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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q:
What is META Mechanic?
A:
META Mechanic is an automated tool that gathers information about
your Web site from you and then generates finished Title, META Keywords, and META Description tags
for you already properly coded and ready for use.
Q:
Why would I want to use META Mechanic?
A:
Many search engines index META tags and will boost your score if you
use them properly. We recommend you use META tags on all your pages. They can help in engines that
use them, and there is no penalty for using them in engines that don't index them. META Mechanic
takes the work out of creating them. You answer a few site-specific questions and META Mechanic
produces finished tags for you.
Q:
How do I get the tags META Mechanic creates into my Web page?
A:
META Mechanic offers you two options to get your META tags.
First, you can have META Mechanic generate the raw HTML code for your Title and META Tags. Then you cut
the tags and paste them into the HEAD section of your Web page.
The second option is you can chose to have a META Mechanic provide you a copy of your Web page
with the TITLE and META tags inserted. If you chose this option, you enter the URL of your
Web page and META Mechanic will create a copy of your Web page with the new tags already in
place. Then all you have to do is upload the new page to your server.
Q:
What is Page Primer?
A:
Our Page Primer analyzes
your page and grades it based on how well it will do in the search engines. We'll help you identify
techniques that will improve your search engine ranking AND warn you about problems that could get you
banned from some search engines.
Q:
Page Primer gives me improvement tips.
Does it also show me how to put them on my page?
A:
Yes! Page Primer gives you tips
on TITLE and META tags, discusses their importance, and shows you the basic HTML you need to add them
to your page.
Q:
Do all search engines use the same criteria to rank pages? Will the same
techniques work for all of them?
A:
No! All search engines use different algorithms to determine page
rankings. We'll give you tips on how to do well with specific search engines like Alta Vista,
Excite, and others.
Q:
How soon will I see Page Primer's results?
A:
Page Primer will display your
results moments after you enter the necessary information. All you need to do is complete the
Page Primer information form, submit the page, then get ready
to tune your web page.
Q:
Does Page Primer make any changes to my web site?
A:
No. We provide tips on how to improve your page's ranking and avoid some
common mistakes. We'll show you how to improve your page, but you make the actual changes yourself.
Q:
Why do I have to enter just one page at a time? Why can't you analyze my
whole site at once?
A:
We analyze and grade each page individually because that's how search
engines look at them. Remember, while your site is focused on one or two particular areas, you can
further target your individual pages. Search engines may penalize you if you repeat the same keywords
over and over, but you CAN use targeted, content-rich keywords and keyword phrases to draw visitors to
individual pages within your site. Page Primer helps you do that.
Q:
How do I know which keywords to enter?
A:
You should determine what keywords you think your visitors will use to
find your site. Think about your site's focus and intended audience. Consider asking your customers
or visitors what keywords THEY would think to use to find you.
Targeted, specific keywords work the best. Instead of using the keyword "horses",
consider "Quarter Horses" or "Tennessee Walking Horses".
Page Primer can't choose your keywords for you, but it
can give you tips to better organize your page to get the best ranking depending on the
keywords you choose.
Q:
Do capital letters matter in keywords?
A:
A few search engines, like AltaVista and Infoseek, are case specific.
When submitting to these engines you may want to make upper and lowercase versions of your main
keywords. For other engines, lower case versions of your keywords are recommended.
Q:
Should I separate the words with commas?
A:
This is a big controversy. The safe answer is it doesn't hurt to have
them there and commas do make the text more readable to the human. Most search engines recommend you
use them, but it doesn't appear to be a requirement to do well.
Q:
What components of my web page do you check?
A:
Page Primer does a thorough evaluation
of many page components, including:
- TITLE tags
- META tags
- Keyword frequency
- Keyword phrase frequency
- IMG tag descriptions
- Hidden text
Q:
What are keywords and keyword phrases?
A:
Well, it depends on who's asking.
- From the visitor's perspective: Keywords
are the search phrases that visitors enter into search engines. As a developer, you should always try
to determine what keywords your visitors may enter to find your site.
- From the web developer's perspective: Keywords
are the search terms that you want to be indexed under. Include the KEYWORDS attribute in your META
tags. Be careful though and don't repeat them too often. Many search engines will consider it spamming
and may penalize your site.
Use Page Primer to position your keywords
and keyword phrases for maximum benefit.
Q:
What are META tags?
A:
META tags are optional lines of HTML code in the HEAD section of your
document that can be used to describe your page. META tags provide descriptive information about
your site to search engines, but in a form that isn't displayed by the browser.
The relevant attributes for search engines are the DESCRIPTION and KEYWORDS attributes. Only 25% of
web sites include META tags, and not all search engines use them to rank pages, but many do.
Page Primer shows you how to use META tags to effectively promote
your site with the search engines that do index them.
Q:
Do all search engines use META tags to rank sites?
A:
Not all do because some web pages try to trick search engines by including
misleading information in the keyword section. Search engines have become very good at noticing this
trick however. Many will ban your site if you engage in this sort of spamming.
Even though all search engines don't index META tags, enough do to make them a worthwhile addition
to your site..
