Working with Internet searcher sites can be critical to generating traffic on your website. For some it’s a matter of skill and dedication, for others it's a consulting expense. Almost like Public Relations, what it costs and what you get out of it depends a lot on the specifics. A 1999 Internet study, published by Forrester Research, indicated that 57% of all users find information about websites using Internet through searcher engines. Email messages account for 38%, other websites 35%, word of mouth 28%, and print ads 25%. While that is interesting data, it is also out of date.
The Internet searcher sites are used by hundreds of millions of Internet users to find websites, and information, on the Internet. Your sites' placement on these searcher sites can make an enormous difference in the traffic that arrives there. For an example, consider the advantage a site would have to have good placement in the main list at www.yahoo.com, or other main searcher sites such as google, excite, and other leading search sites.
Unfortunately, placement in the main searcher sites is generally misunderstood. Success in getting a site well-placed in searchers depends on careful submission, keywords, meta tags, and technical knowledge. This is in contrast to the common advertisements of automatic submissions, as if a software package or submission service could substitute for detailed knowledge and careful hard work.
The good news is that good work in searcher placement, knowledge of what makes for good placement at the main searcher sites, can win positive placement that can't be purchased. Like public relations success with media placement, searcher placement skill can give a website a lot of power, despite a low budget.
