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Search Engine Secret ... It's essential to your success as a web biz owner!

Learn not just one search engine secret here ... find a search engine list, how to submit site to search engine ... and more ...

Okay, you've built it   . . .   will they come? The answer to this question is plain and simple: No! (Unless you've focused on search engine optimization.) You may not realize that there's a lot more to selling on the web than just building a great web site.

There are many search engine secret (s) and other web site promotion methods you can use:

  • Search engine positioning service


  • Publish an e-zine


  • Advertise in e-zines


  • Place classified ads


  • Press releases


  • Share reciprocal links with other similar or related websites


  • Put your web address on all your printed literature (i.e., business cards, letterhead, etc.)


  • Word of mouth


  • Contribute articles to online and off-line publications


  • Use a signature file at the end of all your e-mail messages which contains your URL


  • Join, and contribute to, discussion lists and newsgroups where you might learn a search engine secret or two to boot

It is unwise to rely only on any one of the above methods for promoting your web site and your product. You will achieve the most success if you use a variety of methods over time. But many recent studies have shown that – by far – the most widely-used method by surfers for finding websites is the search engines. So it's important that you learn every search engine secret possible.

Overview: How to Submit to Search Engines

Search engine secret ... Let's talk about a search engine list. "Search engines" fall into several categories:

  • Actual search engines (like Google, Yahoo, and MSN: these use automated "spiders" to find and index your site;


  • Search directories (like Yahoo, Looksmart): these rely on your manual submission and are reviewed/approved by real people;


  • Meta Search Engines (like Dogpile, Google, Ask Jeeves): these are search engines that search several other search engines and list all the results together;


  • Pay Per Click Search Engines (like Goto.com): these require you to bid (per click) on keywords to get top listings; bids range from one cent up to a dollar or more per click

If possible, you should try to get listed with all of these different types of engines as each has their own unique benefits and advantages.

Search engine secret ... If you want to submit to a search engine manually, your best bet is to go to each of these search engines (in most cases, just type: "http://www.searchenginename.com" in your browser location box). Then, look on the page for the "Add URL" link (for example, on AltaVista, it's near the bottom of the left column). Click on this link and follow the directions to submit your web site URL. How soon you'll get listed will vary; Alta Vista has some of the quickest results ... Yahoo has some of the slowest.

Another search engine secret ... Besides the "top ten" listed above, there are literally hundreds of other search engines, including a host of specialty engines and directories, which may actually be more effective for you, depending on your product. Submitting to search engines can be extremely time-consuming and tricky to boot. Many small business owners rely on submission software to do the work. While this is probably not as effective as doing each one yourself, it can be an avenue for a busy web biz owner(who wears many hats) to actually accomplish the task.


PRIMARY SEARCH ENGINE SECRET... But if you want to get started in the easiest possible way, the very best search engine secret I can pass along is SiteBuildIt!

Not only does this "little" search engine secret weapon enable you to design a killer web site without knowing any HTML at all, it also takes much of the work out of optimizing your site for search engines!

It's the best kept search engine secret around. In fact, it's almost too good to be believed, and they're adding new features on a regular basis. I designed this site using SiteBuildIt! I'm still tapping into one search engine secret after another!

Yes, here is one more search engine secret ... If you want to look at some of the pay per click search engines, which offer a search engine positioning service where you pay for your ranking on a per click basis, what matters most is the dollars you're willing to fork out. To learn more, check out PayPerClickSearchEngines.com. It's a great search engine list of this type of search engine put together by the folks at AssociatePrograms.com.

More Search Engine Secret (s)

If you do decide to submit to a search engine yourself, then you've got to arm yourself with the appropriate knowledge so that you will be successful in your endeavors. Keywords are some of the most effective search engine secret tools you can use.

For a top search engine ranking on search engines/directories and to attract only the most qualified visitors from your target market, you need to focus on using targeted keywords, which you place in your meta tags, in your page content and when submitting to the engines.

Keywords by themselves do not guarantee high rankings, but when they are relevant to your content and used consistently throughout your page, you will have better results. Keyword density (or the ratio of keywords to the total number of words on your webpage) can be an important factor in search engine optimization. The ideal keyword density is 3-8% of the total words on the page.

KeywordCount.com is a free service that you analyzes your webpage and the density of your top keywords. You can also compare your results with a second URL (perhaps your top competitor?). Don't pass up this free search engine secret service!

Search engine secret ... But keep in mind that keywords are not alone in determining in how well you do in your search engine listings. Another search engine secret is to maximize your link popularity. Some search engines will rank you higher if a lot of other sites link to yours. Once your site is up and running, if you want to check your link popularity, there's a great free service at LinkPopularity.com. This free service queries the search engines to see how many sites have linked to yours. The results are not always 100% accurate; still, it does give you some idea.

One more search engine secret ... An even better way to build link popularity is through SiteSELL's new Value Exchange. You can register your website here and once the database is finished building, you'll be automatically matched up with other website owners who would be good candidates for a link exchange with you. Check it out here.

Another great search engine secret weapon I strongly recommend that – if you haven't already done so – you purchase Make Your Site Sell! This huge resource manual costs only less than $25 and contains hundreds of pages of easy to read tips, including over 200 pages (and a special section) on search engine optimization and traffic building.

This is THE best value you can find on the web, and it is known as the BIBLE for selling on the net. I have read it cover to cover (more than once). It's like having your a web mentor at your elbow, passing out every search engine secret you could possibly imagine. I cannot urge you strongly enough ... if you want to be successful in your web entrepreneurship, you've got to have MYSS!



Other Search Engine Secret (s)

As I said earlier, search engine optimization is by far the most effective promotional method you can use. But because it is difficult (not to mention extremely time-consuming; some businesses devote a full-time person just to search engine optimization!) to achieve high rankings, you need to include other promotional tools in your arsenal.

If you like to write (remember, you don't have to be Shakespeare!), you might try publishing your own e-zine and/or contributing articles to other e-zines. This is a great way to develop a mailing list and to get your name out there as an expert. You may also find success in advertising in e-zines and at classified ads sites.

Lastly, word of mouth can be a powerful tool, almost as powerful as each search engine secret I described above. Tell everyone you know both on-line and off-line about your product and about your website. You never know when you'll hit paydirt.

For more on all of these methods, you'll find lots of great advice in Make Your Site Sell! Do you get the feeling I love this book?!

In closing, just remember that you must focus on building traffic if you want to build sales. Try out each search engine secret you learned about in this lesson. Best of luck to you, and please keep learning with us!

With Warmest Regards,
My signature
Kathleen A. MacNaughton, Home Business Consultant
HomeSweetBiz.com
Home Business Consultant Course for Aspiring At Home Work Novices
To help you learn how to work from home on computer...
Boise, Idaho

P.S. To continue learning how to start your home business, go to Lesson 5, "You've Launched Your Business ... What's Next?".


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