Web directories (or as they are better known – search directories) existed before the search engines, especially Google, became popular. As the name implies, web directories are directories where different resources are gathered. Similarly to desktop directories, where you gather files in a directory based on some criterion, Web directories are just enormous collections of links to sites, arranged in different categories. The sites in a Web directory are listed in some order (most often alphabetic but it is not necessarily so) and users browse through them.
Although many Web directories offer a search functionality of some kind (otherwise it will be impossible to browse thousands of pages for let's say Computers), search directories are fundamentally different from search engines in the two ways – most directories are edited by humans and URLs are not gathered automatically by spiders but submitted by site owners. The main advantage of Web directories is that no matter how clever spiders become, when there is a human to view and check the pages, there is a lesser chance that pages will be classified in the wrong categories. The disadvantages of the first difference are that the lists in web directories are sometimes outdated, if no human was available to do the editing and checking for some time (but this is not that bad because search engines also deliver pages that do not exist anymore) and that sometimes you might have to wait half an year before being included in a search directory.
The second difference – no spiders – means that you must go and submit your URL to the search directory, rather than sit and wait for the spider to come to your site. Fortunately, this is done only once for each directory, so it is not that bad.
Once you are included in a particular directory, in most cases you can stay there as long as you wish to and wait for people (and search engines) to find you. The fact that a link to your site appears in a respectable Web directory is good because first, it is a backlink and second, you increase your visibility for spiders, which in turn raises your chance to be indexed by them.
What is a Web Directory?
What are Google Alternatives??
The first alternative to Google is obvious – optimize for the other major search engines, if you have not done it already. Yahoo! and MSN (to a lesser degree) can bring you enough visitors, though sometimes it is virtually impossible to optimize for the three of them at the same time because of the differences in their algorithms. You could also optimize your site for (or at least submit to) some of the other search engines (Lycos, Excite, Netscape, etc.) but having in mind that they altogether hardly have over 3-5% of the Web search traffic, do not expect much.
Another alternative is to submit to search directories (also known as Web directories) and specialized search engines. Search directories might sound so pre-Google but submitting to the right directories might prove better than optimizing for MSN, for example. Specialized search engines and portals have the advantage that the audience they attract consists of people who are interested in a particular topic and if this is your topic, you can get to your target audience directly. It is true that specialized search engines will not bring you as many visitors, as if you were topping Google but the quality of these visitors is extremely high.
Naming all Google alternatives would be a long list and it is outside the scope of this article but just to be a little more precise about what alternatives exist, we cannot skip SEO instruments like posting to blogs and forums or paid advertisements.
SEO Phils. todays featured articles
Web Directories and Specialized Search Engines
SEO experts spend most of their time optimizing for Google and occasionally one or two other search engines. There is nothing wrong in it and it is most logical, having in mind that topping Google is the lion's share in Web popularity but very often, no matter what you do, topping Google does not happen. Or sometimes, the price you need to pay (not literally but in terms of effort and time) to top Google and keep there is too high. Maybe we should mention here the ultimate SEO nightmare – being banned from Google, when you simply can't use Google (or not at least until you are readmitted to the club) and no matter if you like it or not, you need to have a look about possible alternatives.
Does Google recommend working with companies that offer to make my site Google-friendly? todays article part3
References are a good start, but they don't tell the whole story. You should ask how long a company has been in business and how many full time individuals it employs. If you feel pressured or uneasy, go with your gut feeling and play it safe: hold off until you find a firm that you can trust. Ask your SEO firm if it reports every spam abuse that it finds to Google using our spam complaint form at http://www.google.com/contact/spamreport.html. Ethical SEO firms report deceptive sites that violate Google's spam guidelines.
Make sure you're protected legally.
For your own safety, you should insist on a full and unconditional money-back guarantee. Don't be afraid to request a refund if you're unsatisfied for any reason, or if your SEO's actions cause your domain to be removed from a search engine's index. Make sure you have a contract in writing that includes pricing. The contract should also require the SEO to stay within the guidelines recommended by each search engine for site inclusion.
