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NetFaqs in This Article
• Free Advertising!
• Aim For The Top Engines
• Importance of Keywords
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Get Set and Go!
HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR
RANKING ON SEARCH ENGINES
New techniques can drive
thousands
of visitors to your web site.
...and
make your sales soar on your site from
TheWebsiteDistrict!
by Dr. Kevin Nunley
Randy is the first to tell
you driving traffic to your web site is an expensive
proposition. "I spent the promotion budget on ads, the
grocery money on banners,and we still aren't getting
that many hits," he says.
Now Randy turns to search
engines. He's heard that tens of millions use them each
day to navigate around the Net. A good listing on a
major search engine can bring thousands of already-targeted
customers to his site. But how can he get his site listed--and
fast?
As search engines get more
sophisticated, it's easier to get a good site listed.
It's also harder to "trick" search engines into listing
you. The good news is, if you have a site that
is focused on just a few topics your best prospects
are likely to search for, you're in a situation where
the mammoth Internet portals can help you. And it's
all free!
Forget about those services
that promise to list you on thousands of search engines.
There are only three search engines that really count.
Because a number of the majors use the same database,
you can register on one and show up on several of them.
"Don't waste time trying
to get on Yahoo," says Jerry West, search engine expert
with NetGateway. "Instead, submit your site to HotBot.com."
Both use the Inktomi database. A listing on HotBot virtually
guarantees a showing on Yahoo.
Recently AltaVista surged
in user popularity. It ranks as one of the best places
to have your site listed. Alta Vista rotates visitors
through four databases. If you don't see your site listed,
try again in 15 minutes when the next database will
be on display. Register with Alta Vista weekly to get
your site listed in all four databases.
You will also want to submit
your web address to Excite, perennially one of the most
used engines. Like HotBot and Alta Vista, Excite spiders
through your site in a matter of seconds. Your listing
can show up within a few days.
YOUR TITLE IS TOPS.
Search engines pay close
attention to the title of your site. That's the line
that appears in the little box on your browser. Take
care to include two or three keywords that your best
prospects are likely to type into a search engine when
they are looking for a site like yours.
"Welcome to Sheila's Web
Site" may sound good, but it doesn't give search engines
much to go on. It would be better to title Sheila's
opening page with some words about what Sheila offers,
like "Solutions for credit card debt, loan restructuring,
and bankruptcy."
That gives a search engine
several good keywords to use when categorizing Sheila's
site, words that her customers are likely to use when
looking for her.
HOW TO FIND POPULAR
KEYWORDS.
Big companies now have access
to records from all the major search engines.These databases
show which keywords people search with. Often a company
can find a keyword that millions of people search with,
but isn't used by many web sites. Using a popular but
neglected keyword can draw a goldmine of new visitors.
West says you don't have
to lay out big bucks for the insider's list of keywords.
Anyone can find them by checking Goto.com. The engine
lists keywords that people use along with a rating of
their popularity.
More and more, getting a
good listing on search engines has less to do with tricks
of the trade and more to do with how well your site
covers a particular topic. After all, that's what people
hope to find when they use a search engine.
Spend time crafting a inviting
description of your site to include in your Meta Tags
(for a quick lesson on how to write your own Meta Tags,
see Alta Vista's short tutorial at <http://www.altavista.com>
(look in the "add url" section").
Search engines display your
description next to the link to your site. A gooddescription
can grab attention and cause lots of people to click
to your site ratherthan another one.
Be patient and don't get
too obsessive. I find that once sites are listed on
the six orseven major search engines, they tend to start
showing up on many other searchengines and link libraries.
You can register your site with all the majors with
oneclick at <http://www.all4one.com/> . You can register
free with over 400 searchengines and link libraries
with a single click at <http://www.submit4free.com/>.
Finally, make sure the copy
on your web site is interesting and makes customers
want to buy. All the traffic in the world won't earn
you a dime unless your web site converts visitors into
buyers.
Kevin Nunley provides marketing
advice and copy writing for businesses and organizations.
He can be reached at www.DrNunley.com. Click
here to promote your business to thousands of Media!
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