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April
9, 2000
By JIM BROOKS
You've spent
countless hours tweaking the code. You've scanned the photos, 	
created the graphics, designed, tested and re-tested the navigation
and confirmed all the links.
That new
personal or business Web site you've labored over is ready to unveil
to the world now -- once the world figures out how to find your new
home on the Internet.
While search
engines aren't the only way to bring traffic to a Web site, they can
be a steady supplier of new traffic -- and if you've done your
homework, they'll actually be looking for something about your site
that interests them.
THE 411. There
are dozens of search engines online, most with varying requirements
that you'll need to address to get your Web site listed with them. In
the interests of brevity, I'll keep things pretty generic.
The top dog
among search sites actually isn't a search ``engine'' in the
strictest sense of the word.
Yahoo!
is the Web's most popular search site, and usually one of the Web's
top destinations month after month, but it is correctly called a directory.
Yahoo! employs
human editors who review every Web site submitted to be included in
the Yahoo! database.
These guys are
pretty picky, too. It hasn't been long ago that two-thirds of the
sites submitted failed on their first attempts.
Yahoo has some
pretty specific procedures you'll need to follow to get your site
listed there.
For example,
you'll need to find two specific existing Yahoo! categories that best
suit your Web site. You'll have a chance to suggest a new category in
the process.
Take time and
carefully read the site's directions and you'll maximize your chances
at getting listed the first time.
SEARCH
ENGINE BOOGIE. How each search engines accepts new Web site
submissions varies widely. Most have a ``Suggest A URL'' link on
their home page.
Some require
you to go through a registration process, and request your e-mail
address and other information. Read and follow their recommended
procedures to maximize your chances of getting listed.
Other search
engine tips to consider:
•
Don't expect immediate results from every search engine. Some search
engines will show your new site in a few days; others can take two
weeks or more. It helps to take notes as you register your site, each
search engine usually states about how long the process of indexing
your new Web site will take.
•
Make use of meta tags and keywords. These may sound like Star Trek
technobabble, but they are important parts of your Web site if you
want search engines to properly display and index your site's information.
Meta tags and
keywords help give search ``spiders'' (automated web searching
programs used by some search engines) the information that the search
directories will display as your listing, or use to determine how
your listing is ranked.
•
Not all search engines display their listings in the same manner.
Some display titles, some use meta tags, others some combination of
elements. In short, you'll be best served if you do a little prework
before registering your site.
The Search
Engine Watch Web site has a lot of very good useful information about
search engines -- covering how to get your site listed with an
engine, and how to conduct more efficient searches for information.
Search
EngineWatch has a good tutorial on meta tags, reviews of the top
search engines, and -- my favorite -- how to see what everyone else
is searching for at your search engine of choice.
For more
information, visit www.searchenginewatch.com
on the world wide web.
PLAY BALL. Major
league baseball play got underway recently, and with the new season
comes big hopes for my beloved Cincinnati Reds.
Suffering the
last few years with a low-rent roster and saddled with the ever-controversial
Marge Schott as part owner, the Reds made a very respectable showing
last year. With the homecoming of Cincinnati native Ken Griffey Jr to
the team, there's real excitement in the air at Cinergy Field.
But true
baseball excitement isn't as far away as Cincinnati. The Louisville
RiverBats switched to become a farm team for the Reds last year.
Baseball fans will likely see some of the star RiverBats make their
major league debuts down river in Cincy. Likewise, you'll probably
see some Reds sent down to the 'Bats for a little rehab time.
The RiverBats
have a Web site with complete information on tickets, player roster,
statistics, schedule and lots of information on the ultra-nice and
new Slugger Field.
The site
features a tres cool ``Virtual Walk in the Park'' section, where you
can view panoramic photos taken from a variety of potions both on the
field and in the stands.
Visit www.batsbaseball.com
for more information.
BROWSER NEWS.
It's been a long time in coming, but Netscape has released its
next-generation Web browser, Netscape 6.0.
Note that I
didn't say ``Communicator.''
That's because
Netscape has finally decided to forego the bloatware strategy
(packing as many different functions into one software package) that
it had been following with Communicator 4.x.
Not that I
don't like Communicator 4.7, which is my browser of choice for work
and home. But try downloading the whole compressed file, and you
probably would be better off going grocery shopping rather than
waiting around for the thing to download.
Netscape 6.0's
first preview release was recently unveiled, and while it isn't any
faster than its chief competitor, Internet Explorer, it certainly is
a smaller program.
The software
seamlessly integrates Web browsing, e-mail and instant messaging,
which are arguably the three hottest Net applications right now.
The browser
has a couple of new features that look interesting.
``My Sidebar''
is a tabbed interface that resembles file folders that sit on the
left side of the screen. You can use this to keep track of your
favorite Web pages.
I'm still
evaluating Netscape 6, so look for a more detailed review in an
upcoming column. And remember that the new browser is still
considered a ``preview'' release, which means ``beta,'' which
translates roughly to ``beware of possible bugs.'' Try it at your own
risk, at least until the testing period is over!
Comments
and questions about this column may be sent to jbrooks@myoldkentuckyhome.com,
or visit www.myoldkentuckyhome.com
on the World Wide Web.
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