As a rule of thumb (depending on which sources you look at), over 90% of online searches come from the top 10 search engines. Therefore Position Focus spend their time more productively by targeting their efforts achieving top ranking positions on these major search engines.

The top three search engines in terms of visitors are:

• AOL.com
• Yahoo.com
• MSN.com

We also focus on the UK specific versions of these engines.

The most popular search engine on the internet which we focus on and is our personal favourite is:

• Google.com (also concentrating on the UK version)

This is because Google is purely a search engine and not a portal like the others.

Google powers lots of other important search engine facilities such as Virgin.net, BBC.co.uk and Yahoo! web pages amongst others. In the Summer of 2002 it will also be powering the results at AOL.

Other major search engines that we focus on, some by choice and some by default (and the list is not complete because the results filter through to others) include:

There are several ways to get listed for free in most of the above engines depending on where you wish to be listed. But whatever you do, do not use automated submission services/software. Search engines will severely penalise your site if you do. This is because these techniques have been prime targets for spam in the past. They can spot automation by recognising large number of submissions from 1 IP address and either penalise the sites or ban them altogether. If you are going to submit to the free search engines, do it manually.

We recommend only submitting to the free directories (such as DMOZ and Lycos UK) and letting the free spider-based engines (i.e. Google, Inktomi, Fast, AltaVista and Teoma) find your site automatically, via links from sites already in their database. When they do, your site gain extra marks for not submitting using the free forms. In joining Position Focus we manage this for you, making sure that you stand the best chance of gaining a first page position.

If you can't wait to be found by the free options above, some offer a rapid inclusion option.

• Inktomi - £20 per page/URL per annum.
• Teoma - £20 per page/URL per annum.
• Lycos InSite - £15 per page/URL per annum.
• AltaVista - £50 per page/URL per annum.

Yahoo offer an editorial review into their directory at £199 per site per annum.

This is auction style positioning where the highest bid gets the first position. The first two engines start from 5p per-click and also power the sponsored listings on other major sites.

• Overture UK - AOL, MSN, and Yahoo.com (with a UK resolved IP Address). Minimum £25. 3-5 day review time.
• Espotting - Ask Jeeves, Yahoo.co.uk. Minimum £99. 3-5 day review time.
• Google AdWords - Minimum £5. Instant Activation.

From our experience, although Google clearly lists ads in a different section from the main results, it still generates a greater number of visitors. With our in-house tracking tools we can easily monitor which terms are generating business/sales and ultimately a return on investment.

There is also a CPC model (CPC —> PPC) called 'Trusted Feed' for large database driven sites where the dynamic content is difficult to index. Please contact us for more information and advice on this service.