Search engines - free or fee?
For around a decade, the world's search engines operated for free - or least as far as 'getting a listing' was concerned.
We all got used to this. But now that most search engines charge for a listing, many people don't believe that there's enough value in paying. This attitude is borne from several concerns:
- I didn't pay before, so why pay now?
- I'm sure that I can get the same thing for free anyway.
- I don't know if search engines work.
- Search engines aren't good at delivering results.
The bottom line is that - to make money - search engines have to charge. Many search engines have tried to earn a living with ads and sponsorship, but they now need to charge to pay their way - so we all have to get used to it. (I'm sure that you expect customers to pay for your products and services - so what's the problem?)
Developing a search engine strategy
Most companies don't develop a strategy for managing search engines. They might register the site at the time of launch, but often, that's about it. Getting good results/enquiries through search engines is dependent on having a good search engine strategy. In my view, any good search engine strategy will have a budget, because there is a limit to what you can do for free. How you create and manage a search engine strategy is covered in the associated Web briefing: developing a search engine strategy.
Getting a free listing
Getting a straight listing on search engines for free is still possible - though at some point it may well not be. However, searching through the pages of the top search engines reveals that many now don't even display an option for a free listing - so how do you get one?
The Open Directory Project
Many search engines draw data from the Open Directory Project - which is a free, open-source Web directory. Adding your site is easy, though it may take some time after adding your site before it appears on the top search engines. What's more, there are no guarantees - your site may never appear, though this is unlikely.
The Open Directory Project is not actually a search engine - it is a directory. This means that when you add a link, that link is verified by a human, before it is added to the directory. This means that sites which misrepresent themselves, or use search engine tricks, are not likely to get listed.
The content of the Open Directory Project is regularly accessed by many leading search engines, providing a route to be listed for free - even on the pay-only engines. (After all, if search engines don't list as many sites as possible, they run the risk of not providing a relevant service, devaluing their search results.)
Enabling search engines to find your site
When a Web site is still under development, many people fear that search engines will 'discover' it and index it, before the content is ready. This is highly unlikely, as search engines have no mechanism for discovering sites in this way.
What search engines can do, though, is to follow links from other (already indexed) sites. In this way, they can discover new sites and index them.
This can be used to your advantage and is a key way of getting sites indexed for free. The number of external links to your site can also move it higher up the search results - as this makes it seem more popular and relevant.
The best way to get links to your site is to provide content that other sites will want to link to - as they may well not see the value in linking to a commercial site. Such content can include FAQs, white papers, tutorials and so on. You'd be surprised how obliging sites are when you ask for a link, providing it's not a scam, and that's it is relevant to them and has some value to their visitors. User groups, professional associations, fan sites and even personal home pages can help. It doesn't matter what kind of site it is, providing it is already indexed.
In the hands of the gods
All things being equal, even if you are indexed there is no guarantee of being at the top of the search engine lists. There are things you can do to optimise your Web pages, and this is covered in our associated briefing 'Optimising your Web pages for search engines'.
So, for free, the best you can expect is a listing. You can tune your pages to achieve more, and that generally works with success - since very few people do this.
If you want to have a cast-iron guarantee of continually being at the top of search engine listings, there really is only one way: to pay. If anyone tells you otherwise, they are fibbing, probably because they want you to pay them to do the same via some search engine tricks. (You can see why most of these don't work in our associated briefing: 'Search engine tricks - and why they are not worth using.')
What it means to pay
There are currently two ways that search engines charge for a listing:
- Pay for inclusion
- Pay for clicks through to your site (pay as you go)
I like both models, though pay for inclusion services don't generally guarantee a higher ranking - just a listing.
There are clear advantages to paying to be included on a search engine:
- A guaranteed listing
- You get a listing quickly
- You're buying an accountable service
- In the long term it places a restriction in front of those companies who aren't using search engines in an honest way
Pay as you go
The good thing is that paying for search engine results isn't going to empty your wallet - and you can be in control of the costs.
Using a 'pay for clicks' system, you only pay if someone clicks through to your Web site. (Whether they do anything after that is up to you - and your site.)
A paid-for link is usually more prominent than a free link - perhaps in colour, and maybe at the top, or side of the main listings. Perhaps it will appear on all the pages of a search result and not just the first.
You can also pay variable amounts, in effect, 'bidding for the click'. Let's explain. You would pay for those click-throughs that result from searches from keywords that you input. The chances are that you won't be the only one to be paying for those same keywords. In those circumstances, you can set the maximum that you will pay for a click - moving you up higher on the page relative to those users of the service who pay less (and lower relative to those who pay more). You don't get to see what other people pay, so it's very much like blind-bidding.
Cap your spending
Most search engines allow you to cap your spending, ensuring that you have a defined upper spend limit, after which your site is no longer highlighted as a top link. So you're always in control of what you spend.
Channel your investment
The other good news is that most people use a small number of search engines, so you don't have to worry about paying to be listed on all of them - just the most popular. In fact, the opportunities from one good search engine should be enough. It's not for me to advertise which search engines are best. You might sue me. Or they might. But I'd recommend looking at the following:
(Please note that these are in alphabetical order, so don't draw any conclusions from the ranking. Also, the intended audience for the above is the UK, where I am based.)
A good service is Overture, which reaches many of the major search engines, with the exception of current search leader Google, so combining Overture with Google's AdWords gives you a good way of controlling your pay per click strategy from just two easy-to-manage points.
Conclusion
Although we all got used to search engines providing their service for free, we've all got to get used to the fact that search engines now expect us to pay.
When the Web grew quickly, search engines couldn't keep up - it took weeks or months to get listed, sometimes many months.
Now, because search engines can charge, they can invest - and so have improved their services. You can get listed quickly (within days), and get yourself to the top of various searches. You don't have to pay - but it helps. And at least you can choose to only pay for those people who actually click through to your site.
I know which way around I'd rather have it.
If you're serious about getting sales leads from the Web, having a pay-for-click search engine service should be a part of your Web strategy - though bear in mind that it takes a good Web site to convert those results into actions; search engine results on their own don't automatically mean business success!
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