First time registration requires keywords or phrases and a twenty-five words or less description to be used in a hidden code as well as in the actual registration process. The keywords and description are used by many of the engines to rank your site in relevance of ranking. In the future, these words and description can be changed to match changes within the site.

    The top search engines are targeted by submitting a site to each engine. The viewers are using only the top fifteen engines among the hundreds available. Promoting to others results in email bombardments requesting useless “upgrading” of your listing. A good search engine is only interested in keeping up with high quality sites of ranking relevance, not selling unwanted services. The engines then send a computer robot program which examines the site and makes available to the engine database your site, description and information.

    Not all of the engines use robot programs. Some, such as Yahoo!, have an actual person examine the site for quality of content, all internal links working, no “In Construction” pages unfinished and the like. Then, the decision is made whether or not to list your site.

    Many search engines have paid programs such as Pay-Per-Click, Paid Inclusion, or other services that will enhance search engine standings. Careful consideration should be given to these programs to promote a web site.

    The top search engines Google, Yahoo!, MSN and others are used for registration of a site for the maximum results. Monitoring results and re-registration to keep the listing current and moving up the ladder to the top ten results of the first page is the goal. With proper preparation and continual re-registration, your site will be successful in bringing in viewer traffic interested in what you have to offer.

Richard George
for Captain-Net