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Search Engines and DirectoriesNotwithstanding the above, a successful recruitment Website will generate traffic, both repeat visitors (who will return for fresh content on a regular basis), and new visitors (who will become repeat visitors).The vast majority of Web users search for specific information. To this end, their first port of call is, very often, a Search Engine or Directory. All Search Engines perform the same three basic functions. In the first instance, they gather information on the content and location of individual WebPages. They do this through small, automated applications called "spiders" (or "crawlers"), which visit pages, "read" them and then follow links from them to other pages on the site. The spider takes the data it has gathered back to the Engine, where it is listed, or indexed. Essentially, this is a list of the contents and location of every page that the spider finds. The third element of an Engine is the one with which we are most familiar, the Search Engine software. This is a program which sifts through all the indexed pages searching for words and terms which the user specifies. It then ranks its findings in order of relevance. While all Search Engines perform these three basic functions, there are considerable differences in how the different elements are configured. Hence a search in different Engines using the same terms will yield very different results. There are hundreds of Engines and Directories on the Web. Estimates put the number at 850+ and growing. In fact, most traffic travels through six engines and one directory. The major directory is Yahoo!. It differs from the engines inasmuch as sites are selected for inclusion by people, and are arranged by both subject area and geography. Regard it, if you will, as a Table of Contents of a book, with the Search Engines functioning as indices (with greater or lesser levels of inclusion). The major Search Engines are: This last, Northern Light, is a relative newcomer. It reputedly has the most comprehensive index of the Web. It also "pre-sorts" the results of a search - information is, allegedly, a mere "four clicks away" from hitting the search button. Northern Light also provides access to information not on the Web through its "Special Collection", which is available on a subscription basis. Obviously, you will want your site (or job listing) to be listed on the first few results pages of a user's search - after all, who reads through to page 20 of the results of a search? Keywords, Titles and Meta TagsKeywordsThe concept of "keywords" is central to any meaningful ranking in the engines. "Keywords" are words - and combinations - which define the content of your page(s). Think of them as the words and terms a user would search for when using a Search Engine. As such, they need to be chosen from the potential user's point of view. For example, as a recruiter based in Kansas and looking to fill retail positions in the North East, you may perceive your "keywords" as "Kansas, recruitment, retail, North East, career, careers, job etc". However, if you shift perspective to the user's point of view and try to imagine what search terms would give rise to your listing, you would probably come up with a very different list - for example "executive, career, opportunity, retail, Boston". Keywords are collated by the major Search Engines at three points: inside the <TITLE> tag of a page; as Meta Tags; and in the first few lines - or specified number of characters - in the <BODY> of the page. Each Engine examines all or some of these elements with varying degrees of thoroughness (see below). If you want to maximize your exposure with the Engines, you will want to incorporate keywords, effective use of the <TITLE> tag and Meta Tags on each page of your site. Titles Each Webpage contains a <TITLE> element or "tag". The <TITLE> tag provides the information on a page which appears in the uppermost corner of a browser window. Your title should be descriptive and emotive. Don't shy away from visceral words like FREE ("free listings for applicants!"). Eschew the use of the word "homepage" - it says nothing and is over-used. Unless you have great brand-recognition, avoid the use of your company name - it takes up space and adds little. Above all, avoid repetition. This is known as "search engine spamming" and is penalized by most engines. Meta Tags The most common use of "meta tags" is in defining the keywords and content of a Webpage (the "meta" in "meta" comes from the term "metadata," which means data about other data), which are used by many search engines for indexing purposes. Somewhat surprisingly, only about 12% of pages use the "meta keywords" tag, and 11% use the "meta description" tag. Nonetheless, the use of artfully constructed Meta Tags can significantly improve your rankings with those Engines that use them. Meta Tags go between the <HEAD> tags of a page, immediately after the <TITLE> tag. They are constructed thus: <HTML> Obviously, the above is simply an example of possible Meta Tag construction. As noted above, it is essential that your tags reflect the kinds of terms that a user is likely to search for. [Next - Search Engine Submission]
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