Is Search Engine Submission Necessary?Written by Partha Bhattacharya
Recently, a customer of ours was insistent on announcing his new website to big search engines. Otherwise, he argued, *...how would world know that I exist...*. Indeed, belief that one *must* submit his/her website to search engines has spawned growth of umpteen agencies (some with questionable intentions) that promise *guaranteed inclusion in search engines* for hefty fees. There are others who promise *guaranteed top placement* in search engines. But that's a different story.So then, what takes..! Let's first separate grains from chaff. It's worth looking at a few apparently contradicting, yet important aspects. Google is king Recent reports suggest Google presently is most popular search engine in US. A May, 2003 research finds Google's share of *search-pie* an overwhelming 76% among US web surfers compared to MSN's only 15% (reference: article by Danny Sullivan on Aug 1, 2003 at Search Engine Watch, http://searchenginewatch.com/reports/article.php/2156431). In continental Europe (France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and UK), in June, 2003 average viewership of Google (about 29.06%) was very close to (in fact a little less than) MSN's nearly 29.43% (reference: article by Danny Sullivan on July 31, 2003 at Search Engine Watch, http://searchenginewatch.com/reports/article.php/2156441). With rapid-fire developments like Yahoo's acquiring Inktomi and Overture and MSN's plan to float its own crawler, none is sure what would happen one year hence. There are even talks of 3rd generation search engines taking over soon. At time of writing this article though, Google remains firmly atop surfers' list of most preferred search engines. Do not submit to Google Yeah, you need not submit to Google. Google will find you. It has been Google's long-time practice to extensively crawl Web so as to build its own comprehensive database of webpages, no matter whether you submit or not. In process it has *outsmarted* others in producing most relevant search results. Surfers love Google. Since Yahoo presents Google's search results and fact that Looksmart has changed its listing procedure, it is obvious that their paid-listing programs are just not working. Google's famed robot, *Googlebot*, crawls millions of webpages everyday and it's quite probable a new website will be automatically crawled sooner than one may imagine, whether *submitted* or not. One may also expect periodic visits by AltaVista's *Scooter*, Inktomi's *Slurp* and numerous other crawlers after you're *known* to Google. Google's uppishness Google doesn't like *orphan* sites. To quote Google's own words (at http://www.google.com/webmasters/1.html), *The best way to ensure Google finds your site is for your page to be linked from lots of pages on other sites. Google's robots jump from page to page on Web via hyperlinks, so more sites that link to you, more likely it is that we'll find you quickly*.
| | Target Online Prospects with 'Laser Beam' PrecisionWritten by Jhonny Papas
There's a very lucrative "marketing formula" to targeting prospects on Internet with "laser-beam"-like precision. Unlike savvy marketers, most Internet businesses focus on generic "single-word" keywords, other than keyword phrases (constituted by 2 or more words). If you're not using a keyword tracking software to correlate your customers with search engine keywords that motivated them to visit your web site, read your sales letter and submit an order, you're missing bits of very critical information. One known method to track your referrals via search engines is by using a cgi/php script. All you need is to place a snippet of HTML, JavaScript or SSI code onto your web pages to track referrals and keywords. You also need to place a tracking code to "Thank You" page to track sale and identify customer. Most Internet customers use two or more keywords to find products / services on Internet. Critical data can be extracted from keywords that your customers used to visit your web site... How to make Best Use of Keywords to Improve your Sales Letters and Boost ROI... Let's assume that you already have a database of customers and in a database-field (let's name it field "K"), keywords (or keyword phrases) they used to order your product. Now print "K" field and start studying keywords. Evaluate your web site and discern strong points of your sales letter. You can make appropriate adjustments in your sales copy by reinforcing conceivable value of your product and using "K" field as a compass. You'll also discover that prospective customers use a variation of keyword combinations. Once you discover your most profitable keywords that customers use via search engines to visit and order your goods, your promotions will start reaping more fruit. Another technique you can use based on keyword metrics, is addition of "alluring incentives" that compel prospects to take action now! It's almost like reading your prospects' mind! Can you see power behind this methodology? That's focal "golden concept" to using Internet as an Ultimate Sales Genie. Hint: Some forceful marketers use Search Engine Keyword Tracking, to produce even more compelling infomercials on TV as well. A Crucial Internet Keyword-Research Tool to Discover what your Prospective Customers are using Now, to Buy Products on Internet...
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