What are the most common abuses a website owner is likely to encounter?
One common scam is the creation of "shadow" domains that funnel users to a site by using deceptive redirects. These shadow domains often will be owned by the SEO who claims to be working on a client's behalf. However, if the relationship sours, the SEO may point the domain to a different site, or even to a competitor's domain. If that happens, the client has paid to develop a competing site owned entirely by the SEO.
Another illicit practice is to place "doorway" pages loaded with keywords on the client's site somewhere. The SEO promises this will make the page more relevant for more queries. This is inherently false since individual pages are rarely relevant for a wide range of keywords. More insidious, however, is that these doorway pages often contain hidden links to the SEO's other clients as well. Such doorway pages drain away the link popularity of a site and route it to the SEO and its other clients, which may include sites with unsavory or illegal content.
What are some other things to look out for?
There are a few warning signs that you may be dealing with a rogue SEO. It's far from a comprehensive list, so if you have any doubts, you should trust your instincts. By all means, feel free to walk away if the SEO:
a) own a shadow domains
b) puts links to their other clients on doorway pages
c) offers to sell keywords in the address bar
d) doesn't distinguish between actual search results and ads that appear in search results
e) guarantees ranking, but only on obscure, long keyword phrases you would get anyway
f) operates with multiple aliases or falsified WHOIS info
g) gets traffic from "fake" search engines, spyware, or scumware
e) has had domains removed from Google's index or is not itself listed in Google
Does Google recommend working with companies that offer to make my site Google-friendly? todays article part2
Ask for explanations if something is unclear. If an SEO creates deceptive or misleading content on your behalf, such as doorway pages or "throwaway" domains, your site could be removed entirely from Google's index. Ultimately, you are responsible for the actions of any companies you hire, so it's best to be sure you know exactly how they intend to "help" you.
You should never have to link to an SEO.
Avoid SEOs that talk about the power of "free-for-all" links, link popularity schemes, or submitting your site to thousands of search engines. These are typically useless exercises that don't affect your ranking in the results of the major search engines -- at least, not in a way you would likely consider to be positive.
Some SEOs may try to sell you the ability to type keywords directly into the browser address bar.
Most such proposals require users to install extra software, and very few users do so. Evaluate such proposals with extreme care and be skeptical about the self-reported number of users who have downloaded the required applications.
Choose wisely.
While you consider whether to go with an SEO, you may want to do some research on the industry. Google is one way to do that, of course. You might also seek out a few of the cautionary tales that have appeared in the press, including this article on one particularly aggressive SEO: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002002970_nwbizbriefs12.html. While Google doesn't comment on specific companies, we've encountered firms calling themselves SEOs who follow practices that are clearly beyond the pale of accepted business behavior. Be careful.
Be sure to understand where the money goes.
While Google never sells better ranking in our search results, several other search engines combine pay-per-click or pay-for-inclusion results with their regular web search results. Some SEOs will promise to rank you highly in search engines, but place you in the advertising section rather than in the search results. A few SEOs will even change their bid prices in real time to create the illusion that they "control" other search engines and can place themselves in the slot of their choice. This scam doesn't work with Google because our advertising is clearly labeled and separated from our search results, but be sure to ask any SEO you're considering which fees go toward permanent inclusion and which apply toward temporary advertising.
Talk to many SEOs, and ask other SEOs if they'd recommend the firm you're considering.
References are a good start, but they don't tell the whole story. You should ask how long a company has been in business and how many full time individuals it employs. If you feel pressured or uneasy, go with your gut feeling and play it safe: hold off until you find a firm that you can trust. Ask your SEO firm if it reports every spam abuse that it finds to Google using our spam complaint form at http://www.google.com/contact/spamreport.html. Ethical SEO firms report deceptive sites that violate Google's spam guidelines.