Q:
My page uses frames. Can Page Primer still help me optimize it?
A:
Yes! Some industry experts warn against frames since some search
engines (like HotBot) cannot index and rank sites that use frames. However, if your web page does
use frames, Page Primer can give you helpful tips and HTML
tags to include and increase your chances.
Q:
What is Search Engine Starter?
A:
Search Engine Starter is an automated search engine submission tool.
By simply answering a few questions, you can submit your site to 100 of the
largest search engines on the Web.
Q:
Why should I submit my site to search engines?
A:
85% of users rely on search engines to locate information on the
Web. By registering your site with various search engines, you make it easier for
visitors to find your site and the information that you have to offer.
Q:
To which search engines does Search Engine Starter submit?
A:
Search Engine Starter will submit your site to 100 top search engines and directories. Click here to see a list of sites to which we submit.
Q:
What do you mean by "confirmed submissions"?
A:
There are a lot of search engine submission tools on the Web. But
using these tools means taking a leap of faith -- they give you no feedback on whether your site
was accepted for registration by the various search engines. Was the search engine able to
access your site? Was the engine overloaded when your submission was made? Were you accepted
for registration?
Our Search Engine Starter is the only submission tool that reports the results of your
submission. If we were unable to submit your site to a particular search engine, we'll tell
you why and give you a link to the search engine's submission page.
Q:
What happens after I use your service?
A:
Once we have completed the task of submitting your site to
our list of search engines, the search engines must process those submitted pages. Some will
communicate back to you and others won't, but you'll receive an email from us indicating the
success or failure of each individual submission. If you receive a rejection, our email will
contain a link that you can click on, which will take you to the search engine itself where you
may be able to provide additional information helpful in a re-submittal.
Q:
Now that my site has been submitted, that's it...right?
A:
Keep in mind
that registration is an on-going thing: to keep their search engines running efficiently,
the engine providers will periodically clean up their databases, dropping some of the sites for
a variety of reasons. Because of this, it's a good idea to re-submit your site every 2-3 months.
Q:
Why do you ask for so much information when submitting my site?
A:
We only request information that is requested by the various search engines.
We use this information for submitting your site to the search engine. You are welcome to leave blank
any fields you do not care to fill in, but this may cause one or more search engines to refuse your request to
add your site to their list.
We do test the URL that you enter to insure that the site can be reached, and we use your email address to
send you a report on the success of the search engine submission process, so we recommend that you at least
fill in these two items.
Q:
What will you do with my email address and information?
A:
See the above question. We do not sell or otherwise make available your
information, except to the submission pages of the search engines.
Be aware that many search engines will send you email as a part of the
submission process. These emails may include advertising for additional
services, confirmation emails, etc. If you do not want to receive these
messages, select the "No" option in Part 2 of the Search Engine Starter
registration and we'll use a substitute address while submitting your site.
Q:
What is Search Engine Tracker?
A:
Search Engine Tracker monitors your web site's position on the top
15 search engines. We track multiple keyword search terms and send you a weekly status report that
displays your current rank and ranking history. Also, you receive a special alert if your page
drops out of the Top 40.
85% of Internet users locate pages through search engines, so listings are
critical. However, users are rarely patient enough to scroll through more than 30 or 40 listings.
You not only have to get listed, you have to be ranked highly to succeed.
Q:
My report is huge! Can I just get a quick snapshot
if I don't have time to analyze the report completely?
A:
Yes, you can quickly scan your rankings using the Executive Summary
report. That will quickly show you your ranking by keyword on the search engines. For more
detailed information (including historical data), use the Search Engine Report tool.
You can also customize your Search Engine Report to query only a few search engines or keywords.
Q:
How do I know which keywords to track?
A:
Unfortunately, there are no set guidelines since the answer is based entirely
on your site focus and organization.
- Think about which keywords visitors will use to find your site.
- Consider your site's focus and intended audience.
- Ask your customers or visitors what keywords THEY would use to find you.
Q:
Are my keywords case sensitive?
A:
Search Engine Tracker is case sensitive when checking your rank in
those search engines which are pay attention to capitalization; Search Engine Tracker ignores
capitalization when checking search engines that aren't case sensitive.
For example, if you tell us to track both the keyword phrases
"Quarter Horse" and "quarter horse," we will report the same results for each phrase for
Excite, since that search engine isn't case sensitive. For Alta Vista, on the other hand,
these two phrases may have different results, since Alta Vista is case sensitive.
Q:
How often does Search Engine Tracker check my site's rank?
A:
Search Engine Tracker queries the search engines weekly and sends
you a ranking report. If your site drops out of the top 40 on any of the search engines, we will
send you a special alert in addition to your regular status report.
Q:
There are hundreds of search engines. Why does Search Engine Tracker only monitor 15?
A:
We monitor the 15 largest search engines since they account for
more than 90% of all web search engine traffic. While it's nice to be ranked in the smaller
ones, it is critical that you be listed and ranked in the top engines.
Q:
Why don't we track all 100 of the search engines we submit to with Search Engine Starter?
A:
Search Engine Optimization is a time consuming job that involves
tuning your pages perform well in different search engines and building special pages designed to
rank well in specific search engines.
