Search Engine Promotion - your options explained

Most people have limited knowledge when it comes to search engine ranking and the various
types of services on offer. We all know that having top 10 positions on some of the leading
engines can bring all the traffic we can handle, and then some. But how do we get those top
10 listings and what should we expect to pay to get them?

A simple way to approach this is to look at your competition. Do a quick search on one of the
leading engines like Google or AltaVista, using a search phrase that people might use when
looking for your products or services, and see what comes back.

As a basic 'rule of thumb' guide -

Between 100 and 5000 puts you in a 'low competition' category.
Between 5001 and 25000 puts you in a 'medium competition' category.
Between 25001 and 250,000 puts you in a 'high competition' category.
Over 250,000 puts you in a 'Extremely high competition' category.

Here are some examples we found on AltaVista:-

"detroit real estate" - 2.7M
"curtain fixtures" - 817,000
"auto parts" - 130,000
"mortgage loans" - 84,000
"coin collecting" - 14,000
"wedding accessories" - 9,000
"florida vacations" - 5,000
"model railways" - 5,000

Based on the above, determine the competitiveness of your category, then research the level
of service necessary for your site.

Once you have determined the level of competition for top positions in your business category,
use the following as a basic guide:

1 - Low to medium competition with no previous 'search engine optimization' - Locate a good
submission service who will give your home page a 'tune-up' then submit your site 'manually' to
all the leading engines and directories. Expect to pay around $25 to $65 per month.
2 - Medium to High competition on restricted budget - try to locate a service that will go
beyond basic Meta Tag revisions. Not all search engines pay much attention to what is in your
Meta tags, so look for someone who will make changes to the HTML on your key content
pages to give them a boost. Expect to pay around $55 to $95 per month.
3 - Sites with high or extremely high competition - you will encounter various approaches at
higher service levels. Most common is to use 'Doorway' pages and a separate 'Hallway'
domain. Think about Doorway/Hallway pages as pages that focus on a specific search phrase,
each targeting a specific search engine. It is common to have sites with over 100 custom
designed Doorway pages targeting multiple search phrases and multiple search engines.
Pricing varies greatly at these levels, and almost always include a setup fee then ongoing
monthly service fees.

Developing a better understanding of how it all works will help you decide the best approach for
your web site, and will help you make an informed decision based on realistic expectations.

About the Author
Carl Hruza operates a successful web promotion and search ranking business, and offers
advice on all aspects of Internet Marketing and Promotion. Email Carl at carlh@netnet.net or
visit his site at topwebpromotion.com

Related Information of Interest:

7 Winning Tips For Article Marketers
1. Follow up with your readers.

For example, you could offer a subscription to your ezine or
you could offer a free email course in your resource box.

2. Use lots of white space.

Increase your article's white space by going over it for
sentences you can shorten and also paragraphs you could
break up into two or three shorter paragraphs.

3. Use numbered lists.

Use your numbered lists to convey points in your articles or
your steps in your "how to" article.

Numbered lists can also be used to create the content of
your article, like I did with this simple list article.

4. Use the word "you" a lot in your articles.

Make your writing feel more personal by using the word you a
lot within your article.

That way your readers will feel like you are talking
directly to them and you'll be able to better draw them into
your article's content.

5. Write to one person.

Choose a person such as a friend or spouse to write your
article to.

By doing this, you will naturally use the word you a lot
within your article, and your readers will feel like you are
talking to them one to one.

6. Offer an article announcement list.

Keep people up to date on your latest articles by publishing
an email list that announces your new articles.

You could also announce your new articles by RSS to
publishers and webmasters that like your writing.

7. Let your affiliates use your articles to earn
commissions.

Make your articles available to your affiliates to publish
on their sites or in their ezines with their affiliate links
in your resource box.

You'll be able to successfully raise your profits by turning
your articles into an effective promotional tool for your
affiliates.

Ken runs the Net Pro Marketer where you'll find informative articles on business, marketing, and ezine publishing. Browse through the articles or submit your own at: www.netpromarketer.com