The Evolution of Search Engine Strategies in the New Millennium

The Shift in Search Engine Practices

Major search engines and directories began to abandon their previous practices in favor of more profitable strategies. For instance, Yahoo started requiring a payment of $199 for a guaranteed site review. It's important to note that this fee only guarantees a review, not a listing.

Search engines justified these changes as a means to combat spam and maintain a clean engine that brings up relevant sites for relevant search terms. While this may be partially true, the proliferation of doorway pages, keyword stuffing, and other tricks developed by marketers have indeed cluttered search engines. However, it's clear that these changes were primarily driven by profit motives.

The Impact on Small Businesses

These changes have significant implications for small businesses. If a small business owner creates a relevant webpage and invests time in keyword research, shouldn't they be granted a free listing on search engines? After all, this benefits the search engine user more than the business paying for a listing.

Let's consider some facts:

• Looksmart, which provides results for MSN, Excite, AltaVista, IWon, and others, was the first company to promote the "guaranteed site review" concept in late 1999. They guarantee that within two business days after receiving payment, you will be notified if your site is included in their directory and in the results of the above search engines. However, you will be out $200 regardless of whether or not your site is included.
• Yahoo has always offered a guaranteed site review for $200. It used to be optional, but now every commercial site has to pay this fee if they wish to be reviewed.
• GO.com (formerly known as Infoseek) also has a submission service for $199.00. They also have a free submission service, but it does not guarantee either inclusion or spidering.
• Even smaller search engines like galaxy.com charge $99.00 for a listing.

Alternatives for Small Businesses

So, what can small businesses do in response to these changes?

• Continue to use strategies like doorway pages, metatag creation, strategic keyword placement, and submission to engines that still use spidering and accept free submissions.
• Consider paying for one of these services to see if your site gets listed and brings you the traffic and sales that justify the cost. Looksmart is recommended because they supply results to many other engines and directories.
• Consider a pay-per-click strategy on engines like goto.com and searchcactus. This is a smart way to spend your money, bidding on search terms and receiving a guaranteed placement because you paid for it.

As the internet continues to evolve and more people become a part of it, an up-to-date search engine strategy that doesn't break your bank will keep you ahead of the game!