Archive for the ‘Yahoo’ Category

How I Suddenly Stumbled Onto No.1 In Google and Yahoo Without Search Engine Optimization – So What?

Wednesday, March 19th, 2008

Sometimes, the search engines act really strange. And this story will prove how I’ve got top positions (80% on no.1) into the major search engines – such Google, Yahoo!, MSN – without lifting a finger! What is REALLY strange? I did not optimize my page!

But first allow me to give you some backgrounds. Couple of time ago I buy a domain name and hosted into a very reliable server. At that time I intended to build a mini-site around a very powerful service which was released at that period.

I can’t remember why at that time I was very busy. So I just write a simple page, insert a few links to the program I promote and upload it. Everything it don’t takes me more than 1/2 hours.

That was the beginning. The page stays there for around a month. I remember I post 3-4 messages into some forums and link them to my newest mini-site. That was ALL I can do at that time. But one day I decided to make a little change.

I login to my hosting account and take a look at the stats. Surprise! I saw traffic from Google and Yahoo! What??? I didn’t submit my website to the search engines!

What the hell is going on?

I open my WebPosition Gold 2 software and check my website. Geez, my site was there, on no.1 for 3 keyphrases in Google, Yahoo!, and MSN, and take no.1 through no.5 spots on other 2-3 major search engines.

I couldn’t belive that was happening to my website, but the evidence was there. It was very hard to believe that I’ve got no.1 places into the search engine without doing a little optimization. Because my friend, THAT page was NOT optimize for the search engines!

So I said to myself: “That won’t last forever. I give one week and I’ll saw my website going down because it has no support for all those positions!”. Well, it didn’t last a week. After only 5 days, my website was vanish. Not a single position into the top 10, not even found on search engines!

OK, what it was it was. For only couple of days (perhaps hours) I was on no.1 spots. It means that I can do it again IF I’ll do everything by the book. Despite of general opinion, search engine optimization it’s not so hard. If you know what to do, if you take your time to study the right stuff and have patience, there’s impossible not to rich the position you desire.

That was fine, but I also plan to go into vacation with my family. It was on July, the weather was great, and we plan this vacation from a long time. My son dream about this vacation, so I said, “Why not? Let’s do it!” You know the rest: spend a lot of time for making reservations, baggage, prepare the car for the trip, etcetera. Less time for me to build my website.

So I left my mini-site and going to vacation. Two weeks later when I come back, after settle down the things into the house, I first check my emails. Oh no! – up to 300 emails waiting for me. Check couple of them, get VERRY angry (you must read below website hosting story!) and then take a ride to see my stats.

Total SURPRISE! My website was AGAIN on the no.1 for Google, Yahoo!, MSN… plus positions between no.1 and no.4 on others!

This is my real story. If you spent some time on search engines like I do it, you know this is weird. Not because I was again on top, it’s weird I’ll get to the top WITHOUT optimization.

Now let me tell you more about this page:

- total words: 864

- links to the affiliate program I promote: 4 (position them from middle to the bottom of the page)

- use the keyphrase mainly from middle to the bottom of the page

- use only a “.gif” picture for my signature (no keywords for “ALT” tag)

- headers at the top of page: 3 (first use font size no.3, the next use H1, and the last H4 tag). NO keywords or keyphrases inside!

- first appear of the keyphrase is on “word” no.100, the next on no.283 (from 864!)

- number of times my keyphrase appear on the body of page: 5

- number of times my keyphrase appear on the links: 3

- my keyphrase is build on 3 words and a number

- no use of META tags

- layout: use 2 tables to design my page, one in other

- couple of short Java scripts at the bottom of page

- use six bullets on the middle of page, two P.S., and a line of copyright, address, and contact info at the bottom of page

- it was uploaded as a home/ index page, NO keywords into my domain name

- I DID NOT announce this page/ website to the search engines!

If I’m right, THIS is not an optimized page. And remember: depending on HOW people will search and what keywords/ keyphrases will use, my competition is between 32 and 2,750,000 and continue to grow!

