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SWeCS NEWSLETTER - 1 December 2003

In this issue...

- Why Your Site Is Not In The Search Engines - Part 1
- Change in Google Rankings
- The Cheapest Web Site of All
- Resources For Small Business

WHY YOUR SITE IS NOT IN THE SEARCH ENGINES - PART 1

We get a lot of questions from people wanting to know why their site is being ignored by the major search engines. Here's some of the main reasons, in the first of our series on Why Your Site Is Not In The Search Engines.

1. Have You Waited Long Enough?
   
   After you've submitted your site to a search engine, it will take some time for them to review it. Some will take days, some will take weeks, and some will take months. Here's a guide to how long it normally takes some of the major engines to review your site:
   
   AltaVista - 4 to 6 weeks
   Excite - 5 to 6 months
   Google - 4 to 6 weeks (but usually much less)
   MSN - 30 days
   Open Directory Project - 2 weeks, depending on category
   
   
2. Are You In There Already?
   
   This might sound like a silly question, but have you done a proper search to check if you are already in there but just can't find yourself? Typing in your product, or even your web site name, doesn't guarantee you'll show up. If you're not in the first few pages of listings you may not see yourself.
   
   The procedure to check if you are already listed in a search engine varies between engines. For some, you can simply type in your URL (eg. www.southwestecommerce.com) and it will show if you are listed. Some search engines though (eg. Google) do not allow searches of domains, so you need to search for a phrase that is unique to your page, and use inverted commas. For example, if your web site home page has the phrase "We sell red and green widgets for 3 dollars each", then you should type into the search engine "we sell red and green widgets for 3 dollars each", including the inverted commas.
   
   Using the inverted commas makes the search engine do an exact search for that phrase and, provided nobody else uses that phrase, your web page should come up near the top somewhere.
   
   Search for your web page title and business name as well, to be sure that you aren't already in the search engine's database but just not near the top.
   
   
3. Are Your Sub-Pages Linked From Your Home Page?
   
   Regarding sub-pages of your web site, most search engines will not include pages that cannot be found from your home page. That is, there needs to be a way that the page can be found via your home page, even if it takes a couple of clicks. If the page is isolated, without any way of getting to it, many search engines won't index it.
   
   
4. Does Your Site Have Other Sites Linking To It?
   
   Many search engines won't add your site to their database unless there is at least one link, sometimes more, pointing to it from another site. That is, for you site to be included, you will need to get other web sites to link to it - as many as you can.
   

More to come in future editions of the SWeCS Newsletter.

CHANGE IN GOOGLE RANKINGS

If you've noticed a change in your search engine rankings at Google lately, you're not alone.

Google recently tinkered with their "ranking algorithm" (their system which assesses web pages to determine what they are about and rank them accordingly). This tweak has resulted in some changes to the way Google values web pages, and as a result there has been some movement in web site rankings, both up and down.

What should you do if you've noticed your rankings have fallen? For the moment, probably nothing. It is likely that Google will continue to tweak their results as they get feedback from their users, so things could change again soon. However, if after a while you see no increase in your rankings again, you may wish to have your site optimised properly for Google so as to increase your chances of a first page ranking.

THE CHEAPEST WEB SITE OF ALL

If you're a business that has been thinking about getting a web site, here's a question to ask yourself:

"Do we really need to have our own web site?"

For many businesses the answer will be yes, but for some businesses, particularly small ones, it is well worth considering selling your goods over the Internet via E-Bay, which has fantastic attractions for almost no cost.

The basic advantage of E-Bay is that you can start selling your goods over the Internet, with exposure to millions of potential buyers, for a start up cost of less than $5.00, depending on the product you wish to sell.

E-Bay isn't just for second hand goods - you can sell your own new merchandise on there too. And you can set minimum bids so that your product sells for at least the amount you want for it.

It's not suitable for everyone, but it may be an option for many small businesses that cannot afford the cost or time to develop and maintain a web site.

To find out more, visit www.ebay.com.au.

RESOURCES FOR SMALL BUSINESS

Ecommerce Library

Browse through the SWeCS Ecommerce Library, full of FREE information about getting more out of the Internet. Sections include Web Site Development, Web Site Promotion & Internet Marketing, Online Commerce, Computer & Technical Issues, and Miscellaneous.

Newsletter Archives

The SWeCS Newsletter archives provides a wealth of FREE information on small business and the Internet. Browse through the main topics or search for your particular query.

SWeCS Affiliate Program

Start up another income stream, by earning $60 for each referral who signs up for our search engine ranking package. Also earn $50 for each referral who signs up for our web site package.

Affiliate Directory

Browse through a list of reviewed Affiliate programs. Let us do the work of testing it out for you!

Do you know of a resource that should be added here? Email us and let us know. There is only one condition - it must be free.

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