Even after you do submit, some of the engines take weeks, even months, to send their spiders over to your site to “bring back the goodies.”
No problem. A real business takes time, unlike those get-rich-quick schemes
floating around on the Net. So while you’re waiting, build more content pages
and obtain some quality in-pointing links. These efforts will hasten the listing
process along.
How can you tell when a spider visits your site?
The answer is simple. Each SE’s spider has a name, which shows up in your log
files when it visits your site. For example, Google’s spider is called “Googlebot”.
Yahoo!’s is called “Slurp”. MSN’s spider is called “MSNBot.”
So keep your eyes peeled for a visit from one of these friendly little creatures in
your log files. Although a spider visit does not mean your page has been added
to an SE index, it does mean that the SE has not forgotten about you! Your site
is probably queued for addition.
If you don’t see an engine’s spider within a certain amount of time after
submitting (varies for each engine), you can resubmit according to each engine’s
acceptable limits. Generally though, if you haven’t been indexed and listed with
6-8 weeks, do the following…
1) Resubmit according to each SE’s protocols.
2) Build your link popularity. Quality in-pointing have a credentializing effect.
Without a few to validate your site, some SEs may be hesitant to list you in their
indices. If you have no links, and you can’t seem to get listed, this is very likely
the issue.
Even if you aren’t listed immediately, don’t lose heart. Every new Web
business has to go through the hassle of establishing itself with the SEs.
That’s true whether you have $100 to invest in your business, or $10,000.
Keep your focus on the “C” of…
C -> T -> P -> M
… and making your site THE authority on your theme.
7.1.3. Check And Monitor Presence
First, the good news… you’ve been spidered! That means you’re in, right? Not
necessarily. However, it does mean that the Search Engines know about you.
Yes, you are on their radar, but you may not yet be included in the databases
from which they draw their results. So that leads you to your next mission…
Monitor each engine to ensure it lists your pages. Once your pages start
showing up in each SE’s database, they are ready to be delivered to an eager
search audience.
Hooray! Targeted traffic!
The best way to check your listings is to use Search It!…
Search It! > Indexed Pages (STEP 1) > Pages in Google (STEP 2)…
This query will show you every page of your domain that is listed in Google.
Repeat this search to check your presence at each of the other engines.
7.1.4. Evaluate The Performance Of Your Pages
At this point, your pages are spidered and indexed. But there is one small catch.
In order for people to visit your site, they must find it first. Being indexed is not
enough. Ideally, you need to have a Top 10 listing on a SE’s search results
page to get any exposure at all. Most surfers will not check out more than ten
listings in their search for information.
Luckily, you are way ahead of the curve, and miles ahead of your competitors
due to this course. By building a comprehensive list of niche-focused, profitable
can only go upwards!
Now let’s see how you can evaluate the performance of your pages…
1) Manually -- Surf to each SE, and search for each of your KFCP’s Specific
Keyword (just as a prospective visitor would). For example, let’s use this
keyword, “dangers of high cholesterol,” to illustrate. Check to see where it shows
up and in what position. Keep track of your results in a simple database.
2) Automatically -- Use specialized software like Web Position Gold to
automate the evaluation process. Be forewarned, though. Web Position Gold
is fairly complicated to use.
Webmasters and consultants, however, use it heavily. As a result, some engines
ban or block its page-query function. Imagine thousands of Webmasters doing
hundreds, even thousands, of automated position checks daily, and you can
understand why. It clogs up an SE’s bandwidth tremendously!
Site Build It!’s SE HQ provides ranking reports for all your KFCPs. And for any
poorly performing page, SBI!’s Analyze It! tool shows you how to optimize it
better.
http://buildit·sitesell·com/
3) Through the use of log files -- Use log file analyzer software (server or client
side) to identify the keywords that people used to find you. Check with your Web
host to see what kind of online traffic statistics they can provide. More than
likely, though, they will not give the keyword stats that you need.
Tracking your rankings can be a long and tedious affair. If you’re not careful, it
can eat into a lot of time. Instead focus your attention on those efforts that will
bring your affiliate business the best results, the fastest.
While it is OK to get a feel for how your pages are fairing in the SEs, it is
important not lose sight of the big picture…
C -> T -> P -> M
Do not allocate more than a half-hour or so per week to monitor page
performance. The creation of quality relevant content always serves your
business best. It is the engine that drives traffic!