A word about marketing your web site. Once upon a time the "Free" Search Engines were all we had. Now we have the Pay-Per-Click Search Engines. All commercial web sites should include an advertising budget in their marketing plans. The day when the Internet could be used as a medium of "Free" advertising has gone. The Internet has matured to the point where there is now competition on every level. And to compete you must fight for a position within the Search Engines.

Below, I attempt to explain the importance of using both the "Free" and the "Pay-Per-Click" (pay for position) search engines. The trend is toward all Search Engines offering premium service to those willing to pay.

• The "Free Search Engines: First, do not disregard the "Free" Search Engines as they should have a place in your overall marketing plan. But, they are very large, slow to respond and you or your Webmaster have very little control over them.
  • Pro's:
    • Their databases are very large, including millions of web sites.
    • Best source for information such as how to do something or providing historical data, because their marketers have no revenue to pay for these sites in the Pay-Per-Click Search Engines.
    • For finding information on organizations such as churches, hobbies, reunions, clubs, etc., because their marketers have no revenue to pay for these sites in the Pay-Per-Click Search Engines.
    • Usually easy to submit to.
    • "Free".
  • Con's:
    • Their databases are very large, including millions of web sites. This is also a con, because there are so many web sites out there that are irrelevant to your search that also show up with your search results.
    • Due to the large number of submission's of new sites (numbering in the ten's of thousands each day) it can take up to two months before your site will even begin to show up in their results, let alone anywhere near the top of the results.
    • Subject to attempts at manipulation. Webmasters are constantly trying to figure out how to get their pages to turn up in the top returns. To do this they resort to many different techniques such as embedding in their web pages hidden key words, often multiple times and usually not on topic.
    • Their databases are so large and because of the "control" attempts mentioned above, the search results are usually off topic. A Web Searcher may have to go for pages before finding even one result on topic. This seems to be getting worse.
    • Most "Free" Search Engines have no review of listings submitted. They rely on computer programs to evaluate a web site to properly categorize it. It is here where the worlds Webmasters work the hardest to control and overide the "Free" Search Engines programs. This is an ongoing battle of wits.
    • Many of the "Free" Search Engines have negotiated deals to have the results from "Pay-Per-Click" Search Engines listed above their "Free" results and are sharing in that revenue.
  • For information about a Search Engine Promotion program that gives you some control over advertising on the web for little or no money read this.


• The Pay-Per-Click Search Engines:
  • Pro:
    • You control the key word(s) you are listed under.
    • You control the position you are listed as. For the #1 position you pay more than for the #20 position. You control this by how much you are willing to pay. I.e.; $0.20 may get you position #5 and $0.05 may get you position #20.
    • You manage your positions in real time. You can turn up your position Monday morning and turn your position down over the weekend if you wish. You can do this as often as you want 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is a great tool for managing your advertising budget.
    • Your listings start showing usually in a day or two after setting up your account.
    • Most Pay-Per-Click Search Engines use human editors to review your web site against your listing to ensure that it is relevant to the key words you are setting up.
    • Because of the above and the fact that most marketers are not going to waste their money paying for key words that are not relevant to their web site, the web search results are, by far, more relevant.
    • You only pay for a visitor to your web site that has "clicked through" from the search engine.
    • You still get traffic from the "Free" Search Engines!
  • Con's:
    • It cost money.

I repeat, do not disregard the "Free" Search Engines as they should have a place in your overall marketing plan. As mentioned above, it can take some time for your web site to show up in the "Free" Search Engines. A judicious use of the Pay-Per-Click Search Engines and the "Free" Search Engines can give you a quick start and a continued marketing plan.

Sincerely,

Thurman "Ray" Plumlee
The Web Helper