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Priming the Search Engines
By Scott Clark and David Fiedler
Some Tips and Resources for Getting Your Site Higher in the Search Engines
Don't miss our exhaustive Search Engine Resources Page
A lot of folks trying to get into business on the Web these days have the best of intentions. They hire a competent developer to create their site, they've used just enough graphics to jazz up the site, but not so much that the site loads too slow. They've presented their information in an informative, entertaining manner, and the viewer can navigate from one subject to the next with ease. All in all, a perfect Web site. And yet, they make no sales, no return on their investment. What could have gone wrong? They took the advice of the best books in creating the site, and everyone who sees it agrees that it's top quality and easy to use.
A lot of sites are like the Loch Ness monster--most people think it may exist, but when they make a concerted effort to find it, they turn up nothing, time after time. People forget that even the best site won't be effective if no one knows it's there. Today's Internet consumer has figured out Search Engines, and they are using them to navigate, search and surf the Web. If your site isn't in the search engines, or isn't in the top 200 (and how many people will go farther than the top 200? Not many.), then you've wasted your time up to this point. I'm sure there are some great products for sale in Australia, but I'll never purchase any because I have no way of knowing about them!
What Can You Do?
Can you do anything to improve your situation? Sure you can. Several fine books and Web sites have been written that give you step-by-step instructions on how to do just that. Later in this series, we'll give you some tips from these resources that will help you get your site known to the world. We'll also review some programs and Web sites that help you not only submit your information to search engines, but also monitor exactly where you end up!Meanwhile, here's your first tip, courtesy of Dr. Audri Lanford of NETrageous:
Use "sub-sites" to separately list different products or services, or products or services that are for different markets.
Different target markets have different interests, and should have different Web sub-sites which are listed separately. For example, one of our customers sells a product that reduces pain for both arthritis and for sports injuries. These two markets are very different: a web site that focuses on arthritis would be of little interest to most sports enthusiasts and visa versa. So, each sub-site should be listed separately, with different keywords.
How do you create a sub-site? Basically, you simply need a separate folder or directory as part of your Web site.
This tip is reprinted by permission from NETrageous' report entitled "9 Little-Known Search Engine Strategies To Create The Best Listing Results". WebDeveloper.com ® readers can get a free copy of this report on request at their site.
Part II: Successfully Promoting a Web Site
Part III: Submitting Your Site To the Search Engines
Part IV: Unfair Advantage -- More Hints for Hire
Part V: Saving the Best For Last?
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