Re: The Complete (almost) Guide to Getting Listed on Google and other Major Search Engines

Dear Daniel Osko,
[not to be confused with another Daniel of "Daniel's Web"]

(1) I somewhat agree with comment (d) as I have heard it echoed *many*
times on this forum.

(2) As for (h) aren't sitemaps more necessary for larger sites, with
many search engines spidering the smaller ones from the root URI?

In all, what a thorough post with all the enumerated "tricks" and
"tactics"!

(3) In your first paragraph, you state:
"Obtaining a high ranking among the top search engines
has always been the main goal of a well-written ecommerce site."

...actually drawing *qualified* buyers/visitors *might* be a more
qualified statement as far as a "main" goal... IMHO.

There are a few "other" goals such as:
-- increasing the overall quality of customer service:
-- providing up-to-date product specifications and information to
create a more informed consumer,
-- decreasing support costs by providing FAQs,
-- increasing the ease of contact with the customer [better CRM],
-- increasing the "reach" of the company (offet by "richness" of the
contact, per Tawfik Jelassi, 2005)
-- increasing the number of suppliers that can lower transaction costs
by participating in electronic commerce [and may aid in SCM],
-- decreasing switching costs between vendors, increasing price
comeptitiveness between suppliers
-- enhancing "value add" to to consumer by providing online services
realted to products
-- increasing the ease of introducing ancillary products
-- increasing the ease by which user comments/suggestions about product
improvements are communicated
-- avoiding having to pay sales taxes if one is a "pure play" vendor
(Cf. Dell Corporation)
-- supply chain deconstruction to achieve more efficient supply chain
(lower cost) economics
-- lowering marketing costs through targeted email campaigns (helps to
have a website to look at for inquiries)

...as well as others I believe are in some academic papers elsewhere.

These items would be potentially be other goals, part of an overall
"strategy" -- not to be confused with "tactics".

Using keywords from the items listed above one can search many engines
for applicable info. ProQuest/ABI Inform [if one can afford it] has a
great deal of accurate information. So does the Whartson School, not
to single them out, per se, from many other fine learning
institutions...

I know of web sites where this information is available for free, and
that list links to relevant periodicals. ;)

Some might even go so far to say that improving the competitiveness and
profitability of the business might be the main goal of making the
capital investment in e-Commerce, with an eye on ROI -- not just being
ranked in a search engine, per se.

(4) There is a little value to attracting unqualified buyer traffic to
a website, however it increases the bandwidth, computing resources and
support requirements, and may decrease response time to the "real"
customers, thereby increasing direct, indirect [hiddeen] expenses, and
therefore the overall profitability of a company in "the big picture".

(5) There are a lot of buyers that to link to web sites *without* using
search engines (i.e., word-of-mouth [best advertising perhaps ever],
market brand name recognition, other web site referrals (e.g.,
Amazon.com affiliate programs, E-Bay listings, advertising... e.g.,
di-tech.com TV ads, GEICO.com TV ads). 20% of my traffic is direct
links for this month.

(6)
http://groups.google.com/group/SEO1/browse_frm/thread/d75634cf7bb9e745/5359ba7335035323#5359ba7335035323

...has a post on the importance of making a good start FIRST. IMHO
better reading... the link, not the post...

(7th level, per Dante) AS for blogs, RSS feeds, there are several
articles that mention them as being an emerging technology that is
gaining in popularity.

FWIW...

Regards,
Peter
p.s.
(A1) since the article mentions keeping graphics small, what about
sites that have streaming or large video files... they don't get
indexed as highly? Also what explains Bush's concern about the ease of
accessibility of "adult" [term used loosely] content on the web via
search engines -- is that content's alt tag's "stuffed"? ;)

(A2) If "everyone" follows this formula, then "everyone" should be
#1... which is a philosophically kind and encouraging statement, but
rather global in nature, and in therefore, in construction and essence,
patently false and perhaps [unintentionally] misleading.

(A3) Since alt tags are not only used by text-based browsers (e.g.,
Lynx), but also by sight-impaired people, isn't keyword-stuffing there
actually a form of cruelty to the sight-impaired who must listen to the
list and hope for a vision from God(s?), or a sighted person, to
explain the image relevance to the surrounding text? I have an
acquaintance who mentions that this "feature" can be highly annoying
when irrelevant keywords are used. However, we must first not think of
ourselves as being judged by how we treat the less capable, young, old
and infirmed... site ranking takes precedence, perhaps.

Reductio ad absurdam.

(A4) I call on the "dead parrot" again! Daniel!

"70 lines and what do you get,
another day older and deeper in debt.

Work 7 days, and what is it for?
I owe my soul to the company store..."
- classic 50's song, paraphrased.

...and looking at my site (not linked here) I have a lot to learn
myself... J'me accuse.

...and
(line 70) "If you have any questions comments or gripes you can..."
[one might consider posting here so everyone can learn and benefit, and
there is also a Google SEO discussion group, and a Web Marketing group,
for more general issues than sitemaps...]