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Answers to some of the most frequent questions asked about SEO are listed below. If you would like an answer to any particular query and you can't see the answer, then you may ask us for the answer in our Forums, look for a solution in our Resources section - or just e-mail us at questions@makemetop.co.uk. No question is too trivial, search engine optimisation is complicated and confusing - but we are here to help you understand how it works.

• Why do I need SEO? Every day, hundreds of thousands of new web pages get submitted to search engines. Out of these, the search engines will select only a few to be listed at all - let alone high up in their rankings. SEO dramatically increases your chances of being one of these listings!

• Can I do it myself? Yes, by researching the different search engines and reading the information on this and other sites you can do it yourself. However, be prepared for a lot of hard work and constant research to keep up to date with search engine changes. Site optimisation needs constant monitoring to ensure that after you have got those top positions, you keep them. If you are willing to spend the time and effort needed to do this, you will find every tool you need here in our resources section.

• Why doesn't my site appear after being submitted? It may have been - but so low down so as not to be visible. However, many people expect that submitting a site is enough and if they haven't appeared do it again and again. Unfortunately submitting a site when it doesn't abide by the rules of the particular search engine will not do anything apart from irritate you - and the search engine!

• Do I need to submit every month to keep my listing at the top? No. Resubmitting when you are already well indexed (or indexed at all) is probably the worst thing you can possibly do! If you are in the database of a main search engine, you have already been selected as a site which is worthy of a listing. They will come back and check your site automatically every few weeks to see if your pages have changed and update their database automatically. You need do nothing unless are dropped completely. For an example, our site has not been submitted to any search engine for over a year. Yet we are in most listings - and high in the rankings.

• I'm in the UK and my .com web site isn't listed in UK engines - yet it is in the US engines, why? During the .com boom, a .com domain was always considered the best to have - yet UK surfers associate a .com with a US site (which most results are). As a result of surfer demands, search facilities were asked to show results which were more applicable to local search needs - so many of the major search engines which have a local presence give the option to search on UK or World Wide sites. The easiest way of doing this is filtering out most domains which end in .com - which indicates World Wide and boosting those that end in .uk.

• I have a domain which points to my free hosting service and can't get listed, why not? Use of free hosting does not automatically lead to a ban from being listed - but it can do. Also, many search engines view a commercial site which can't afford to pay for hosting as probably not worthy of a listing. If you are a commercial site - get your own paid hosting plan, they are not expensive and will be your first step to getting higher rankings.

• I've heard of doorway and gateway pages - what are they? Simply put, a doorway or gateway page is a page in to your web site which has been made attractive to search engines for a particular key word or phrase which is relevant to your services or products. Any page on your site can be a doorway and an integral part of your site if your web site has been designed properly. However, many sites have been designed using Frames, Flash or other graphical means and can not be indexed. To change the site might be impossible. Creating a text rich doorway to the main site is an alternative. Be careful though, creating doorways which are not useful to surfers can lead to your site being complained about - and the pages dropped.

• If I do this myself, are there any tools to help me? Yes, we have listed many of the best free and commercial tools in our Resources section. With work and effort you can optimise your own site and get the listings you deserve by following the rules and suggestions we have put forward and by researching the subject through the links we have set up. It can take a lot of time and be frustrating, but if you do it, also very rewarding!

• How long does it take to get in an index? Each search engine is different. Some list you in a few weeks, some a few months and others up to a year. Prepare for a 6 month wait before you start to see the full benefits of your optimisation efforts. Alternatively, you can pay search facilities to speed up the process. Expect to pay around $1000 to stand a good chance of getting into the major search facilities quickly by paying them directly for spidering, listings  and reviews.

• This looks complicated and a lot of work! Can you help? Of course! As well as our MakeMeTop services where we can do everything for you, our list of SEO resources is a great place to start understanding the often changing rules and alliances of search engines and directories. Our search engine forums (and the others listed) are also there to answer your questions and give you free advice on how to get the most out of your search engine optimisation efforts. Just ask us - and we'll see how we can help you Make Your Site Top!

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