Search Engine Questions

I have just created a large site and now need to get the best search results possible. I have a hidden layer on my index page which contains content as well as a list of keywords.

Question 1: What are the big search engines I should submit it to?

Question 2: Is there anything aside from what i have already done that could encourage a top 10 result?

Question 3: Is it possible for companies to guarentee you a top 10 result?

Thanking in advance

Submit to as many search engines as you can; google/dmoz would be your first...

If you are looking for a top 10 result, you will certainly have to do alot more than what you posted about your hidden layers.

No - in a candy-*** search engine it is possible, in a viable search engine, impossible unless you are paying for a premium service from the search engine its self - which could run thousands of dollars a month.....

A lot of search engines run ranks by how many links there are back to your site. So if a lot of sites are linking to yours, it'll help your ranking. Google works like that, I'm pretty sure.

---John Holmes...

That's true, links are very important in Google, but they are not the only factor. The title of the document is very important in google. Keyword and description meta tags, as well as the content of the page are valuable as well. The kind of spamming technique you describe is highly frowned upon and will likely hurt you more than help you.

I agree with JMM on the spamming thing. If I get the same site in my results over and over again, I go back and revise the search to eliminate it with a - or NOT. I won't even click it once. If it's something like a forum site that just happens to have produced a lot of results by accident, then ok, I'll still go to the site when I need to. However, if it's just some idiot spamming the engine, I remember that and NEVER go to the site.

Description meta tags are useful, keyword meta tags are worthless. Don't even bother anymore with them. Your hidden layer is bound to be worthless- remember, google is probably smarter than you.

Search engines found such huge abuses of them that they don't even use them anymore. Apparently, only inktomi still uses them of the search engines worth caring about.

Information here.

Keep your pages topically focused, use H1 through h6 as they are intended (search engines LOVE this) have effective titles with the first few paragraphs related to the subject of your page and your title, and your pages will be more likely to get a high ranking, along with real links from other related sites.

Link farms and "snake oil" search techniques are worthless, spiders ignore them and even blacklist egregious abusers.

That's right Ctb.

Altavista used to be my favorite search engine of all time. I used to get "gettho" web sites with very usefull information, now all I get is some stupid .com web sites with lots of bucks but nothing to return. Now with the internet it's even worst because it's interactive!! I made a mistake by installing the Flash player for Linux, now I have fancy/silly/flashing ads that won't let me read the text. What's this new trend BTW? Instead of having a simple banner at the top that can be avoided they now embed the ads inside the text, plus there are more on both left and right side plus the top and bottom!! STOP IT! PLEASE I CAN'T TAKE ANYMORE!! Another example to demonstrate how low we've gotten: the actual text takes 20-40% and the ads (both sides again) take up the remaining 60-80%!!!

So the conclusion is obvious, advertising is more important than information.

IMO the techno yuppie dream is long gone dead and in an advanced state of putrefactation as the worms and flies are eating it and laying eggs in it and and and...

Another example: here in Montreal we have acquired the reputation for being the most inovative when it comes to advertising, we have "good ads" and new places where to put them. The latest trend are people in rollerblades with a panel on the back with, yes you guessed right, an ad! We also have trucks with a tridimensional panel that spins and they just drive downtown of course.

Also, I used to do tech support for a big isp and they wanted to turn us, mere first-line agents that we were into a cash cow. So at the end of the call if the issue is resolved and the member not too pissed we had to litteraly advertise whatever product: gamesmania.com, voicenet, Globe Investor Gold, TSN Max and other stupidies that I don't wan't to remember. We had quotas we had to respect too (2 sells a week).

THIS IS NOTHING!! There is a new concept that is still experimental but promises to be even worst than any other concept that has ever existed because this one is subtle. When people simply walk around outside there are people paid to just walk behind them and they talk about this great new product. Because one person that says some good things about a product to a friend is 10 times more effective than 100 ads on tv.

I know that ads are a good way to get financed it's just the abuse that drives my crazy. As a matter of fact I accepted that DevShed and Yahoo! Mail send me spam once in a while.

This is it otherwise my blood pressure will make my brain blows all over the room. GRrrr.

Sorry to turn this thread into flames but I just got back from an oral where I diss the nocive effects of TV and that's what having good rank in search engines is all about: advertising.

What is "spamming technique "? I have never heard of this before, can someone let me know. Thanking in advance

You find a list of email addresses from some where and send an email to all of them telling them to visit your site.

As for getting top rankings, ive heard that if you have a privacy policy it boosts your ranking on most search engines.

junkie, the spamming technique I was referring to was your hidden layer with keywords. To get a better idea of what I'm talking about, take a look at the at the Google Quality Guidelines, basic principles and specific recommendations.

P.S. No company, except perhaps for the company behind the search engine itself, can guarantee you a top 10 ranking on an independent search engine like google. Search engines and directories that accept payment are another matter.

dsm, you might try following the thread and/or reality if you're going to post.

calm down post-master...