I hope not a single SEO webmaster will read this issue. Because, in a way, it’s outrageous! I didn’t do anything to deserve this position. I know people try harder to get top positions. They work a lot to optimize pages, to get relevant links, build content to become search engine friendly, and many other things.

This time it’s not my case. But there is a hard lesson here and I want to shear it with you. These days Netpreneurs likes a lot to build one page mini-sites. Those things works and I prove it to you. Beyond the SEO problems and the no.1 spots on major engines, there is something which only a few people will ask you: “So what if you have a no.1 position(‘s)?”

Most people will aspect a hoard of targeted visitors ready to use their credit cards to buy something they offer, probably their own product/ services or something from an affiliate program or joint venture. Sometimes this is completely wrong! If your keywords are not “hot”, chances are that your no.1 spots will drive only couple of visitors. Not to mention sales…

The real Netpreneurs knows that. So if you want to build a mini-site in the next days, think about how many people will come and BUY what you promote. To help you, here’s a 6 step plan to build a profitable mini-site:

–> Step no.1: find a “dream” product or service with an affiliate program (or joint venture partner) which pay well.

–> Step no.2: determine if you can use “hot” keywords to promote the program. Use a tool like WordTracker (http://www.internetmarketingprofitscenter.com/wordtracker/), the best service on the Internet for such a job.

Find keywords/ keyphrases with low supply (little competition) but have a higher demand (appear on many searches around the ‘Net).

–> Step no.3: get a relevant domain name and host it into a reliable server (try to insert keyword into the name of domain, or think at something close to the product).

–> Step no.4: start building 3-5 pages (build a theme around the product), do SEO and announce your site to the major search engines.

–> Step no.5: concentrate your efforts on getting links from top related websites.

–> Step no.6: once you rich on top and get back your initial investment and something more, determine your ROI and start using pay-per-clicks search engines to boots your profits.

If you follow EXACTLY these steps, chances are that your mini-site will jump on top of search engines and will REALLY drive that particular targeted visitor eager to buy what you promote! Otherwise, you will lamentably fail.

Final thoughts on my search engine story:

By all odds I regret my page is not what I first intend to do. Because, I have to tell you this, my page was just throw away into the cyber-space! The idea was to have something on my index/ home page until I build my website. Has NOTHING to do with my theme idea. That’s why I NEVER think at optimization.

But I don’t regret too much that I’ll have to delete it soon. I learn something very useful: no matter how many top positions you have on the search engines, unless you write a very compelling web page, chances are that you’ll have poor visitors. And poor visitors means no sales, no ROI.

(Chances are that, at the moment you read this article, my “magic” web page simply dropped from no.1 positions or I delete it. So don’t bother to spend time on find it. You have to believe me! And if you don’t, I’ll have to PROOF on my computer, as a “.gif” picture.)

Attention Ezine Publishers/ Site Owners
Feel free to reprint this article is its entirety in your newsletter/ ezine or website as long as you leave all links in place, do not alterate the content and include our resource box as listed above. If you do use the material please send us a note so we can take a look. Thanks!

Valeriu S. Popescu is the editor of the “Internet Marketing Profits Newsletter”, a gazette dedicated to help new marketers to drive thousands of targeted visitors to their websites or affiliate links. Proven tips, tricks, techniques and strategies revealed every single month! http://www.internetmarketingprofitscenter.com/archive

Posted in Google, Google Adsense Optimization, Yahoo | 2 Comments »

Have You Been Dropped By Yahoo?

Wednesday, March 19th, 2008

Yahoo has fairly recently updated its guidelines. You can read the full list at:

http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/ysearch/basics/basics-18.html

I thought that a few points were of great interest to you because we have discussed these issue in the past when describing the best way to future-proof your site against search engine algorithm changes.

