gimpsy
RoList
SitesOnDisplay
National
Directory
================================================================
Mel Strocen is CEO of the Jayde Online Network
of websites. The Jayde network currently consists
of 12 websites, including ExactSeek.com
and SiteProNews.com
================================================================
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