|   
|
|
|
|
Other Articles of InterestBusiness On the Internet - Is It Time To Get Started?May '97 The Value of Your Own Domain Name July '97 Getting Results From Your Web Site August '97 Bells And Whistles August '97 Ten Tips For Selling on the Internet Search Engines... October '97 |
Search Engines IICopyright ©1997 Magi Consulting Inc.November 1997 / Perry In our last issue of "Imaginings" we provided some basic information about search engines. We discussed the importance of understanding how they work in order to maximize promotion of your Web site. Since they each work differently from one another, entering the same search criteria in several search engines will not necessarily produce the same result. This is very important to understand since it can mean that no matter how meticulous you are about getting your site promoted in hundreds of search engines, a visit to your web site is at the mercy of the "search engine mystique." By "search engine mystique," we're referring to the frequently changing methods the search engine people use in the design and display of search results. It is difficult, if not impossible, to stay on top of all search engine submission and display criteria. 'Tricks' to get your site on top work for a while, but can blow up and backfire later on. For that reason, it is probably best to continue to submit your site to search engines on a regular basis. Although the number of search engines on the Net is probably in the thousands by now, keep in mind that the vast majority of people limit their choice of search engines to these five: Yahoo, Infoseek, Lycos, Altavista, and Web-crawler. (And you may remember from our last article about search engines that Yahoo is not literally a search engine, but a search directory.) For more information about regular and frequent search engine submissions please contact a Magi representative about our own site submission services - The Fast Track Services.
Don't Rely on Search Engines Alone to Generate Traffic to Your Web SiteIn all this talk about search engines there is too often a fatal mistake made by many companies; the over- reliance upon search engines to generate the traffic to their web site. It is generally believed that only about a third of the traffic that goes to your site does so as a result of a search from a search engine. The other two thirds of visitors go there because of other reasons. Those reasons include links from other Web sites, word of mouth referrals, repeat visitors and perhaps most importantly, they were referred there by some other form of advertising.For this reason, make sure that your Web site's address becomes a permanent fixture on all company promotional material. This should include your company's letterhead, brochures, flyers, press releases, business cards, radio and television advertising spots, newspaper and trade journal display advertising pieces, and even your answering machines message and your 'message on hold' tapes. Magi can provide the increased promotional services you might need, including linking your site to others, enhanced traffic monitoring reports, and full Internet Marketing Consulting services. Please contact a Magi representative about these and any other services you may want to inquire about. |