search engine marketing frequently asked questions (faq)... 

• I received an e-mail offer to  submit my site to 2500 search engines for $39.  Why shouldn't I use this service?

• What is meant by "organic search rankings?"

• What is the fastest way to gain top search engine rankings?

• What is a "landing page?"

• What is local search? 

Paid Per Click

• Why doesn't Lunavista guarantee number 1 ranking for my web site?

• What methods does Lunavista Communications use to optimize web sites? What search marketing methods do they avoid?  

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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, & Microsoft Live (right there almost 90% of the key word search market).

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!, and Microsoft Live.

For the most part, search engines prefer to find your web site via links from other credible web sites.  In fact, inbound links are an important criteria in optimizing your web site for higher search engine rankings.

Remember, search submissions do not equal search rankings.  Just being in a search engine's index doesn't guarantee you any results.

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What are "organic" search rankings? 

Organic search results are derived from the search engine's automated and proprietary  indexing process. 

These search results are not influenced by advertising dollars spent by the companies represented there. 

Organic search listings are usually listed in the middle of the search results results page.  To gain high organic rankings, search engine optimization is a recommended service.

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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 pay per click (ppc) program.  If your web site is well optimized for search engines, Yahoo! offers a Pay for Inclusion program which could yield rapid results.  

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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 or advertisement.  In some cases, these pages are optimized for a specific key phrase.  Other times they are designed to maximize conversion for paid listings by focusing 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.

• How does Google rank pages?

• Google's explanation of Page Rank

• How can I determine my web site's Page Rank?

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. One popular factor is often referred to as  PageRank. 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 credible websites is 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 marketing that 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 search services.

While bidding is the most popular of the ranking methods, ad quality and landing page pertinence is also taken into consideration.

What is "Pay for Inclusion?"

You pay a small annual fee, per page, to be included into a search engine's index.  

Yahoo! is the last of the major search engines to offer this program.  The  program schedules ongoing re-indexing usually within 48 hours and generally expedites search rankings in this engine.

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What are "contextual ads?"

Google and Yahoo! can syndicate your pay per click to 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 Yahoo! 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 ::

• hidden text

• META tag spamming

• constant phrase repetition

• cloaking

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.