Getting Noticed

What's the best way to get high search engine placement? Members of ISP-Marketing take on this important topic.

[January 27, 2000]

On the ISP-Marketing list in January 2000, SO posted this question:

"We have a client that needs good search engine placement. Anybody have any recommendations?"

 

Two respondents recommended commercial solutions:

[NS wrote] "Try Get Ranked [a fee-based service]."

[JB suggested] "Take a look at SubmitWolf. [a software package]."

Both of these suggestions met with some derision:

[DJ opined] "Looked at Get Ranked and they must be smokin' something. I seriously doubt they have many clients."

[SO (the original questioner) had this to say] "I need real placement here. In my honest opinion, all SubmitWolf is good for is effectively getting on hundreds of Spam lists."

Another respondent introduced the concept of technique:

[RL wrote] "In my experience, nobody can guarantee 'first place' positions—especially in the major search engines—without your handing over some big bucks for it. Play clever enough games with your HTML and headers and you can score well for a while, but sooner or later other people will be cleverer, and down you go in the list."

[BS disagreed] "Our web hosting site comes up on the first page on a number of search engines. The results we achieved are dependent upon absolutely no tricks, games, or deceptions. We simply wrote good solid copy and wrapped it in well-designed HTML."

One respondent shared this advice garnered from a "higher authority" in his area:

[BH wrote] "I asked a leading web developer for her thoughts on the subject. Here are her suggestions: 'Visit Search Engine Watch [a Web site devoted to Internet search engines and searching] and WebPromote [a Web promotion service provider]. I also get a search engine mailing list, and I would visit Rank This [an online search engine analysis tool provided by WebPromote].

"She also shared some tips:

• 'Don't use more than three repeats of keywords in meta tags or you will get blocked.
• 'Use visible text on the home page with lots of keywords (in understandable sentences).
• 'Use some keywords in the page title tag.

'In addition I have learned that some search engines ignore meta tags completely; everybody uses a different set of criteria to determine ranking; and a few will provide higher placement for a fee.' "

—End