The significant challenges that we face today cannot be resolved by the same level of thinking that created them.

Hi there. I trust everyone enjoyed their weekend. Admittedly, when you work online you don't always remember which day of the week it is, never mind 'the weekend'.

My wrist surgery is scheduled for 2:45 this afternoon but I have to be at the hospital a couple of hours prior to that. I'll let you know how it goes. If I recall correctly, I'll be pretty much 'out of it' for a few days after.

As soon as you think you 'know it all', the rules change. With ExactSeek teaming up with Alexa, Shelley Lowery interviewed Mel Strocen to provide today's Feature Article - New Search Engine Ranking Algorithm - An Interview with ExactSeek.com's Mel Strocen. Your website ranking will be based on the relevancy of your content as well as the traffic data determined by Alexa.

When you meet someone face-to-face for the first time, you usually form an opinion (right or wrong) about that individual. And that first impression will stay with you. Today's Special Feature is from Bob Osgoody. You only have one chance to make a first impression on the internet. A Professional Image explains where you might be missing the ball.

Today's Hot Tip comes to you from William Bontrager of WillMaster Possibilities. Creating your own Portal Page is a great idea and will save you loads of time.

Have a great day and keep on smiling.

Lois M. Jeary
Publisher, KIT
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New Search Engine Ranking Algorithm - An Interview with ExactSeek.com's Mel Strocen
By Shelley Lowery

ExactSeek.com has teamed up with Alexa to provide a brand new search engine ranking algorithm that ranks sites based on content relevancy and Alexa user popularity data.

This unique ranking system not only provides relevant search results, but it also enables website owners to increase their site's ranking in ExactSeek simply by increasing their Alexa ranking.

ExactSeek.com, a Jayde Online company, is a search engine and directory that indexes over 25,000 websites each day. It currently indexes over 2 million websites and is expected to exceed 5 million by the end of the year.

Alexa Internet, an Amazon.com company, provides the Alexa Toolbar -- an invaluable tool for the Internet marketer. This little browser plug-in provides a wealth of information, including site statistics, traffic data and contact information for every site you visit. Best of all, it won't cost you a dime.

You can download and install the Alexa toolbar here: http://download.alexa.com/?amzn_id=websource0c

I recently had the opportunity to interview Jayde Online's CEO, Mel Strocen. The Jayde Online Network includes ExactSeek.com, GoArticles.com, SiteProNews.com, AllBusinessNews.com, EzineHub.com and FreeWebSubmission.com. Jayde Online Inc. has been internet-focused from its inception in 1998 and primarily involved in the publication of email newsletters and the development of niche and general search engines.

Here's what Mel had to say about the new ExactSeek search engine ranking algorithm...

Shelley: Mel, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with me.

Mel: Shelley, I appreciate the opportunity to provide some insight on recent developments at ExactSeek and our new site ranking algorithm.

Shelley: Now that ExactSeek has teamed up with Alexa, how exactly will websites be ranked?

Mel: The main factors in determining website ranking will be page content relevancy and the site traffic data provided by Alexa Internet with the emphasis being on the former versus the latter. It will be several weeks, or possibly even longer, before we finalize the exact weight we give Alexa data. What this means is that for the short term webmasters might find their website ranking changing fairly frequently. Think of it as ExactSeek's version of the "Google Dance".

Shelley: Prior to the new partnership, ExactSeek ranked sites according to keywords displayed within the Title, Meta Description and Meta Keywords tags. Will these tags still play a role in ranking a website? Or, will sites be strictly ranked according to content and their Alexa ranking?

Mel: Yes, Title and Meta tags will continue to play a role, but not to the extent they did previously. The information from these tags will be shown in the actual search result listings and will also be compared to page content as an additional check of overall relevancy.

Shelley: As I'm sure you're aware, some "experts" may make a case that Alexa rankings can be manipulated. How would you respond to this analysis?

Mel: As mentioned, Alexa traffic data will be an integral part of the ExactSeek ranking algorithm but not the dominant factor, that being page content. Essentially, we've opted to emphasize user popularity over link popularity. Either one can be manipulated by savvy webmasters or SEO experts but, in our view, user popularity is less subject to manipulation over the long term because it is more difficult to manipulate the surfing public than it is to manipulate SE crawlers. The bottom line is that people will always be able to better evaluate content than search engine spiders.

Shelley: Will an increase in traffic from other sources affect how a site ranks in ExactSeek?

Mel: Yes, the good news for webmasters is that regardless of what they do to promote their websites, their efforts will result in a better ranking on ExactSeek. So, increased traffic from any source, be it ezine advertising, PPC campaigns, search engine marketing, etc., will help boost site ranking in our search engine.

With other search engines, webmasters have been forced to learn what is important to each engine and tailor their sites accordingly. The beauty of ExactSeek is that webmasters can focus on making their sites relevant to people, not our search engine.

Shelley: How does ExactSeek's new ranking algorithm compare with other search engines?

Mel: With the exception of Google, the major search engines have offered little in the way of innovation. Factoring user popularity into a ranking algorithm is ground-breaking. User popularity is a far more reliable indicator of where websites should rank and gives the surfing public some input on the search results they see.

Shelley: How will this new ranking system benefit website owners?

Mel: I've already mentioned the most obvious ways that webmasters will benefit as a result of our use of Alexa traffic stats. Indirectly, they will also benefit as searchers recognize the importance of user popularity in delivering quality search results. More search traffic for us will translate into more traffic for webmasters who have listed their websites in ExactSeek. In addition, we will be introducing other ranking factors specifically geared to webmasters which will give them an opportunity to boost site ranking in some very unique ways never before employed by any search engine.

Shelley: Is ExactSeek.com the only search engine that will be utilizing this new ranking system?

