Re: Search Engine Promotions

From: Michael Martinez <Michael_at_xenite.org>
Date: Tue 06 Feb 2001 15:32:11 -0600

PRAMOD KUMAR <pramod_at_hwr.bhel.co.in> WROTE:
> Search Engines are being commercialized these days.
> Yahoo, LookSmart, and NBCi are making headlines.
> Presently, I feel that one good point is that Express
> Submission does not influence the ranking. But the days
> are numbered when paid ranking will also be there.

TO WHICH JAMES ALLEN <james_at_techwarrior.net> REPLIED:
> I think the days are also coming when there will be an
> annual renewal. If you don't pay your annual fee, you
> are dropped from the directory/search engine. The nice
> part is that it weeds out a lot of the people that
> aren't really serious about doing business on the web.

That includes the majority of Web surfers, who aren't
interested in doing business on the Web. The
directories will be replaced by other services if they
drop the majority of their content, which just happens
to be non-commercial sites which cannot afford to pay
these fees for listings.

The business community is beginning to get a little
pretentious with the search engines and directories.
I have seen people time and again in various forums
say, "The fees aren't that much. It's important to
have them. Most people will pay."

No, most people will NOT pay. They can't afford to.
Furthermore, most people are NOT looking for Web sites
to do business with.

The search engines and directories have to deal with
reality. The reality of the situation is that most
people are looking for content, not something to buy.
And most of the people who ARE looking for something to
buy are going to a relatively small cadre of large,
well-known commercial Web sites.

When it comes to Web content, business sites provide a
small fraction of what is out there. When it comes to
what people are surfing for, business sites provide a
small fraction of what is being sought. THAT is the
real reason for why it's so hard to make money on the
Internet. It wasn't created for the purpose of
conducting business and most people aren't interested
in using it that way.

Maybe, possibly, over the course of the next ten years
the numbers will change in favor of the business
community. But I seriously doubt that will happen,
given the present trends.

I reserve the right to change my mind, of course. :)

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http://www.xenite.org/





Received on Tue Feb 06 2001 - 15:32:11 CST