Introduction to Search Engines

SEM/SEO is a science and serious business

How can I get my site listed with search engines? It sounds like a very simple question, but in reality, this is a very complicated subject - A science of getting free targeted traffic and promote your business!

How do search engines work?

Search engines crawl the entire internet and maintain huge databases of web sites that people can search. This allows search engines to help you find relevant information on the Web.

To compile their databases, search engines rely on computer programs called "robots" or, more specifically, "spiders." These programs "crawl" across the web by following links from site to site and indexing each site they visit. Each search engine uses its own set of criteria to decide what to include in its database. For example, some search engines index each page in a web site, while others index only the main page.

Also unique are the criteria each individual search engine uses to organize information for its users. Some list the results of a user's search according to which sites have the most links from other sites -- a system known as link popularity. Other search engines prioritize results according to the summary information contained in sites' meta tags, and still others look for common themes used throughout a site. There are many other ways to organize results, and most search engines use a combination of several of them.

Directories - a different story

Directories are often confused with search engines, but actually they're completely different. Instead of using spiders to crawl the web, directories such as Yahoo! and Open Directory Project have real people who review and index their links. They also require web sites to adhere to rigid guidelines in order to be included in their indexes. As a result, directories' indexes tend to contain a comparatively small number of high-quality links.

The factors that influence search engine rankings simply don't apply to directory rankings. Instead, directory editors look at the quality of a site: its functionality, content and design. That means that webmasters hoping to see their sites listed on directories have to use very different strategies than for search engine placement.

Hybrid search engines: The new generation

Hybrid search engines combine a directory with a search engine to give their visitors the most relevant and complete results. Today the top ten search sites are hybrids. For example, Yahoo! started out as a directory, but now it supplements its manually compiled listings with search results from Google, a search engine. On the other hand, Google uses Open Directory Project's directory to enrich its automatically generated listings.

Why Search Engines are so powerful for businesses?

• Extremly target traffic
  
  When people search the web, they are looking for something or information they need. In other words, the search engine traffic is extremly targeted. This is search engine very powerful.
  
  
• Major search engines get huge traffic.
  
  In recent years many search sites have capitalized on the portal trend, positioning themselves as starting points for all of a user's online explorations. A slightly increase in your ranking can burst your traffic dramatically.
  
  
• Free (or low-cost) and effective
  
  Online advertising, such as banner campaigns, can be quite expensive, especially for smaill businesses. Search engine placement, on the other hand, can be a free or low-cost process. High search engine rankings can be more effective publicity tools than paid ads. A top position on a major search engine such as Google can increase site traffic far more than an expensive banner ad.

What is your objective?

Optimizing your web site to achieve a top-20 ranking on major search engines.

TopForAll can help

TopForAll.com is your complete search engine resource and marketing center. Here you can learn how to better position your site and search the web more effectively. We provide comprehensive submission and optimization services that help you achive your goal.