Mel: No, the new ranking system will be implemented on 6 search engines, those being ExactSeek, Aesop.com, OnSeek.com, SitesOnDisplay.com, MaxPromo.com and Best- SearchEngine.com. Four of these are using the new ranking algorithm now and the remaining two will be within a week or two.

Shelley: What are your submission policies? Should a webmaster submit just their main page or can they submit additional pages? How often should they submit and how?

Mel: We prefer that webmasters submit primary URLs, but additional pages can be submitted if they have unique content and title and meta tags that reflect that unique content. Once a URL has been incorporated into the ExactSeek database, follow-up submissions are unnecessary. All URLs in our database are recrawled monthly. We also provide webmasters the option of scheduling their own recrawls with our recrawl tool (http://www.exactseek.com/srank.html). Using this tool, a webmaster can have sites recrawled on a weekly basis.

Site submissions to ExactSeek can be made at:
http://www.exactseek.com/add.html

Shelley: It's been a pleasure talking with you, Mel. Thank you for allowing me to interview you.

Mel: My pleasure, Shelley. Thank you.

Since Alexa site rankings will play a major role in determining how well your site ranks in ExactSeek, I highly recommend that you download the Alexa toolbar -- not only to track your site's status, but also to locate quality sites for joint ventures and link partners. It's a win-win proposition no matter how you look at it.

Copyright © Shelley Lowery 2003.

About the Author:
Shelley Lowery is the author of Web Design Mastery - An in- depth guide to professional web design. And, Ebook Starter - Do-it-yourself ebook design kit. Visit Web-Source.net to sign up for a free subscription to Etips and receive a free copy of the highly acclaimed ebook, Killer Internet Marketing Strategies. http://www.web-source.net

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I sit here all day trying to persuade people to do the things they ought to have sense enough to do without my persuading them.
- Harry Truman

Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional.
- Roger Crawford

Life is no brief candle to me. It is sort of a splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.
- George Bernard Shaw, Playwright

Internet Tip of the Week
by Bob Osgoodby

First impressions are extremely important if you hope to do business on the Web. After you refine your ads, and if you make your pitch to a targeted group, you will start to get visitors to your web site. Here is where many would be entrepreneurs drop the ball.

Putting up a web site is not a difficult task, but designing a good one is, and if you don't pay attention, it might be working against you. Think about it, the web site is not only the first impression of you and your business, it is crucial to your success or failure.

People don't waste a whole lot of time when visiting a site. If it isn't professional looking, they may just "click away". While looks are important, you must spend time on developing good copy. Copy written by affiliate programs has been seen over and over, and while it may have been effective at one time, it is so overused that people immediately recognize it for what it is.

In addition to good copy, which of course has no spelling, grammatical or punctuation errors, it clearly states what you are offering. Many web sites offer a real challenge to try to figure out what they are trying to sell. The offer should be the first thing they see. The information must also flow logically, and not leave a lot of questions unanswered.

In addition to complete information on your offer, it must have a call to action, which entices the visitor to purchase from you. It must also have an order form, or instructions that are easy to follow. It is also a real plus to let the prospect know a little bit about you. Your picture on the site can go a long way to help instill confidence.

There is some confusion on the value of links. Some advocate that a good web site should be divided into separate sections connected by links. Others feel that a single long web page will score higher in the search engine rankings.

There are basically two types of links. One goes to a completely separate web page, and is considered an external link. Another type is referred to as an internal link. These point to different "parts" within the same web page. Both have value, however internal links are a little friendlier. If someone clicks on one and the next "part" logically flows from the previous one, people will be more inclined to read on.

While it is a good idea to have your links on the side of the page, you should avoid the use of frames, which divides the page into two logical pieces that can be independently manipulated. At the current time, sites constructed with frames are not search engine friendly, although this could change.

Links should be clear as to where they will take you. It is crucial that the titles of the links, not only make sense, but actually take someone to that information. Each site should have links that are unique, and it is not a good idea to have information in the target, that is not specified in the link.

If you have someone design the site for you, remember that their expertise is in web site design, and most likely they will know little, if anything, about what you are doing. They can construct the site and make it look good, but the copy and information flow is your responsibility. You should always take a break from the copy writing, and if at all possible, have someone else proof your work. Also you have to be careful of words that pass spell check, but are actually an error. Don't confuse words like "there" and "their".

Once you have the basic framework finished, it is now time to test it. Try to corral as many people as possible to review it. Is it clear and an effective presentation? You should probably avoid friends unless you are sure they will give you an honest evaluation.

The first impression your web site makes is crucial to success. If people have to "jump through hoops" to find out about your offer, or if it doesn't portray a professional image, the odds are they won't buy.

Did you know that subscribers to Bob Osgoodby's Free Ezine the "Tip of the Day" get a Free Ad for their Business at his Web Site? Great Business and Computer Tips - Monday thru Friday. Instructions on how to place your ad are in the Newsletter. Subscribe at: http://adv-marketing.com/business/subscribe2.htm

WMP Weekly Webmaster Tip:
Personal Portal Page

If you find yourself going to certain web sites every day or several times a week, eliminate all those bookmark menu clicks by using a personal portal page, instead.

A personal portal page is simply a web page with links you often use. Give the links a target="_blank" attribute so they'll automatically open a new browser window when you click.

Upload the personal portal page to your server or keep it on your hard drive. Either way works.

Make it your home page and you'll have it every time you launch your browser.

The personal portal page browser window can be kept minimized for instant access.

Will Bontrager

Note: To display the WMP Weekly Webmaster Tip on your site, updated automatically every week, put this JavaScript code on your page where you want the tip to appear:

No other reprint rights are granted.

If you've never been to the WillMaster Possibilities site, take some time today. You can visit it WillMaster Possibilities here.

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