Search Engines & Indexing

With several millions of Web Sites on the Internet, users need an easy way to find the information, or products, they are looking for. Most users use a Search Engine, such as Yahoo, Excite, MSN, or Google. Simply speaking, these Search Engines can be likened to the Index in an encyclopedia - you enter a word or phrase on the screen, and the Search Engine provides a list of available Web Sites with content which includes the word or phrase.

How the Search Engines choose which Web Sites to list, or perhaps more importantly in which order, is a closely guarded secret, as to obtain first place on the list would be of serious commercial advantage. Recently, some of the Search Engines have begun to offer the top few places in every category, at quite high prices - and this may be the future.

So, how does your Web Site gain visitors?

Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, you add your URL to every sign, advert, letter, invoice and document you generate. Secondly, if there are any trade associations which you are a involved in, you add your URL to your entry - many of these will have their own Web Sites, and entries in these will cross reference. Thirdly, you allow us to present your finished Web Site, to various Search Engines - this is called Indexing.

Some of the Web Sites use very powerful computers, which continually search the Internet, looking at websites, and adding them to their Index. Other Web Sites, employ people who check out new Web Sites, and add them to their Index. In both cases, it is possible to present your Web Site to these Search Engines, which then look at the content, and add it to their Index.

There are a number of other techniques which we can use to improve the Indexing of your site, although these will depend on the type of content.

But your own promotion of the site is very important.