. | Search Engine Rankings. How Search Engines find and list sites on the Web. |
| . | Search Engine Rankings. How Search Engines find and list sites on the Web. |
|  | Search Engine Optimisation Meta Tags Choosing Keywords What Search Engines? Directories Pay Per Click FAQs There are two main types of search facility on the web. These are:
In both types of search facility the aim is allow surfers to use their search and serve them with the most accurate pages which will show the best information about the subject or topic the searcher is looking for. Search engine optimisation is the art of preparing a web site and pages to be as attractive as possible to search engines, while keeping your web site attractive and easy to use for the average surfer. Search engines read and like pure HTML (the standard code for designing web pages) - so make sure your site has plenty of information put in the HTML code for them to read. This means putting your major keywords into the <HEAD> area by using meta tags, making sure that this information is repeated in the <BODY> area of your page and emphasizing your targeted key phrases by putting them in <h1> or <h2> tags plus the early paragraphs on your page. Don't forget to also put information into <ALT> tags if you are using graphics. These will then tell search engines what your graphic is about. You can find links to sites which can give you further information on how to use and understand HTML in our Resources Section. Search engine don't read and dislike Flash, JavaScript, Frames, words in graphics and (in many cases) dynamically produced pages (like .asp) which include symbols such as ? in the URL. If you are using these methods, you are unlikely to get good rankings easily and should design static HTML alternative pages for your search engine listings. Highly sophisticated methods have been developed by the search engines in order to ensure the accuracy of their results and each engine jealously guards it's own formulae (known as 'algorithms'). However, all use the principle of having the search engine read the HTML code and text on a web page and then giving it a 'score' which is then matched against the hundreds or thousands of other pages which may also be appropriate when a search is made. The page with the highest score comes top and then works down - the search engine putting the pages it regards as the most relevant in their first 2 or 3 pages of listings . However, because many commercial sites want those coveted top spots to attract visitors many methods have been designed to fool (spam) the search facilities. Be warned - search engine technology looks for most 'tricks' and if your site is found to be using them it is likely to be banned from being listed by one or more search portal! According to AltaVista and Inktomi over 95% of ALL submissions are worthless 'spam' attempts and search engines want to root them out! Although getting your site unbanned is possible, it is a time consuming and difficult process as the search engine will not tell you directly what you have done wrong. You have to work it out yourself. So it is best to avoid any methods that could get your own site banned. Tricks that can get you banned include repeating words over and over in tiny or invisible text, filling meta tags with irrelevant terms, using competitor's names or trademarks and any other method of keyword 'stuffing'. Although meta tags are often ignored, search engines are aware that so-called 'experts' fill them with words to attract surfers so many now check to see if the words listed are actually on the web page, if they are not then you could be downgraded or banned for spamming. Don't downgrade your score by using lots of JavaScript, using Frames, using Flash, using Dynamic Pages, using lots of graphics and having a large (over 30K or slow loading page). Even though this is not spamming, the page has been designed for humans - not for listing robots. So regardless of how pretty it may be, remember search engines are not art critics - they analyze the words on the page and see how they score against other pages content - not compare how good they look! You can increase your score by making sure the Title of your page states clearly in 7-11 words what the page is about, ensuring that the first 20-30 words of text on your page explain what service or product you are providing, making sure you have 200 words of clearly written information about the subject and having other sites link to you. Each site that links to your page is an extra vote of confidence in your site, but make sure that the links you get come from a reputable web site. FFA (Free for All link page) sites and 'link-farms' (which give you links that no-one is likely to ever click on) can have the opposite effect and can be deemed another method of trying to fool the search engines! When your web page is ready to be viewed you can 'invite' a search engine spider to visit your site by submitting it to that search engine. However, most search engines give you an automatic higher score if your site was found through a link to you on another site already in their index. Repeatedly submitting your site will lead to severe penalties and all submissions should be done with great care. Spiders can take between 1 week and 12 months to actually visit and then list your site (if at all). Do not use automated submission tools which will repeatedly submit your site - this can lead your site to be dropped if already listed or banned! As more search engines look for further methods of earning money, they have begun to charge for prompt spidering. MakeMeTop pays certain spiders to visit our client pages on a regular basis and list them quickly (usually within 72 hours). This facility is available on all our plans (apart from MakeMeTop World) and ensures not only accurate submission but that pages are ranked quickly and efficiently, before your competitors! Main Search Engines that spider and how long they can take to list your page.
You should also ensure that if you are in the UK you get listed on all the major UK search facilities and portals such as AOL UK, Ask UK, Freeserve, BTInternet, LineOne, HotBot UK, and UKPlus. Plus, of course, the UK versions of the major International search engines listed above. This is always done for our clients. Other search engines which are often used are 'Meta Engines'. These take results from several of the main search facilities and group the results together so that a site that appears in the top 10 of more than one major search engine will appear higher than one which does not. Popular Meta Engines include Ask Jeeves, Dog Pile, and Mamma (which also has a directory you can pay to go in). Note that these tend to put pay-per-click results above others in order to generate revenue from searches. The main Meta Engine which seems to show a true, unbiased selection of sites is Ixquick. Search Engine Optimisation, Meta Tags, Choosing Keywords, What Search Engines?, Directories, Pay Per Click, FAQs MakeMeTop™ is a Trademark of Microchannel Technologies Ltd Tel: +44(0)2885 549936 Fax: +44(0)2885 549943 Copyright 2000 Microchannel Technologies Ltd 216 Aghafad Road, Clogher, Co. Tyrone, N. Ireland BT76 0XR |