Here are some of the new guidelines:

Pages Yahoo! Wants Included in Its Index
________________________________________

1. Original and unique content of genuine value

2. Pages designed primarily for humans, with search engine considerations secondary

3. Hyperlinks intended to help people find interesting, related content, when applicable

4. Metadata (including title and description) that accurately describes the contents of a web page

5. Good web design in general

It seems content is now King for Yahoo, and unique content at that. As I have always told you, develop webpages with unique content and your sites will do well.

Here is a summary of some of the guidelines Yahoo makes on what not to do. I have added my own comments in brackets afterwards:

1. redirects (targeting smart pages and similar cloaking techniques).

2.Pages that have substantially the same content as other pages (pages generated by page generators that substitute one keyword for another).

3. Pages in great quantity, automatically generated or of little value (data feed sites that are built in a day by someone wanting to put out thousands of pages quickly).

4. Excessively cross-linking sites to inflate a site’s apparent popularity (webmasters who cross link all their sites in an effort to rank better).

5. Pages built primarily for the search engines (highly optimized pages).

Read the full set of guidelines for yourself as they offer a great insight as to why your site may have been dropped by Yahoo.

*********************************************************
Andy Williams is author of the free, ezSEO internet marketing newsletter,
offering subscribers up-to-date information on all aspects of internet
marketing. His search engine optimization website offers unique, no
BS information, for free.
*********************************************************

Posted in SEO, Yahoo | 3 Comments »

How Web Design Can Affect Search Engine Rankings

Wednesday, March 19th, 2008

Uniquely built web sites can create unique issues when being promoted on the search engines. From a basic 3 page brochure site to a corporate site with hundreds of dynamically generated pages, every web site needs to have certain design aspects in order to achieve the full effects of an SEO campaign. Below are a few points to take into consideration when building or updating your web site.

1. Size Matters.

The size of a web site can have a huge impact on search engine rankings. Search engines love content, so if you have only a few pages to your site and your competitors have dozens, it’s difficult to see a top page ranking for your site. In some cases it may be difficult to present several pages of information about your business or products, so you may need to think about adding free resources for visitors. It will help in broadening the scope of your web site (which search engines like) as well as keep visitors on your site longer, possibly resulting in more sales.

2. Graphics-Based Web Sites.

While web sites that offer the visitor a more esthetically-pleasing experience may seem like the best choice for someone searching for your product, they are the most difficult to optimize. Since search engine robots cannot read text within graphics or animation, what they see may be just a small amount of text. And if we learned anything from point #1, small amounts of content will not result in top rankings. If you really must offer the visitor a graphics-heavy or Flash web site, consider creating an html-based side of your site that is also available to visitors. This site will be much easier to promote on the search engines and your new found visitors will also have the option to jump over to the nicer looking part of your site.

3. Dynamic Web Pages.

If most of your web site is generated by a large database (such as a large book dealer with stock that is changing by the minute) you may find that some of your pages do not get indexed by major search engines. If you look at the URL of these pages they can be extremely long and have characters such as ?, #, &, %, or = along with huge amounts of seemingly random numbers or letters. Since these pages are automatically generated by the database as needed, the search engines have a tough time keeping them up to date and relevant for search engine users.

One way to combat this problem is to offer a search engine friendly site map listing all your static pages just to let them know that you do have permanent content on your site. If search engines see links going to and from these dynamic pages within a good internal linking system, this may also lead to the pages getting indexed. The link popularity of your site may carry more weight in this case as well, so if you can’t offer as much static content as your competition, make sure you have an aggressive link campaign on the go.

4. Proper Use of HTML.

There is quite a bit of sub-par web design software out there. Word processors usually have a way to create HTML documents which can be easily uploaded to a site via ftp. However, in many cases the code that the search engine robots see is mostly lines and lines of font and position formatting, not relevant content. The more efficiently written web sites usually achieve higher rankings. Our choice for web design software is Macromedia Dreamweaver, as it is an industry standard. It also makes using CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) a breeze, which can drastically cut down on the amount of text formatting in HTML code. Hand-coding HTML to design sites is also a good method if you are proficient enough.

