Re: Web positioning

Hi Alice,

Well, since you asked for an opinion and I am never short of those, let me
say . . . 

Wow. I disagree completely with the thought (much less statement) that "web
positioning" is not important for a *commercial* site.

If no one knows your site is out there, how are they going to find it?

If no one can find your products, how are they going to buy them?
Additionally, speaking for *my* observation of the American consumer (ok
assuming they were a main target audience), they are not very willing to
"dig" for products or services. If it ain't easy, they are -gone- to where
it is easy to find, and buy.

As for the "mechanics" of search services and how best to position your
site at "the top". . . 

There are many, many, many search engines, directory services, meta list .
. . on and on. Sometimes it seems like they all use a different method of
'ranking' pages. It even seems that as soon as you get one service figured
out, they change their method of ranking! In fact most are still evolving.
Both in terms of what they list and how it's done.

It's true, that it can take from "Milliseconds" to a few months (can anyone
say YAHOO :-)) to get actually listed on/in a service, _after_ submission.

Now, given those two major factors . . . . 

I need to make my pages as RELEVANT as possible to the terms consumers are
likely use to search for the product or service I am trying to sell them.

You may have noticed that capitol ~relevant~ up there. That means when you
are still in the preliminary planning stages of the web site you identify
all (that you can come up with) terms consumers are going to use to search
for these products or services. Then you are going to identify the terms
used to most directly describe the specific products or services you are
selling.

Two separate list.

First thing you do is look for commonalities in the two list. Terms or
words on both. That goes to a third list - at the top. On that third list
also goes the rest of the words and terms used on the other two list.

Now you have one prioritized list. Use those terms as often as humanly
possible throughout the site ~in context~ without sounding _really_ stupid.
Refer to that list every single time you need to come up with content
(text) for a page on that site.

Be sure to include this very same list in well formed meta tags for the
search services that still use them (fewer all the time by the way - it's
too easy to cheat!).

Now. You have a site that contains a well focused (in terms of positive
search results) information that when searched for relevance to the target
consumers term, will stand a very good chance of returning very, very well
regardless of the sub method (other minor criteria) most modern
search/directory services use.

Now, actually getting them submitted . . . . 

In all honesty, as fanatical as I am (ok I admitted it) about validated
HTML, UNIX, and all the other "hard core" stuff . . . . I use a commercial
service for submissions.

BUT
(sorry, I had to make sure you heard that)

I went through several services while I was "growing up" in this business
until I found one that was as meticulous in submission, as I was in
preparation. Additionally, I selected a service that offered only the
features I need them to offer . . . like monthly reports of searches _they_
perform on all the services I submitted the site to.

Even after a relationship going on 5 years with this provider, I *always*
pursue the search services independently until I see the page (site)
listed. Don't think it's uncommon to get them (the search services) to
acknowledge submission, but still not show up!

So . . . 

it's my collected opinion that preparing your material for the search
services is every bit as important as publishing it in the first place.
Secondly, *I* have found that a commercial submission service is a time and
effort saver - if you get the right service.

Thirdly,

I have never used web position gold. However, I would think much of what
has to be done for optimization needs to be done way before it is  ever
published in the first place. If you wait until you are in a position of
having to pay some service (you have no control of) to tell you how to
optimize the pages . . . it's too late. 

How's that for an opinion ?

HTH,
Fuzzy


At 10:35 AM 7/6/00 -0700, J Alice McCallum wrote:
>Forgive me if this topic has come up before, but I am interested in
>eveyone's views and/or comments with regards to a program called  "Web
>Position Gold" http://www.webposition.com/.
[ . . . ]
>Alice McCallum
__________________________________________________________________
Captain F.M. O'Lary
webmaster(at)canopy.net
sysop(at)mail.ruediger.leon.k12.fl.us
sysop(at)mail.woodville.leon.k12.fl.us
Member of the HTML Writers Guild and 
International Webmasters Association
------------------------------------------------------------------

HTML: hwg-basics mailing list archives, maintained by Webmasters @ IWA