Does Google recommend working with companies that offer to make my site Google-friendly? todays article part 1
SEO is an abbreviation for "search engine optimizer." Many SEOs provide useful services for website owners, from writing copy to giving advice on site architecture and helping to find relevant directories to which a site can be submitted. However, a few unethical SEOs have given the industry a black eye through their overly aggressive marketing efforts and their attempts to unfairly manipulate search engine results.
While Google doesn't have relationships with any SEOs and doesn't offer recommendations, we do have a few tips that may help you distinguish between an SEO that will improve your site and one that will only improve your chances of being dropped from search engine results altogether.
Be wary of SEO firms that send you email out of the blue.
Amazingly, we get these spam emails too:
"Dear google.com,I visited your website and noticed that you are not listed in most of the major search engines and directories..."
Reserve the same skepticism for unsolicited email about search engines as you do for "burn fat at night" diet pills or requests to help transfer funds from deposed dictators.
No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.
Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a "special relationship" with Google, or advertise a "priority submit" to Google. There is no priority submit for Google. In fact, the only way to submit a site to Google directly is through our Add URL page or through the Google Sitemaps program, and you can do this yourself at no cost whatsoever.
Be careful if a company is secretive or won't clearly explain what they intend to do.
Ask for explanations if something is unclear. If an SEO creates deceptive or misleading content on your behalf, such as doorway pages or "throwaway" domains, your site could be removed entirely from Google's index. Ultimately, you are responsible for the actions of any companies you hire, so it's best to be sure you know exactly how they intend to "help" you.
Link popularity checker
The number of inbound links to your website is a major factor in successful search engine promotion and this tool analyzes these links. The Seo Administrator package enables you to create a comprehensive list of links to your web project and follow their dynamics by revealing new and out-dated links. The module can also analyze your competitor's websites and search for potential link exchange resources. A large number of sites with links referring back to your own website (inbound links) is a guarantee of high positions in search engines. This number is your site link popularity and is the single most important objective parameter used by search engines to assess the significance and value of your website.
Most search engines have an inbound links database (link popularity database) and most of them allow you to view your sites inbound links list with the help of special language operators. The databases from various search engines are mainly similar to each other, but each one will have some unique information on link popularity not present in the others. The Seo Administrator link popularity tool checks inbound links across a number of search engines. It then composes a unified and comprehensive inbound links list (link popularity report) without duplicates.
Ranking Monitor Utility
This seo tool uses your website keywords to obtain the ranking position of your website from a wide range of search engines. The list of over thirty major international search engines includes: Google, Yahoo, MSN/Live, AltaVista, AllTheweb, Lycos, HotBot and so on. Every Seo specialist needs to regularly monitor web site positioning in the major search engines. Manual checking is possible but this can occupy a significant amount of time. Seo Administrator software tool completely automates this chore and allows you to easily create convenient and informative site position reports in minutes.
Currently, just a handful of search engines bring nearly all of the visitors to a website. Google is in first place, while Yahoo, MSN search and AOL search engines are also extremely popular. Seo Administrator supports all of these major search engines as well as more than thirty other international and West European search engines.
Who are the Major Search Engines?
No surprise, Google currently holds the #1 spot. We remember when Yahoo was king and Google had yet to be born. In the early days there were a dozen or more search engines considered to be major players. Today, Google, Yahoo and MSN collectively dominate over 95% of all search engine traffic (keep in mind that AOL pulls their results from Google as well). Thus, when it comes to search engine optimization and search engine marketing services, our main focus is generating top positions within the big three - Google, Yahoo & MSN.
Google also supplies results to Earthlink, AT&T and dozens of other partners. Yahoo has since purchased Overture, AltaVista, FAST and Inktomi, making them Google's #1 competitor.
Link Building Services
Internal optimization by itself is not enough anymore. If your competitors have a superior volume of back links and a proper use of anchor text, they will out rank you -- period. It's not just the quantity of incoming links, but the quality and the relevance of the sites that are giving them, as well as what words are used within the hyperlinks (i.e. anchor text). It provide a variety of affordable, one-way link building services that will improve your search engine ranking.
