1. Search Engine - Is a database of web sites that is ranked
according to the computerized criteria that the programmers
decide upon called an algorithm. Various search engines
determine ranking on their own different factors of importance
or relevancy. For the last few years the Google search engine
was the most popular search engine supplying the search results
for Yahoo and to a lesser extent MSN and AOL. This all changed
recently after Yahoo purchased different search engine companies
and developed its own search engine. Soon MSN will enter this
market with its own search engine algorithm.
 
Searchers input keyword queries into search boxes and are given
results from the databases of the search engines in accordance
with the ranking algorithm from whatever search engine they are
using.
 
In other words, search engines index sites it feels will be of
value to its customers, which are Internet surfers searching for
information.
 
The most important concept to grasp with a search engine, is
that it uses an automated computerized system to find and rank
the sites within its database of web sites.
 
2. Internet Directory - An Internet directory is a large
listing of categorized web sites - however the concept that
should be understood with the Internet directories, is that they
actually have editors that decide what goes into the directory.
Remember an Internet directory is decided and managed by human
editors, while in contrast, a search engine is ranked by a
computerized algorithm or system. Directories are important to
get links from because, they will raise your rankings in the
Google algorithm (which is based on PageRank™ or links from
other sites to a great extent).
 
3. SEO - Search Engine Optimization From the Tao of Search
Engine Promotion represents the Ying or Female Principle in that
it is more fluid and receptive to the algorithms of the search
engines, which of course you - do not control. SEO promotion is
using known conventions and in some cases deconstructing the
algorithms of the developers of the search engines and working
with them. In other words it is like Judo where you use the
momentum and power of the search engines to build your business.
You will have to be constantly vigilant, in order to try to stay
abreast of the latest developments in SEO promotion.
 
4. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising with the search engines is
bidding for particular keyword phrases or search terms used most
frequently by Internet users related to information on certain
niches and sectors. Overture was the first great pay-per-click
advertising sales channel for the search engines. It presently
represents Yahoo, MSN, AOL, Alta Vista, Hot Bot, and related
partners allowing advertisers to bid on particular keywords.
Google presently runs its own PPC Search Engine advertising
branch called Google's Adwords Select. Since PPC advertising is
so expensive use it in moderation by setting daily and monthly
budgets (otherwise for high volume searched keywords you could
go broke).
 
After setting budgets, which you do in the Overture and Google
advertising interfaces, use PPC to test your conversion rates
for subscribers, sales, etc., and constantly monitor it and
fine-tune it. You want to increase your conversation rates.
This is critical because as we alluded to the expense of PPC in
earlier in this article the typical major ad agency or corporate
brand only spends $5 - $15 dollars to reach a thousand people
(CPM). Although they may go higher for a responsive direct mail
lists like $100 or $150 to reach a thousand people. In PPC
advertising small business are usually paying at least 35 cents
on the dollar (for any word with any real competition) to reach
a thousand people or $350 dollars. I have seen and experienced
people paying $2.50 a click or $2250 dollars to reach a thousand
people.
 
The true expense of PPC is never discussed by experts in that
industry. Any small business using PPC should have an
outstanding product ready for prime time, to see any return in
investment. Alternately, they should only use it for limited
testing or to get a product quickly to market on-line. Given the
expense of PPC some small business people might be better off
buying classified direct response advertising in a niche
publication or obtaining ad space in ezines.
 
Another point to discuss in PPC is how the major companies hurt
their advertisers (stab them in the back) by using pop-up
blockers, which hurts the advertisers ability to collect email
addresses on the front end, and with spam filters block even
legitimate marketers ability to reach opt-in subscribers on the
back end. Google is more of a front end pop-up blocker, AOL is
more of an email blocker, while Yahoo is both. There are better
ways to stop email and web site spam. What is important is that
small business, if it is not careful with PPC could be paying
AOL, Google, and Yahoo/Overture to put them out of business.
 
5. Pay Per Inclusion is paying to be included in the database
of a search engine or Internet directory. Presently it is free
to be included in the Google search engine. You just need a link
to your site from a few other sites already in the Google
database and your site will be spidered in many cases. Recently
it has been announced Yahoo will charge a fee to update your new
content into their search engine database. From what I
understand if you are already listed in Yahoo its all well and
good, but any new content that you put on your site will not be
indexed.
 
6. Search Terms (AKA Keywords or Keyword Phrases) - Search terms
and more specifically keyword phrases are words searchers put
in a search box to find information on a particular product,
service, or item. Keywords and Keyword phrases have different
tiers. For instance the top tier keyword "business" probably
receives 500,000 searches a month. But it is so general that it
would not be a good keyword for which to optimize your site.
However, the second tier Keyword phrase "small business" would
have less searches, but it is more of a targeted search. The
third tier keyword phrases are even more targeted and would be
ideal for persons to optimize their sites for although there
are less monthly searches for them.
 
7. Search Engine Algorithm - Algorithms are sets of rules
according to which search engines rank web pages. Figuring out
the algorithms is a major part of SEO. The thinking is that if
you understand how they calculate relevance, you can make
specific pages on your site super relevant for specific search
terms. For more on algorithms and SEO in general, please check
out http://www.searchengineplan.com .