Chapter 13

Search Engine
It helps customers to find your site and increases the chances that they will make a purchase, and it is considered as an excellent marketing tool for your business.

Search Engine Components

1. Robots (it is also called Spider or Bot). 2. Database. 3. Search Form.

1.Robot
It is sometimes called Spider or Bot. It is a program that automatically traverses the hypertext structure of the web by retrieving a web page document & following the hyperlinks on the page. It moves like a spider on the web; accessing and documenting web pages, it categorizes the pages & stores information about the website & the web pages in a database.

1.Robot
They may work differently, but in general they access and may store the following sections of the web pages: title. Meta tag keywords, meta tag description & some of the text on the page.

2.Database
It is a collection of information organized so that its contents can be accessed, managed and updated easily. DBMSs (Database Management Systems) such as Oracle, Microsoft SQL server, or IBM DB2. They are used to configure & manage the database.

2.Database
The web pages that displays the results of your search has information from the database accessed by the search engine site.

3.Search Form
It is a graphical user interface that allows a user to type in it a word or a phrase to search for it, it is usually a textbox and a submit button. You type words in the textbox (keywords) related to your search.

3.Search Form
Then the server side script searches the database using the words you typed. Then the web server at the search engine sends the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) to your browser for display.

Search Engine Components

The components of the search engine (Robot-Database-Search form) work together to obtain & store information about web pages, and provide a graphical user interface to facilitate searching & displaying a list of web pages relevant to the given words.

Other site promotional activities

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Affiliate program. Banner Ads. Banner exchange. Reciprocal link agreements. Newsletter. Sticky site features. Personal recommendations.

Other site promotional activities

8. Web rings. 9. Newsgroup & Listserv postings. 10. Traditional media Ads & existing marketing materials.

1.Affiliate program
One Web site (the affiliate) promotes another Web sites products or services (the merchant) in exchange for a commission. Both Web sites benefit from this association. Amazon.

2.Banner Ads
It is a graphic image that is used to announce and advertise the name or identity of a site, when you click them they display the advertised site. There is no official size for a banner Ads. Media technologies such as audio, video, and Flash also deliver greater impact and increase branding effectiveness. Hotwired 94.

3.Banner exchange
The idea is that you agree to show banners from other sites and they will show your banner. It can be beneficial to all parties because of the free advertising. Http://www.exchangead.com. Http://www.impressionz.com.

4.Reciprocal link agreements

It is usually between two sites with related or complementary content. You agree to link to each other. The result should be more visitors for each site. If you find a site that youd like to set up a reciprocal link agreement with, contact its webmaster.

5.Newsletters
The first step is to collect e-mail addresses. Offer your visitors some perceived value timely information on a topic, discounts, and so on. This helps to remind your previous visitors about your site.

6.Sticky site features

Stickiness is the ability to keep visitors at your site. Display news updates, surveys, and chats keeps your visitors at your site. Updating your Web site often and keeping your content fresh will encourage visitors to return to your site.

7.Personal recommendations
Some sites offer a link that is used with a phrase such as E-mail this article, Send this page to a friend or Tell a colleague about this site. This personal recommendation brings a new visitor who is likely to be interested in the content of your site. Http://www.firstgov.gov

8.Web rings
They are more appropriate for noncommercial sites than for businesses. Visitors can surf from site to site and expect that the content should interest them. Http://www.ringsurf.com.

9. Newsgroup and Listserv Postings

Subscribe to relevant Usenet newsgroups, listservs, or forums related to your Web site content. By offering friendly, helpful advice in a newsgroup or listserv you can market your Web site in a positive manner at no cost other than your Internet connection. Http://groups.google.com.

10. Traditional Media Ads and Existing Marketing Materials

Dont forget to mention your Web site in any print, TV, or radio ads your organization runs. Include the URL of your Web site on all brochures, stationery, and business cards. This will help you to make your Web site easily found by your current and potential customers.