Search Engine Optimization
Search engines are how your website will be found. You have a search function on your
computer. It probably is the version which came installed on it, unless you've changed
your search preferences and installed a different one. There are several major search
engines, and a host of smaller, more specialised, ones. Three of the biggest are Google,
MSN Search, and Yahoo. All search engines, with a few exceptions, operate in much the same
way. They utilise a complex series of algorithms to "crawl" the World Wide Web
indexing websites. One task of a website developer is to make the websites he or she
builds "search engine friendly". This is accomplished with the use of files
called robots.txt, Meta Tags, keywords matching the content of the site, active links to
similar sites, etc. None of this is "rocket science", but is critical as to how
your site will be perceived by a search engine crawling the Web.
Site Submission
There
are several options to choose from when you've got your site finished and uploaded to the
Web. Paid submission is available from many search engines, and will ensure that your new
site appears in the top listings shown by browsers using that search engine. Your site
will be indexed promptly, and will start getting "hits" immediately. The
downside to this approach is that unless you have a BIG budget allocated for this, plus a
wholly unique product, you'll soon be broke! Paid submission can run several hundred, to
several thousand dollars, per search engine with no guarantee of sales.
Pay-Per-Click is another way of getting hits quickly. You
pay a small fee each time someone "clicks" on your site. A snippet of code is
inserted on your site to track this. The downside here is that those "small"
pay-per-click fees can add up to big bucks in short order. Also, it has been demonstrated
that rival companies have been known to repeatedly click on competitor's websites in an
effort to deplete ad budgets. (by driving up the cost of pay-per-click ad campaigns)
Again, it is pay-per-click, not pay-per-sale!
The most cost-effective method to promote your site is via
free submission of your site to every search engine you can find which allows it. Almost
all of the major search engines offer this feature, if you can find it hidden among the
paid offerings. All it takes is time, and filling out the forms. (auto complete helps a
lot here!) Free submission may take 1-3 months before your site is indexed, and may not
bear fruit right away. That said, if you have patience, it will pay dividends at no cost
to you eventually. "Site Me Up" includes free site submission with every hosting
package. Of equal importance is that you promote your website yourself in every way you
can. Your URL should be on business cards, in all the advertising you do, in yellow pages
copy, and anywhere the public may see your name!
Click on the email link to request a quote.
Email Us!