OttawaOnline.com would like to provide some input to the following frequently asked questions (FAQ). They deal with the topics of Web site visibility and Search Engine results.

Relevant Information and FAQ:

1. What's an Internet Search Engine?
2. How many search engines will my site get entered in?
3. How long does it take before my site is indexed on the search engines?
4. How will I know if my site has been listed?
5. How do I get my site to show up on top of the listing?
6. What do if my site is in frames?
7. What are the fees involved?

1. What's an Internet Search Engine?
One way of finding information on the Internet is to use a "search engine". This is an Internet tool which will search for Internet sites containing the words that you designate as a search term. It provides results back to you in the form of links to those sites which have the term(s) you're looking for.

For example, if you wanted to see if there were any math lesson plans on the Internet that you could borrow, you might enter "math and lessons and plans" as your search term. After a brief wait, you would receive a web page with dozens of links to sites which had those particular words somewhere in the site.

It's important to understand that search engines DO NOT search the Internet itself. They DO search databases of information ABOUT the Internet which the company hosting the search engine has developed. Each search engine looks through a different database and that's why they each will reach different results from exactly the same terms. The degree of detail recorded by search engines varies greatly. For instance, some may enter the entire text of the document into a searchable field and others may only enter a short description. This is only one way in which search engines differ. Another difference is in the level of sophistication employed by the search engine when it looks through its database.

2. How many search engines does it get entered in?
Every day new directories come into existence and others disappear. While Submit It! tries to keep up with all of these changes, the list on their site may not reflect the latest changes to the directories supported by "Submit It!". Generally your site is submitted to more than 400 of the most popular search directories available. Review the Search Engines List and Info

3. How long does it take before my site is indexed on the search engines? After we submit your site to Submit It!, their server immediately sends your Web page information to the server of the search engines and directories. It normally takes between one day and six weeks for your submission to become a listing. Usually, AltaVista and InfoSeek take only a few days to index your page. Most listings, however, will take several weeks, because search engines receive many submissions every day.

4. How will I know if my site has been listed? Some directories will send you an e-mail confirming your request. This is not a guarantee that your site has been listed. The best way to confirm your listing is to go to the search engine and search for your site. Note: It often takes a few weeks for a listing to make it into a search engine.

5. How do I get my site to show up on the top of the listing? This is a tough question. There is no one that can guarantee you top positioning on any search engine. Each search engine has its own algorithm as to what it deems most important when cataloguing the content of a particular web page.

6. What to do if my site is in frames? Search engines have a tough time with frames. Using frames either prevents them from finding pages within a web site, or it causes them to send visitors into a site without the proper frame "context" being established. Both problems can be corrected, with a little foresight by webmasters. We'll take all pertinent textual content from your site and insert that HTML between the tags on the first page of your site, then submit that page to the search engines, directories, and lists.

7. What are the services available and fees involved?

Search Engines and Directories Registration Packages:

Contact Information

OttawaOnline.com, Agnitio Networks Inc.
Tel:     (613) 742-5453
Fax:    (613) 748-5772
Email: info@ottawaonline.com

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