Frequently Asked Questions

Note: All questions and answers are on this one long page for maximum speed of access. Just click the     icon anywhere on the page to get back to the main menu of questions.

1 We already have a web design company lined up. Would you work with them?

2 Can you provide everything we need to set up and launch an e-commerce site?

3 If you are a new company, with little track record, how can I be sure of you?

4 How can you be cheaper than the big guys, but still compete on quality?

5 I just want a quick and dirty web site to test the water, can you help?

6 I've got a brilliant idea for a start up business, how can I trust you with it?

7 Can I do the Search Engine registration myself?

8 How long does it take for the Search Engines to list my site after submission?

9 What's the difference between a Search Engine and a Directory?

10 How many Search Engines should I register with?

11 When you 'optimise' pages for Search Engines, aren't you just spamming them?

12 What does your Search Engine Maintenance Contract involve?

1 We already have a web design company lined up. Would you work with them?  

Absolutely. If they have the design skills, we can work with them, and with you to ensure that the resulting web site is well integrated and consistent with your business plans. We can project manage the whole thing if you like, or just contribute on the strategic planning and marketing aspects. We are also able to oversee costs, and make sure you are not overcharged for the work that is done. Our role as objective advisor can sometimes save a lot of time and money!

2 Can you provide everything we need to set up and launch an e-commerce site?  

Yes! We can give you everything you need: - feasibility study - strategic plan - market research - business plan - funding advice - web site development - security advice - web site promotion - marketing support - web site maintenance - management support On the other hand, if you just want to pick one or two of these options, that's fine too. We are flexible - so long as we believe it is in your best interests.

3 If you are a new company, with little track record, how can I be sure of you?  

Though the company is new, its employees are not! We all have many years experience in industry, at the sharp end of our respective professions, mostly in senior positions. All employees and associates of Search Engine Booster are recruited for their high level of expertise and reliability - qualifications for all personnel assigned for any project are available for inspection at any time. As a young company we have to be lean and mean. Our reputation and future livelihood is on the line - so we have to get it right. Moreover, we don't get paid till the job is done - and meets our high standards. We want you tell everyone how good we are!

4 How can you be cheaper than the big guys, but still compete on quality?  

Because we don't work from big offices with high overheads. We often recruit people from an extensive pool of highly qualified associates for specific projects. This allows us to hire the best for the job, without incurring high salary costs all the year round. We only work with people that we know and respect - for their integrity and qualifications to do the job. All project management is handled by a senior Search Engine Booster manager who has full responsibility for the job in hand.

5 I just want a quick and dirty web site to test the water, can you help?  

If that's the extent of the plan - no, it's not worth it. And we wouldn't want to waste your money. We might be able to save you a lot of time by advising you of the best way to tackle your market. Running off a half hearted web site to see what happens will at best produce half hearted results.

6 I've got a brilliant idea for a start up business, how can I trust you with it?  

We have worked with confidential information many times in the past, and we are used to dealing with Non Disclosure Agreements to safeguard our respective interests. Any confidential information that you reveal to us will be handled with the utmost respect and the appropriate level of security. We would take greater pleasure in launching you into the online stratosphere, than stealing your secrets!

7 Can I do the Search Engine registration myself?  

Yes, of course. Just go to each Search Engine's web site, and follow the instructions to 'submit my site'. You may find it takes a long time, and you may get very fed up with it after the first few dozen submissions. But remember you need to do this regularly, at least every 3 months for all the major engines - some 15 - 20 minimum! We have a streamlined way of doing this, which allows you to concentrate on your business - all at a very economical rate.

8 How long does it take for the Search Engines to list my site after submission?  

The answer keeps changing, sometimes wildly, from month to month, depending on the search engines latest tactics. It can be anything from a day to 6 or 8 weeks. Generally wait a month after submitting, and then check to see how you are faring. For this you really need something like our Search Engine Report to monitor the situation for you.

9 What's the difference between a Search Engine and a Directory?  

A Search Engine is an automated piece of software that trawls the WWW and comes in 3 parts. The 'spider' or 'crawler' visits web pages, abstracts information and deposits this in an 'index', a vast catalogue of all the sites visited. The third part of the engine is its sophisticated software which sifts through the millions of indexed pages to find matches to a search term and then rank them in order of relevance. Directories, such as Yahoo! however are vetted entirely by humans, and are organised in a hierarchical structure (which is how Yahoo! got its name - Yet Another Hierarchical Organisational Oracle!). Directories and Search Engines provide a very similar service, but operate in a very different way. It is much harder to get a good listing in a directory because of the human gatekeeper, and the problems they have just keeping up with the explosive growth of material on the WWW. On the other hand they are able to evaluate web pages more reliably.

10 How many Search Engines should I register with?  

Depends on the nature of your business and target customers. What engines are they likely to use? In general, the top dozen or so engines are responsible for 90% or more of the traffic, so there is no need to go overboard on submitting to thousands of engines - and there are many! We can advise on which engines would be appropriate for your market.

11 When you 'optimise' pages for Search Engines, aren't you just spamming them?  

We are very careful not to do this. There is perhaps a fine line between manipulating one's material to get a good search engine ranking, and deliberately trying to outwit them. We believe that optimising keywords, and using doorway pages are legitimate strategies to present the engines with the best information for them to make their assessments. This would not be acceptable though if the keywords did not relate to the material content of the respective pages. We do not advocate other methods which set out to deliberately deceive. The penalties for real spamming are severe - complete removal from the search engine's index. So regardless even of the ethical issues, it really isn't worth it.

12 What does your Search Engine Maintenance Contract involve?  

This is depends largely on the nature of the business and how much work is required. Typically, we do the following on a regular monthly basis: - Research keywords and monitor popularity. - Run a Search Engine Report. - Monitor trends in company and competitor positions. - Recommend changes to HTML on regular pages to optimise position (needs continuous tweaking). - Develop doorway pages for specific keyword/search engine combinations.