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Search Engine Myths And Realities
earch engines have been offer alternative words someone
around since the early days might use in a search, such as a
of the web, helping plural spelling.
Internet users to find
information as web sites have Just as important as Meta tags is
grown from a few hundred to the TITLE of your web page. Your
millions in number. But why is it title should be descriptive and
that some web sites always appear use some words not in your
on the first couple of search keyword list.
results pages and other web sites
seem to be buried within hundreds All search engines work
or thousands of results or don't differently. For instance, Lycos
appear at all? creates web site titles and
descriptions from the visible
Search engines utilize "robots" text within your page. InfoSeek
or "spiders"--applications which uses the META tags allowing you
visit web sites in search of new to control the description that
or updated pages, usually appears as a search result.
recording the full text of every WebCrawler uses the words within
page within the site and the TITLE tag to use for the name
following external links. of your page. Excite does not use
However, most search engines META tags, but looks for common
utilize HTML "META" tags in order words or themes within a page
to users find specific then selects sentences for a
information. search result summary that either
contain these words or that
META tags can be keywords or a conveys the overall theme.
paragraph that describes the web
site or company and are hidden What follows are some myths and
from view. Meta tags allow you to realities about search engines
that should help you to get your "netbots" to visit your web site
web site listed properly. and index your web site. However,
there is no guarantee that a
Myth 1: I don't need to worry search engine will list your site
about search engines since all and it may be necessary to submit
our marketing materials contain your site several times.
our web site address.
Reality: If you haven't listed Myth 3: All you need to do is get
your site in at least the top ten listed in a few search engines
search engines, if someone tries and customers will beat a path to
to find your web site by company your website and orders will come
name (maybe they've misplaced flooding in.
your brochure or business card) Reality: Search engines are
they may not find your web site. nothing more than databases. How
If nothing else, make sure you well it works is largely
have submitted your site with dependent upon the database
Google, Yahoo!, Lycos, Excite, design, how the user utilizes the
HotBot, AltaVista, InfoSeek, search engine and where you are
Snap.com, Magellan, Webcrawler, listed. Each search engine has a
GoTo.com. different approach as to how your
site will be listed and where it
Myth: 2: Submitting your site to will be listed, but most allow
a search engine means your web you use a keyword search. If a
site will automatically be listed potential customer is searching a
within a few days. keyword that's not contained on
Reality: Submitting to most of your home page they may not find
the search engines simply means your home page.
you have notified them that your
web site exists. Usually they Also, some search engines like
will then send out "spiders" or Yahoo! default to a very general
search pattern that will bring up of general and specific keywords
thousands of matches whereas a or combination of words.
more narrow search or word Remember, you are relying on the
combination will often bring up user to pick an appropriate
fewer results, but more accurate phrase.
results. Unfortunately, this is
not something you can control. Myth 5: I need to be listed in
every search engine.
Myth 4: By using the right Reality: While there are now
keywords my web site will appear hundreds of search engines or
on the first results page. directories, the good news is the
Reality: Each search engine may top ten are usually where people
have different criteria for start looking for information.
creating a match. In fact, some Specialty search engines that
search engines "score" web site your customers may use to find
matches in their database for information is well worth being
"relevancy." Relevancy goes listed in.
beyond matching keywords or
phrases, but often looks at the Myth 6: I can list myself--it's
number of sites your web site is just a few forms to fill out and
linked to and how relevant those besides, there are lots of free
sites are to the phrase being listing services.
searched. Reality: Manually listing with
each search engine can be very
Additionally, some search engines time consuming, especially if you
look for matches within your home need to resubmit your web site
page tag and words that appear with search engines that do not
as part of your web page content. list your site. There are some
A strategy would be to create a "free" services that claim to
META tag list using a combination list you in hundreds of search
engines, but often they put your will disqualify your web site and
e-mail name on what ends up being not list you. The idea is to have
spam lists. You get what you pay a number of web pages with
for and then some. Consider using metatag information that refresh
a site submission service like to your main page. If only one or
Submit-It. (www.submit-it.com) two search engines are bringing
While not free, this web site you all the web site traffic you
offers reasonable site submission need, then this approach may be
services and a wealth of worthwhile, but if most of the
information. search engines don't list your
site, it may be
Myth 7: Links from my site to counter-productive.
other web sites is not important
to search engines, or is it? Myth 9: I don't need to list my
Realty: The number of links and web site since the search engines
how relevant they are to your web send out spiders and robots to
site content can be very helpful find new web sites.
in getting your web site from the Reality: Submitting your site to
bottom of a search results list a search and making them aware of
to near the top. Link your site your web site will speed up the
to industry web sites and listing process.
non-competitors and update this Ten Tips to Better Search Engine
page on a regular basis. Performance
Myth 8: I can use "phantom" pages 1) Take a sneak peek at what your
with different keyword sets and competition is doing. Use your
get listed several times in a browsers "View Source" to look at
search engine. the HTML code behind the page.
Reality: While this approach has You can do keyword searches with
been used some search engines several search engines and then
look at the source code of those chance the most important words
web sites that are listing high will be in the search engine
on the search result page. You database.
can spot their keywords and
description and title information 5) Be sure to use a descriptive
right at the top of the source tag. Instead of Your Company
code. Name try something like: Your
Company Name - Specializing in
2) Make use of tags. Meta tags providing circuit breakers,
are HTML words and descriptions lighting fixtures, motor
that the user does not see, but controls, lighting . Often search
which many of the search engines engines will look for matches to
use to catalog your web site. keyword searches in the title of
Example: and the home page.
3) Try not to repeat phrases or 6) Use tags for photos and
word combinations one right after graphics. ALT tags are used by
another. Some search engines will browsers to display the name of a
"disqualify" or not list your web graphic as it loads or is used by
site at all. people using your web site with
Auto Load Images option turned
4) Try to limit the number of off. Some search engines will
keywords and the length of your take these into account when
description. If you use more than searching for matches. Example:
say 30 keywords, put the most .
important or descriptive ones
towards the front of your list. 7) If you use frames, you may
If the search engines "cuts off" have trouble getting the search
your list after a limited number engines to list your site
of characters, there's a good properly. If you look at the page
source for a framed site, there not causing the search engine to
is usually no useful information not list your site.
for a search engine to index.
9) While Yahoo! is more difficult
Search engines treat frames as if to get listed in, it is worth the
they are links within your main effort. The first thing is
page. What happens is while your finding the appropriate category
main page will be indexed, the to be listed under. This may take
search engine will return later some time to determine the best
to index your secondary pages as categories for your web site.
if they were external links. Be Once you are in a specific
sure the main page (index.htm or category, at the bottom of the
default.htm) page has some page is a "Suggest a Site" link
descriptive text between the and you can use to submit your URL.
tag. This descriptive text Yahoo will allow you to be listed
should contain the most important in more than one category, but
keywords. will only let you suggest one
extra category at a time.
8) Check your web site's ranking
periodically by several keywords. 10) Try not to "hide" mass
Also check to make sure your web amounts of hidden keywords at the
site has not be dropped or bottom of your document. Search
disqualified. Just go to the engines will often calculate
different search engines and keywords by how many times they
search by your company name. If appear on a page and if you have
you have been dropped, go back too many repeating words, some
and examine your tags and other search engines may penalize you.
information to make sure you are
About the Author:
Vann Baker is the president of Design-First, a marketing company specializing in corporate identity and collateral development. Vann has been helping small businesses and Fortune 500 companies to create brochures, newsletters, catalogs, websites and more for over 20 years. www.design-first.com
Read more articles by: Vann Baker
Article Source: www.iSnare.com
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