Buying Your Way In To Search
Engines page 1
Can you buy your way to the top of a search
engine. Until the year 2000, this was almost inconceivable
at any search engine other that GoTo.com. Now, it's commonplace.
Bear in mind that all search engines have
some "editorial" style listings that are not bought
and sold. Your ad spend will not guarantee a top ranking
in these places. However, the space around this editorial
copy is considered fair game for ads. So, what's available?
Banner Ads: All major search engines
carry keyword-linked banner advertising, either using graphical
banners or text banners.
Content Deals: Many major search engines
will promote an advertiser's content, or their own content,
on their search results page. This is usually done in a
separate area from the editorial results.
Paid Placement: Several major search
engines carry paid listings. The exact position of these
listings can vary. Sometimes, they appear above editorial
links. Other times, they appear at the bottom of editorial
content. "Sidebar" style runs alongside the search
engine's editorial area.
Paid Inclusion: This is where an advertiser
might be more deeply listed than other sites in the editorial
results. Unlike paid placement, this doesn't guarantee a
particular position in the main search results. However,
also unlike paid placement, it does interact directly with
the editorial results. Being more deeply listed can help
an advertiser be more likely to appear in response to a
wide range of searches.
Paid Submission: This is where a search
engine charges to process a request to be included in its
listings. Typically, paid submission programs do not guarantee
to list a site, only to review and possibly include it in
a faster time frame than is normally done.
The chart below provides a guide to search
engines that offer significant ways that advertisers can
be present on search results pages beyond banner advertising
and content deals. The Pay
For Placement page has articles that provide more information
about some of these programs and paid issues in general.
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More
details about how each of the major search engines
integrates paid placement, paid inclusion and paid
submission programs is available.
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