There are some no brainers too: Web sites with abnormal amounts of hyperlinks, bold or italicized text, improper use of heading, alt, or comment tags can also expect to see low rankings.

5. Choosing a Domain Name.

The golden rule to web development of any kind is to keep your visitors in mind above all else – even search engine optimization. When choosing a domain name, one should pick either your business name (if you have a high-profile business name such as Chapters or Coca-Cola) or a brief description of your products. Domain names can always help with search engine optimization, as it is another area of your web site that important keywords can appear. Forget about long- winded domains such as www.number-one-best-books-on-earth.com as no one will ever remember it and it will be hard to print on business cards or in ads.

If you need to change your domain name for any reason you obviously don’t want to lose existing rankings. An easy way to do this, and one that is currently supported by most search engines, is the 301 redirect. It allows you to keep your existing rankings for your old domain name, while forwarding visitors to your new web site instantly.

6. Using Frames.

Don’t use frames. Frames are a thing of the 90′s (and in the Internet world that is eons ago) and are not even supported by some search engines. The search engines that are able to index your site through frames will most likely frown upon them. Whatever you are trying to accomplish by using frames can usually be done with the help of PHP includes or CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). Some browsers are not frames-compatible, so there is the danger of some visitors not being able to see your site at all. Bookmarking of individual pages within a frame becomes difficult without lengthly scripts being written.

7. Update Your Information.

Not only does information printed two or three years ago look badly on your organization when it is read by a visitor, it is also looked down upon by search engines. Web sites that continuously update and grow their web sites usually experience higher rankings than stagnant sites. When the trick to SEO is offering visitors the most relevant information, you can bet that the age of web pages is taken into consideration by search engines. Consider creating a section of your site devoted to news within your organization, or have a constantly updated resources area.

Many shortfalls of web sites can easily be attributed to designers who just don’t keep the user or search engines in mind. Search engine algorithms are quickly improving to try and list the most user-friendly sites higher, given that the content and link popularity are there to back it up. So first and foremost, know your target market and make your web site work for them before focusing on search engine optimization. If you build it (properly), they will come.

Copyright John Metzler of Abalone Designs, November 2004. This article may be freely distributed if credit is given to the author. Abalone Designs is a family-run Search Engine Optimization firm in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Visit http://www.abalone.ca for a free personalized analysis of your web site.

Posted in SEO, Search Engine Rankings, Yahoo | 4 Comments »

Google WebSearch? & Google Adsense – Yahoo!

Wednesday, February 20th, 2008

The makers of the world renowned search engine, Google, have taken things a step further to increase their user loyalty, grow their user base and at the same time reward websites for helping them promote their search engine. What a beautiful deal.

Google now offers WebSearch? allowing AdSense members to take the earning potential of their sites to an even higher level. Is it all about the money? For most I bet the answer will be “YES”, however, those who would say no can say so with confidence.

Google delivers the best search results on the web today. Don’t be surprised if the majority of your website users use it to search the web. They pride themselves on highly relevant search results with a clean and effective interface. They offer various filters to fine tune their results to allowing you to eliminate any unwanted sites from being displayed.

They have started a highly successful symbiotic relationship between Google and websites that many webmasters will be taking advantage of as soon as they hear the news. It is said time and time again how Google AdSense has transformed websites not geared towards earning income, into solid income producing businesses. Now with WebSearch? it gets even better.

So what exactly is WebSearch??

It’s using Google’s SiteSearch or Google’s Web Search and displaying AdSense ads in the results and you earn income every time someone clicks on the ads. Lots of sites already use these features together or independently and them being able to monetize this is a sure plus. You are also able to customize your results page to some extent which includes full color customization as well as the ability to include your logo.

So how do I get it?

Well if you haven’t already done so you will need to create and AdSense account at Google AdSense and follow the steps.