Search Engine Placement Services
These are potential customers who are already searching for YOUR specific products and services. Can there be a higher qualified lead? Is your website capturing this traffic? Over 90% of our clients choose to renew our services. Nearly 70% of all search engine traffic prefer to click on "natural" search engine rankings versus sponsored rankings. SEO provide organic search engine optimization services, copywriting and powerful link building campaigns that will move you to the top. SEO offer custom tailored packages based on your budget, your individual website positioning needs and how competitive your industry is.
Search Engine Positioning
Since 1997, SEO has been moving websites to the top of Google, Yahoo and MSN. Proven search engine positioning services use organic optimization, professional copywriting and effective link building efforts to obtain top natural listings. They also provide pay-per-click management for sponsored listings and stand alone link building services for sites that are already optimized.
Website Optimization
Website optimization is the process of specifically designing your web pages to rank high in the Search Engines. If you're serious about your business, optimizing your web pages is a must.
Although many Search Engines are no longer using Meta Tags to assist them in ranking a web page, some still do, and it's worth the effort to include them.
Here are some SEO company that will offer a good and dynamic services for your website.
Search Engine Visibility..Search engine Visibility automates the search engine submissions process, and provides insight into search engine optimization to help you achieve better rankings in the top search engines.
Pay Per Click - PerformanceClicks..Pay per click is an advertising model in which advertisers only pay for the clicks that come to their Web site. The ads are displayed on major search engines and based on a defined set of keywords or themes relating to the advertiser’s business. Take advantage of the NEW FEATURE to drive CALLS to your business from the Internet.Top 10 Search Results....Top 10 positioning in search engines is the most effective form of online marketing. Our proven procedure will guarantee top 10 results.
Optimized Press Release Service...Increase your search engine visibility and storefront's press attention with our optimized press release service.
Web Site Link Visibility...Increase your overall search engine ranking by increasing the number of links to your Web site from other relevant Web sites.
Basic Search Engine Guidelines
Each Search Engine is different and has different guidelines in regard to how they rank a web page. In addition, their guidelines change very frequently and it is literally impossible to keep up with them. Your best option is to optimize your website to the best of your ability, submit your pages to the Search Engines and forget it. (Resubmit your main pages any time you make any significant changes.) Your time can be better spent using other marketing techniques other than fighting the Search Engine wars.
Here are some basic guidelines to assist you in optimizing your pages:
Title
Your Title should have a word count of between five and six with a keyword frequency of one and a keyword prominence of at least 60%.
A Keyword that appears at the beginning of a specific area will have a prominence rating of 100%.
A Keyword that appears in the middle of a specific area will have a prominence rating of 50%.
A Keyword that appears at the end of a specified area will have a prominence rating of 0%.
Keyword prominence plays a critical role in determining your site's ranking, not only in the Search Engines, but also in prominent directories such as Yahoo.
Alt
Your Alt tags should contain a word count of about one to thirty five and have a keyword frequency of one to two.
Hyperlinks
Your hyperlinks should contain a keyword frequency of between one and eight.
Body Text
Your body text should contain a keyword frequency of between one and six, a word count between three and four hundred and a keyword prominence of about 50%.
Your web page should contain a total frequency of between five and twenty.
Take your time and optimize each of your web pages to the best of your ability. When you're satisfied with your pages, manually submit them to the major Search Engines and directories. If you would like to automatically submit your pages to a large variety of Search Engines and Directories
Search Engine Optimization Services
Pay Per Click Optimization & Analysis
Our pay per click optimization and ppc analysis services increase targeted leads coming to your site. PPC at Google, Overture, and FindWhat complements your natural search engine optimization for a comprehensive approach to your search engine marketing strategy.
Our search engine optimization analysis service gives you a best-practices seo marketing plan to boost your targeted traffic and rankings. The analysis includes keyword research, site structure, competitive analysis, Google gap analysis, and specific linking strategies.
Search Engine Optimization Service
Our search engine optimization service will boost your site's search engine visibility. Our organic SEO service will improve your website positioning to maximize targeted traffic and rankings.
