search
engine marketing
frequently asked questions (faq)...
General
Search Marketing Questions :: Google :: Paid
Listings
Lunavista's Search Marketing Services
General
Google
Paid
PerClic
Lunavista's
Search Marketing Services
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General
Search Marketing Questions
I
received an e-mail offer to submit my site to 2500 search
engines for $39. Why shouldn't I use this service?
There is
an old saying, "if an offer looks to good to be true, it
probably is." Such is the case with the offer mentioned above.
There
are probably not 2500 search engines that are relevant for your web
site, furthermore most search engine traffic is delivered by the big
name search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, AOLSearch, MSNSearch, Lycos, Excite,
AltaVista, AlltheWeb etc.
Automated
search services just don't work. Take a look at the
submission policies for any of the major search engines, and you will
see that the majority require customized registration and allow you to
supply pertinent information to help the search engines categorize your
web site. In addition, few of these services are successful in
getting a site listed in a major search engine such as Google,
AOLSearch, Yahoo!, MSN Search, AltaVista etc.
Another
important factor to consider is that just being submitted to a
search engine does not guarantee that you will rank well for terms
and phrases related to your business. Search engines have
indexed millions of pages, but only 10 to 20 results show up on the
first page of search engine results. Studies show that the top
few sites on a search engine results page get the majority of the
click thrus from searchers. Why not apply your $39 to a more
comprehensive search engine marketing program that is likely to
provide you with a higher return?
If
you are considering search engine optimization services, it is
important to note that one size does NOT fit all. Optimization
is largely based on design elements and site copy.
Therefore each site offers different opportunities and has different
limitations.
By
subscribing to an automated search engine submission service, you miss out on the advantages of
submitting directly by hand to the major search engines, and you run the
risk of having your site violate the terms of services of the respective
engines. This "spamming" of the search engines can
actually backfire, and you can be penalized by having your site removed
from a particular search engine completely! It is better to have a
professional analyze your web site and make recommendations for manual
submission of your web site to the major search engines and directories.
I
have been told that free search engine submission still exists, why
shouldn't I submit for free?
It's
true, many search engines do offer a free "option" for
submission. And yes, where applicable, you should take advantage
of free submissions. However search engines that offer free
submission generally take months of follow up and
resubmissions until your site is listed. Most of the major search
engines prefer to "find" your web site from 3rd party links on
the web or to learn about it through a paid inclusion process.
Having "reputable" links from other web sites will help
your site succeed in being found by the search engines.
If
speed to market is not a factor, free search submission is worth a
shot. There are definite "tricks to the trade," but
a web site can generate significant traffic through a more
"organic" approach to search engine submission.
But
remember that being "in" a search engine's index does not
guarantee how well your web pages will rank.
Well
optimized web sites fare very well by using "Pay for
Inclusion" programs. Most paid placement programs are economical and offer perks which are advantageous
to obtaining high search rankings. Many search engines will
guarantee "re-indexing" every 48 hours allowing you the
ability to see how well new pages and optimization techniques are
working for you. There is also the "speed to market"
factor, which is greatly enhanced by paying for inclusion into the major
search engines.
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What
are "organic" search
rankings?
Organic
search results are derived from the search engine's automated
indexing process, they are usually listed in the cental section of
the search results page. To gain high organic rankings, search
engine optimization is often recommended.
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What
is the fastest way to gain top search engine rankings?
If speed
to market is a factor, there you will want to use a paid listings
program. If your web site is well optimized for search engines,
Pay for Inclusion programs such as Altavista, Inktomi or Lycos/Fast
programs could yield rapid results.
Alternatively
a Pay-Per-Click account, with well optimized creatives, also
provides rapid return. Much of the decision depends on the
individual web site, the target market and the available budget.
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What
is a "landing page?"
A
landing page is the page of your web site where a visitors lands
after clicking on a search engine result of advertisement. In
some cases, these pages are optimized for a specific keyphrase.
Other times they are designed to maximize conversion fror paid
listings by focussing specifically on an advertisements topic.
For
paid advertising, such as pay per click, it is common to develop
multiple landing pages each one being linked to by topic related
advertisements.
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What
is local search?
Local
search is the idea of connecting people and places through search
engines. Local search focuses on providing relevant search
results within the local geography of the searcher. Local
search can be effective even if you don't have a web site, because
local search results are usually shown within the search engine's
own framework, including a map to the business location, address,
phone, hours and services.
Local
search results are derived from a separate database than those used
for organic search results. They therefore provide a different
level of exposure to search results, and may benefit your existing
organic searches listings.
