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Spam Engines – The hidden search dilemma
July 07, 2004
By: A.Retlick

Disclaimer: The author is not responsible for any negative feelings derived from reading this document. The contents herein may not be used in any form without written permission from the author.

A recent news story announced that the United Nations would be holding meetings to determine what actions it should take to combat the global epidemic of Spam email. Their goal is to establish uniform laws that can be used to prosecute unscrupulous email Spammers. Many of these Spam operations reside in countries that have few (if any) laws prohibiting their actions. But there is another battle going on behind the scenes, which most people are not aware of. The ongoing battle for Search Engine placement domination.

I recently became aware of this situation when I tried to get a new web site listed on a few of the popular search engines. I admit that this was my first serious attempt at getting a business web site listed. My previous experience was with Intranet sites, where your audience is captive, and consists of the people in the company that you work for, or hobby web sites, hosted by one of the various free hosting providers.

The trouble started when I tried to find the “add site” link on the search engine sites. Most of the links took me to a page that offered “Pay to List” options. Google was the only one that had an “add site” link that took me to a one line form, where you could input your URL. Unfortunately, their disclaimer states that they can’t promise when, or even if, your site will get listed. This is understandable, but it was also discouraging for someone trying to help a client with a limited advertising budget.

Long gone are the days, when all you had to do was upload a few files to a server, and a few day later find your site listed. The best you can hope for now is that your site will be listed in two or three months. That’s if you haven’t done anything with your html code that the crawlers dislike. Search Engine crawlers (also known as bots), which visit web sites to collect data, are also prone to a type of Spam. It has become common knowledge among experienced web designers, that there are techniques, which can be used to “trick” the search engines into giving you a better listing.

Search Engine providers have been forced to come up with increasingly complex algorithms to combat these techniques. Practices like keyword manipulation, site cloning, forwarding, and cloaking are just a few of the things being used to gain the coveted top-ten listing on the various Search Engines. This has made it nearly impossible for the average web designer to get a site listed. Not all top-ten sites are using these techniques. But it isn’t hard to find examples of ones that are pushing the envelope.

With each passing day, the Internet is becoming more and more commercialized. Free market pressures are driving both positive and negative change. Unsavory marketers continue to find ways to generate income from this vast engine of communication. One example that alerted me to the problem of search engine placement, was the large number of ads for software and reports that supposedly can improve your odds of getting a high ranking for your web site. Most of the reports are nothing more than a compilation of these deceitful tactics.

The Internet, being what it is, offers limitless opportunities in situations like this. Search Engines are not the only way to promote a web site. Print, radio, and television can be used effectively to get people to visit your Internet home page. Small businesses should not be discouraged if their site does not appear, or is not ranked high enough in a web search. Most people, who are truly interested in your product or service, will type your URL into a web browser, after they have seen it in a newspaper or heard it on the radio. Even posting your URL on the back of your vehicle, is a great way to advertise your web site.

Another way to let people know about your site, is to find web sites that list businesses by category and location. These “listing” sites are not as big as the search engines, but generally are quicker, when it comes to posting your URL. Getting your URL to appear on sites that offer links to similar businesses is a great way to generate traffic. It will also improve your odds of getting spotted and listed by a search engine. If you are running a business, having a site on the Internet is a necessity these days. Consider using traditional methods to promote your site, and don’t expect instant results, unless you are willing to pay for them.

Whatever you do, make sure you don’t hire a web designer who promises that your site will instantly be listed in the top-twenty of every search engine. They are probably using a technique that could get your site banned from some search engines. Most of the search sites now have a link that will allow you to report Spam sites. That seems like a weak attempt at solving the problem. Its no wonder most search engines are offering only “pay to list” options. Why would someone pay if they knew they could get a fast, prominent listing for free? Since it does serve their business plan to some degree, it remains to be seen how quickly search engine operators’ act to reduce the number of Spam sites they list.

The Internet is all about content and traffic. You need to keep your web site up-to-date by adding new information to it as often as possible. That’s what keeps people coming back to your site and recommending it to others. The small business owner can take an active role in promoting their web site. But they also need a partner with someone who will work with them to maintain their site and handle the continuously changing Internet marketing aspects. Otherwise you may as well save your money and carve your logo on a tree in the forest. Maybe someone will come by and see it someday, if you’re lucky.

-AR-