Search Engines:
Love 'Em Or Hate 'Em
By Kathy Ritchie, Ritchie Secretarial Service
K.R. is our lead columnist and a regular contributor to this E.Zine.
Search engines...we all use them. Some of us use them everyday. If you're a webmaster you rely on search engines to promote your site. With the search engine pay for position trend on the rise, many webmasters are finding their sites on the out if they don't pay.
Yahoo still offers the free URL submission service, however, free users are pushed to the end of the line after paid submitters. But at $199, the Business Express option Yahoo offers all categories for submission is out of range for many businesses on a budget. LookSmart search engine was the first to charge for commercial listing. While guaranteeing inclusion in their search engine, placement still isn't assured
Some search engines utilize a pay per click bidding system. In a manner much like auctions, the submitter bids on clicks. Ah-ha.com (LogoLink sales department) has both the free and paid bid per click system in place.
Go-to.com is the number one pay for position service. AOL has just been added to their list of affiliated partners. Express Service for $99 is somewhat more affordable than Yahoo. Super Cyber Search uses text sponsorships and pay for clicks. Using fees of $10.00 monthly per keyword, this could really add up for those of us using multiple keywords.
In the search engine wars to be the best there are still some clear losers. Search4info.com tries hard, but only produces limited results where the same search on Google produces massive, relevant results. Thunderseek.com lost my vote when a search for a 'Virtual Assistant' turned up sites on oceanography, baking bread and Nintendo before any Virtual Assistant sites.
Some 'clean' or still free search engines are Google.com, Netscape DMOZ, Chubba (part of WhatUSeek network) and Lycos.
Bottom line on pay for positioning on search engines, why bother if placement (where and when) can't be guaranteed? I think I'll stick to my budget, and submit to the free services. Just my two cents.
© Kathy A. Ritchie, 2001
Kathy Ritchie is a professional virtual assistant and owner of Ritchie Secretarial Service. She has over 12 years experience in office assistance and successful operation of a Virtual Office Assistance practice since June 1996. Visit her award winning website at www.thebestva.com or E.Mail kritchie@thebestva.com for more information.
|
|
