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By Scott and Allison Crumpton
Nearly Everything Has Changed
It's time to throw out nearly everything you know and have been told
about the search engines because getting to the top of the list has never
been easier. By following our simple five step plan, you can improve your
standings in almost every search engine and increase your reservations.
Since the beginning of the web, we have freely submitted web sites to
search engines and those sites were listed without charge. As the economy
slows and search engine companies seek new revenue streams, this process
has begun a migration to paid listings. This is good news for innkeepers
even though it will cost a bit more. Here's why.
Oh what a tangled web...
For years, innkeepers have been told they need to have their website
appear in the top ten of "the search engines." That's a tall
order which has been both impossible and frustrating as each search engine
ranks web sites differently. Savvy marketers have taken advantage of this
frustration and with a mix of art and black magic they have sought to
fool the search engines into listing their clients first. The search engines
caught wise to their tricks and simply changed the criteria to ensure
no one entity could subvert the process. If they actually caught these
companies in the act of subverting the listings, they and their clients
were blackballed from the service spelling disaster for the well-meaning
client. At the very least, their ranking was penalized for attempting
to fool the search engine.
More importantly, the smaller search engines like AltaVista, Lycos, HotBot,
InfoSeek (go.com), Excite, etc. have only represented a combined 13% of
the total hits a web site receives. That's a lot of effort for so little
a return.
Conversely, Yahoo has for several years represented the vast majority
(20%+) of the total traffic most websites receive but has been difficult
to secure a listing. We have seen sites which were submitted every two
weeks for almost a year and were never listed.
Let's take a look at what's changed and how you can get to the top without
cheating and with only a small amount of time and money.
Weaving a new web...
Paying Once
For $199, Yahoo has a Business Express service in which they guarantee
they will review your site within seven days. This does not guarantee
they will list your site, but we've never heard of a B&B going unlisted.
This service isn't absolutely necessary, but if you've been trying for
a while to get listed with Yahoo or you're in a hurry, it's the best option
you have. Considering the importance of Yahoo, it's definitely worth considering.
Another service, Looksmart, has recently emerged as one of the major
players by getting other minor search engines to list Looksmart content
instead of their own. This means a listing with Looksmart is also listed
on engines like MSN, Microsoft's own search engine, thus increasing the
value of a single listing. Looksmart is requiring either a $99 fee (Basic
Submit) for a response within 8 weeks or a $199 fee (Express Submit) for
a response within 48 hours for a request to be listed. It's quite possible
you are already listed on Looksmart so be sure to check before signing
up with either service.
In the coming months, other search engines such as go.com (Infoseek)
will be releasing their own paid submission programs but the jury is still
out as to whether they will be effective.
Pay per click
The second trend which has recently emerged is pay-per-click listings.
This has been championed by goto.com and is actually very good news for
innkeepers. At goto.com, you can bid on search terms such as "San
Francisco Bed and Breakfast" and pay anywhere from a penny a click
on up. The higher your bid, the higher up you are in the listings. Since
very few companies are willing to pay for such a detailed search, your
cost should be very low and you can be listed near the top for a small
fee. Until recently, this method had limited value as goto.com was the
only one showing your listing while few people used their search service.
All of this has changed now as some of the bigger search engines are carrying
the top two or three listings from goto at the top of their own search
results. Engines such as Netscape Search, AOL Search, AltaVista, HotBot,
and Lycos have stated they will be including these the beginning of 2001
while some have started already. Obviously, competition for the top listings
will increase as savvy innkeepers and webmasters catch on, but the overall
cost should be relatively low.
What Will Be...
The last few months of 2000 showed a dramatic shift in the way search
engines work. Revenue from banner ads have fallen and the once free submission
services now have a price. Again, the good news is more accurate results
from the search engines and more reservations for innkeepers willing to
pay the price.
Since all this can be a bit confusing, we've created the following five
step plan:
The Five Steps to Success
1. Get listed on Yahoo! (www.yahoo.com)
2. Get listed with Looksmart (www.looksmart.com)
3. Get listed on Google (www.google.com)
4. Buy the following on goto.com (www.goto.com)
Your City Your State Bed and Breakfast
(ie. Bend Oregon Bed and Breakfast)
5. Check your web stats often to make sure you are getting your money's
worth.
A Final Thought...
In summary, while innkeepers may not like the idea of paying on a per-click
basis, it sure beats not being listed at the top of the search engines
no matter how hard you try. It's a brave new web and the magic of trying
to figure out how to get to the top has now become a simple, scientific
process. Enjoy!
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