Google
What
criteria does Google use to rank search engines?
Google
using an automated process to index web sites. The algorithms
search engines use to rank web sites is ever changing and covers a
wide variety of factors. The method behind Google's index is
generally referred to as "Page Rank." And the best
resource to understand Google itself are on Google's own web site.
I
have submitted my site to
Google's "Add URL" page, but I am still not listed.
Why?
Although
Google has an "Add URL" page, it is not an effective way to
get into Google's index. Google prefers to "find"
sites through links from other web sites.
By
obtaining links to your web site from 3rd party sites, Google will
eventually find, crawl and index your web site.
The
concept is called "Link Popularity," and it assumes that a
web site with high quality links (i.e. from sites with a high
"Page Rank) are important, and therefore are given a higher
priority.
It
is important to note, that it has less to do with the number of sites
linking to yours, but more to do with the quality of the sites that
link to yours.
What
is "PageRank"?
Google
uses many factors in ranking. Of these, the PageRank algorithm might
be the best known. PageRank evaluates two things: how many links
there are to a web page from other pages, and the quality of the
linking sites. With PageRank, five or six high-quality links from
websites such as www.cnn.com and www.nytimes.com would be valued
much more highly than twice as many links from less reputable or
established sites.
I
had good search ranking in Google, but my site has disappeared from
their index! Help!
Google
places great emphasis on the integrity of its search index. It
has the capability to automatically detect methods used to manipulate
its index. Google provides guidelines for web developers and
marketers on its site. If Google detects that a forbidden
technique is being used to manipulate its database, it may respond by
removing your entire domain name from its index.
Many
search engine marketers attempt to achieve high search engine rankings
by using "illegal" methods to try to . Whereas some of
these methods may work in the short run, once detected by the search
engine the punishment for violating the rules can be extremely
damaging.
To
learn more about Google's Guidelines for web site owners, click
here.
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Pay
Per Click
What
is a "Pay Per Click" search engine listing?
Also referred to as :: "pay
for placement," or "PPC"
A model of search
submission allows for you to select the keywords and phrases
appropriate to your web site, and maintain your ranking by
"bidding" an amount you are willing to pay each time a
visitor selects your link from a search engine results page. The
bidding is done in "real time," and in popular programs,
bids that place in the top 3 positions are shared with other major
search engines.
What
is "Pay for Inclusion?"
You pay a small annual
fee, per page, to be included into a search engine's index.
Search engine ranking is based on how well your web site is optimized
for target keywords and phrases. Most of these programs schedule
ongoing re-indexing usually within 48 hours. This allows us to
see the results of ongoing search marketing programs in a short span
of time.
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What
are "contextual ads?"
Google and Overture can make your
paid-ads appear on multiple web properties if those web properties
contain keywords relating to your ad. This is called "contextual
distribution." Contextual distribution can be a lucrative
venture for website owners as they receive a commission on every
click-through that comes from their sites. Google calls their program AdSense
and Overture calls theirs Content Match.
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Lunavista's
Search Engine Marketing Services
Why
doesn't Lunavista guarantee number 1 ranking for my web site?
Search
engine rankings are constantly fluctuating. With the search
engines constantly changing their ranking algorithms and web sites
continually competing for top positioning, it is impossible to
guarantee #1 search engine ranking.
For
services
that offer this promise, read the fine print. It is probably
done through a "pay per click"
search marketing program, and if the
terms you are targeting are competitive, either the results or the
costs are not going to be as advertised.
It
is important to remember that search engine optimization is a
"process," not a one-time project. It requires
ongoing analysis, and industry knowledge to help maintain high
rankings over time. A good search engine marketing firm will
provide you with ongoing services to help you reach and maintain
high rankings, keeping you up-to-date- with technology and industry
changes that effect the search engine marketing arena. Search
engine marketing should be an educational process, allowing the
clients to participate in the decisions that affect their brands,
and providing clients with detailed analytics to show how well their
investment is paying off.
What
methods does Lunavista Communications use to optimize web sites?
All of our services
follow guidelines, terms and conditions set forth by the major search
engines and directories. Ongoing search marketing success is best achieved
by providing the most relevant web site for your target market's search
habits.
Search
engines can detect, and "punish" web sites that try to
influence the integrity of their indices by using illegitimate
techniques or "tricks" to encourage better rankings. In
fact, it is not uncommon for a web site to be removed from a search
engine index for violating their terms.
We do not practice
or recommend the use of any of the following techniques ::
To
learn more about how Lunavista Communications can help your small
business or mid size business develop an effective search engine
marketing program, contact us today.
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