If you already have an AdSense account then log in and click on Search Settings and you should be able to figure it out from there. They also offer reporting information which can also be filtered by channel and includes clicks, the number of queries and clickthrough rate.

The verdict

If you answer yes to any of the following questions then there’s a good chance that Google’s WebSearch is for you:

1. Do you want to give your users a reason to stay on your site longer?

2. Have you ever wanted to offer web search from your site?

3. Do you want to be able to offer a site search feature to your users?

And last but not least

4. Do you want to increase the earning potential of your website? More popularly stated as? Do you want to make more money?

I’m not a betting man but id put my money on you answering yes to at least one of these.

Happy Google WebSearch?ing :-)

About The Author

Alec Duncan is the founder of LilEngine.com a Search Engine Optimization resource site. Visit Li’l Engine for search engine optimization tools and strategies and also check out Developer Tutorials for web development techniques and strategies.

Posted in Google, SEO, Yahoo | No Comments »

Googles Trap, DMOZs Nap, And Yahoo!s Crap

Wednesday, February 20th, 2008

On November 16th, 2003, Google commenced an update (the Florida update) which had a catastrophic effect for a very large number of websites and, in the process, turned search engine optimization upside down. It is common to give alphabetical names to Google’s updates in the very same way that names are given to hurricanes, and this one became known as “Florida”.

In a nutshell, a vast number of pages, many of which had ranked at or near the top of the results for a very long time, suddenly disappeared from the results altogether.

To so many on the Internet, Google has become the omnipotent “hand of God” and it’s sickening! Why are so many people falling into the trap of optimizing their website’s to cater to Google’s ever-changing algorithms? I refuse to play that game! I personally could care less about my search engine rankings. I never have. My search engine rankings go up and down like a yo-yo! They have for years. Yet, I’m still able to comfortably support myself and my family.

If you only remember one thing from this article, remember this: DO NOT DEPEND SOLELY ON SEARCH ENGINES FOR YOUR TRAFFIC! Find alternative ways to attract traffic to your website. If you’re fortunate enough to achieve a high search engine ranking, consider it a bonus. But DO NOT MAKE THE SEARCH ENGINES A PRIORITY!

Why? Because when you stop to consider that Google, DMOZ and Yahoo! has millions and millions of pages in their directories, you’d really have a better chance of winning the lottery, than getting high enough in the results pages where it’s going to make a significant difference in your traffic.

In fact, I receive a very tiny percentage of my traffic from the search engines.

So, where’s my traffic coming from? Well, the vast majority of it comes from the dozens of articles I’ve written that have been picked up and published on popular websites. I also get traffic via word of mouth, newsletters that my articles are published in, and a few other secret methods that I use.

Yes, like Colonel Sanders, I too have a secret recipe!

And if all of the search engines disappeared tomorrow, I’d be just fine, because I’m a marketing man. I know how to market myself and my service. I was lucky enough to be born a “baby boomer.” That means I had the honor and privilege of personally seeing first-hand, some of the greatest copywriting in history. I took lots of notes and learned my lessons well.

Back then, mailorder was the Internet of its time, and boy was there marketing talent everywhere! You should really do yourself a favor sometime and go to the library and read the old mailorder books. Some great titles to look for include, “How To Get Rich In Mail Order,” by Melvin Powers, “Money In Your MailBox,” by L. Perry Wilbur, “How To Make A Fortune In Mail Order,” by Al Stern and “Building A Mail Order Business,” by William A. Cohen .

You’ll come away a lot smarter and you’ll discover some ingenious ways to market your website, besides the search engines.

Will somebody wake up DMOZ? I hear they’re sleeping on the job. DMOZ (The Open Directory Project) is another prime example of why you shouldn’t depend on search engines or directories. I’ve heard and read countless horror stories about DMOZ taking 9 months to a year or more to add new sites to their directory, and in many cases not adding perfectly qualified sites at all. I’ve also heard their directory is not kept up to date, because the editors can’t keep up with the workload.