Because of the time involved, it simply isn't cost effective to try to
optimize your site for every search engine in existence. Search Engine Consultants typically
advise their clients to focus only on the top search engines, which hold the greatest potential
payoff.
Q:
Do you email my results or do I have to log into the
site to check them?
A:
You receive a weekly email from us, but of course you can log
into your account at any time to view your rankings and other information about your site.
Q:
Why does my rank change from week to week?
A:
First, since other people are also submitting their sites to the major search
engines, another site may displace you. This is a fact of life on the Internet, and a major
reason why you should regularly review your page's ranking, revise the pages when necessary,
and re-submit them to boost your ranking.
Second, you may have modified pages in your site and changed pages so that
they don't score as well in a particular search engine. Even if you don't submit these pages
to a search engine, many engines periodically re-index your site, so these changes will
eventually reflect on your ranking. This is one reason why, if you have a page that already
scores well in many search engines, it's best to leave the page as it is until you ranking
starts to drop.
Third, some search engines include a feedback mechanism where search results
are weighted based on the number of people who previously found the result relevant. For
example, someone searches for "horses" and finds your Web page listed in the top 10 results.
If they click on the link to your site, the search engine boosts its score for your page slightly,
so that the next time someone searches for "horses" your page will score just a little bit better.
Over time this can change your ranking, even if nothing else in the search engine changes.
Lycos and HotBot use this feedback mechanism, and more search engines are moving to this approach.
Fourth, each search engine actually consists of several databases residing
on several different computers. These databases aren't exact mirrors of each other, and so your
site may have one ranking in one database and another, different ranking in another database.
This difference can sometimes cause dramatic changes in your ranking. If your site scores
very well one week, and then suddenly drops out of the top 40 results entirely, there's a good
chance that the search engine's database has changed.
If this happens to you, the best approach is to re-submit your site to the
search engine. Periodic re-submission can help ensure that you're pages are in all copies of
a search engines database. A good rule of thumb is to re-submit your site once per month.
Q:
Search Engine Tracker says my page ranks #10 in a
search engine, but when I check it, my page ranks #8. Why is that?
A:
This is again caused by the fact that each search engine actually
consists of several databases residing on several different computers. These databases aren't
exact mirrors of each other, and so your site may have one ranking in one database and another,
different ranking in another database.
When someone visits a search engine, the engine determines which database
will be used to serve that visitor. If there are significant differences between the search
engine's database, two people can visit the site at different times, and see different search
results.
Once again, the best solution to this problem is to periodically re-submit
your site to the search engine to ensure that the same versions of your pages are listed in
each database.
Q:
What if I'm not listed on the search engines? Do I
still get a report?
A:
We only track the top 40 results from each search engine. If your
site isn't listed in the top 40 in any search engines, therefore aren't able to show your ranking
history. However, we will still send you a weekly report letting you know that you haven't
yet appeared in the top 40 in any search engines.
Q:
Does Search Engine Tracker help me improve my rankings?
A:
No. Search Engine Tracker is a search engine-tracking tool only.
However, you can use the other tools in your Search Engine Power Pack to optimize your page for
the search engines.
Q:
Does Search Engine Tracker give me a report for each
keyword so that I know which ones rank the highest?
A:
Of course! Search Engine Tracker allows you to track up to 20
different keywords. Your report will list all ranked keywords in the search engines. If a
keyword you listed isn't reported, then that keyword doesn't rank in the top 40.
For example, if you want to track the keywords "vegetarian recipes" and
"Chinese vegetarian recipes", your report will give you separate ranking information for each
of them if they rank in the top 40.
Q:
Your Search Engine Starter report shows that the
search engines accepted my site, but Search Engine Tracker says my site isn't listed anywhere.
Why?
A:
Keep in mind that Search Engine Starter can only report whether
your site was accepted for submission. Even if your site was successfully accepted, it typically
takes several weeks for it to appear in a search engine.
This is, unfortunately, a fact of life when dealing with search engines. We
recommend waiting a month for your site to appear, and then re-submitting it if it still hasn't
appeared.
Q:
Why does my page rank well in some search engines,
but badly in others?
A:
Each search engine uses its own rules to determine how relevant a
page is to a given search query. Since these rules vary widely from one search engine to another,
it's virtually impossible to build a Web page that will rank in the Top 10 across all search engines.
In fact, the characteristics that help a page perform well in one search engine
may cause it to be penalized in another search engine. In addition, load pages with many keywords
may dilute that pages relevance for anyone of those keywords.
This the main reason why Search Engine Optimization consultants often build
"gateway" pages. Gateway pages are pages built expressly for submission to a specific search
engine. These pages are optimized to perform well in that one search engine, and typically
emphasize a single keyword or phrase. Click here to
learn more about Gateway pages.
Q:
Why can't I get my site in the Top 10 on all the search
engines? What is normally considered a success in Search Engine Optimization?
A:
Search Engine Optimization consultants consider a page successfully
optimized if it ranks in the Top 30 on at least one search engine.
As a rule, if a particular page in your site ranks in the Top 40 on 3-4
search engines, this page is performing very well.
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