In addition, it’s been widely reported that they don’t respond to e-mails, don’t inform you if and when you’re site is rejected, and that some of the editors are rude and arrogant.

Who cares how much weight Google places on being listed in DMOZ? You don’t have to put up with that nonsense! Find alternative ways to attract traffic to your website.

Yahooooooooooooooooo! I want you to read what it says on the info page for submitting to Yahoo! Express:

“We established Yahoo! Express as part of a suite of services that Yahoo! has created to service small business needs. Through Yahoo! Express, we can ensure that sites suggested by merchants such as yourself are viewed and evaluated in a timely manner by Yahoo!’s editorial staff.

Your payment and participation in Yahoo! Express guarantees that within seven business days a member of Yahoo!’s editorial staff will look at your site and consider it for inclusion in the Yahoo! directory.

Please keep in mind that payment does not automatically guarantee inclusion in the directory, site placement, or site commentary. As with all sites suggested to us, final judgement remains solely with Yahoo! editors. Yahoo! Express Guarantees All Yahoo! Express submissions will be evaluated within seven business days. You will receive an email response within seven business days, stating whether your entry is accepted or declined. (If your entry is denied, you will be told why.) The Cost of Yahoo! Express Yahoo! Express requires a US $299.00 non-refundable, recurring annual fee per submission, or US $600.00 non-refundable, recurring annual fee for submissions offering adult content and/or services. Yahoo! Express does not guarantee a listing in the Yahoo! directory, nor does it guarantee the type of placement or description that your site will receive if accepted. Please read our Yahoo! Express Terms of Service to review the terms and conditions of Yahoo! Express.”

Are you kidding me? What a bunch of crap! Why, why, why would anyone want to just hand over their money to Yahoo! that way, without any type of guarantee?

I’ve just given you shining examples of the arrogance and total lack of respect Google, DMOZ and Yahoo! has for the very people they depend on to keep them in business.

I say we show them the same kind of respect they show us. Get out of the Google trap, let DMOZ nap, and don’t accept Yahoo’s crap!

Remember: DO NOT DEPEND SOLELY ON SEARCH ENGINES FOR YOUR TRAFFIC! Find alternative ways to attract traffic to your website. If you’re fortunate enough to achieve a high search engine ranking, consider it a bonus. But DO NOT MAKE THE SEARCH ENGINES A PRIORITY!

About The Author

Dean Phillips is an Internet marketing expert, writer, publisher and entrepreneur. Questions? Comments? Dean can be reached at mailto: dean@lets-make-money.net.

Website: http://www.lets-make-money.net

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Posted in Google, SEO, Yahoo | No Comments »

Google, Yahoo!, Pandoras Box And The Lottery

Wednesday, February 20th, 2008

In the fall of 1990, the musical group Snap had a monster number one hit record called, “I’ve Got The Power.”

Nowadays, a search engine and a directory (AKA) Google and Yahoo!–number one and number two respectively, have “the power,” and we handed it to them on a silver platter.

The aforementioned search engine and directory are the two biggest players in the multi billion dollar pay-for-search industry.

Our stubborn and foolish reliance on search engines have helped to open up a “Pandora’s Box” of greed, arrogance and theft.

Yahoo! Express is a perfect example of all three of those evils! Check out their terms:

“Please keep in mind that payment does not automatically guarantee inclusion in the directory, site placement, or site commentary. As with all sites suggested to us, final judgement remains solely with Yahoo! editors. Yahoo! Express Guarantees All Yahoo! Express submissions will be evaluated within seven business days. You will receive an email response within seven business days, stating whether your entry is accepted or declined. (If your entry is denied, you will be told why.) The Cost of Yahoo! Express Yahoo! Express requires a US $299.00 non-refundable, recurring annual fee per submission, or US $600.00 non-refundable, recurring annual fee for submissions offering adult content and/or services. Yahoo! Express does not guarantee a listing in the Yahoo! directory, nor does it guarantee the type of placement or description that your site will receive if accepted. Please read our Yahoo! Express Terms of Service to review the terms and conditions of Yahoo! Express.”

I mean, think about this for a second. You pay $300 to $600 to get listed in their directory, and they tell you they can’t guarantee your website will be listed. And by the way, if your website is rejected, we’ll just keep your money!

Why does Yahoo! do that? Because like “lambs going to slaughter,” we allow them to!

Here’s another example of greed, arrogance and theft? Check out this statement from Google:

“We are exposed to the risk of fraudulent clicks on our ads. We have regularly paid refunds related to fraudulent clicks and expect to do so in the future. If we are unable to stop this fraudulent activity, these refunds may increase. If we find new evidence of past fraudulent clicks, we may have to issue refunds retroactively of amounts previously paid to our Google Network members.”

Now, I don’t know about you, but I for one refuse to believe that bunch of poppycock about Google being powerless to stop click fraud. The problem is, there’s no incentive for them to stop it. It really doesn’t matter to Google how many times someone fraudulently clicks on your ad. Why should it? It doesn’t affect their pocketbook. They still get their money either way!

And they don’t even have to worry about processing an avalanche of refunds, because many of their advertisers don’t even know how to analyze their log files. Therefore, they have no idea how much money they’re losing. So, they just keep right on replenishing their pay-per-click accounts, foolishly hoping to catch “lightning in a bottle!”

Why isn’t Google doing more to prevent click fraud? I don’t know exactly, but I have a couple of theories. First of all, Google’s advertisers haven’t expressed the necessary outrage to effect change. Secondly, I believe Google has looked at the bottom line and determined, it’s actually a lot more cost effective to issue a few refunds than to develop the technology to eliminate click fraud.

Otherwise, Google would have stepped up to the plate like a true leader and said something similar to this ficticious statement:

“Nothing is more important to us than our customers. They helped make us who we are today, and we will not let them down. We are determined to meet and defeat click fraud head on–no matter how how long it takes or how much it ultimately costs!”

By not issuing the above statement or something along those lines, Google revealed its true colors!

In my article, “The Truth About Search Engines: Playing A Game You Can’t Win,” I compared the odds of getting a high ranking in the search engines akin to winning the lottery. This is what I wrote:

“If you go strictly by the numbers, Yahoo!, MSN and Google are the “Big 3″ of search engines and directories. Between them, they index millions and millions of pages in their directories. Although Google claims to index over 4 billion.

However, that’s a subject for another day. The point is, out of all those millions and millions of pages, there’s room for only a very few websites at the top of the results pages.

That means, if you go strictly by the number of indexed web pages in their directories, you have a better chance of winning the lottery, than getting high enough in the results pages to where it’s going to make a significant difference in your traffic. That’s not my opinion, it’s a fact!”

After that article was published, you should have seen some of the e-mails I received from angry SEO experts, telling me I didn’t know what I was talking about, and writing something like that was reprehensible and irresponsible journalism!

Irresponsible journalism. Really? As the saying goes, “the proof is in the pudding.” So, I’m going to let my readers do the math:

According to a recent study by Inktomi and NEC Research, there are currently over two billion websites on the Internet. Google, Yahoo and MSN are considered the “Big 3″ of search engines and directories. In other words, those three generate the majority of traffic.

Now, we all know the top 10 is considered prime real estate, with regard to the search engines. Studies have shown that if you’re website is listed outside of the top 10 spots, there’s a significant drop-off in traffic. Unfortunately, there are only a total of thirty top 10 spots among the “Big 3.”

Are you still with me so far? There are only thirty available top 10 spots, and an estimated two billion websites on the Internet. You do the math! Thirty and two billion sure sound like lottery odds to me. What do you think?

About The Author

Dean Phillips is an Internet marketing expert, writer, publisher and entrepreneur. Questions? Comments? Dean can be reached at mailto: dean@lets-make-money.net.

Visit his website at: http://www.lets-make-money.net

Posted in Google, SEO, Yahoo | No Comments »