Paid Inclusion Options
Date: 17 December 2001

Some search engines now offer a paid-inclusion option which guarantees a quick listing with them and that the pages you want listed are listed and visited often. This does not mean that the pages will necessarily rank well for particular searches. However, greater representation of your site often means increased traffic or a more targeted audience. Paid-inclusion options are in place at Inktomi/HotBot, AltaVista and likely to be introduced by FAST and Lycos in the New Year.

The cost of paid-inclusion varies between engines but is relatively expensive, especially as the charges are in US dollars. For example: Inktomi/HotBot Search Submit Program
$US39 for first URL, $US25 for each additional url. This is an annual cost.

AltaVista now offers enhancements to its paid listings so that you can include logos, tag lines, photos and text links – from $US50 for 6 months. See; http://www.altavista.com/sites/search/listing_enhancements

Looksmart.com
Looksmart.com currently charges to review all submissions from commercial web sites. There are two choices. The $299 "Express Submit" option guarantees a yes or no answer about being listed within 48 hours. The $149 "Basic Submit" option guarantees an answer in up to 8 weeks. The fee is in US dollars and is non refundable.

Looksmart.com is worth considering if the US is an important market for you. Not only is this a major directory in its own right, but it also provides search results for several other engines including MSN Search, Altavista, Excite. However, a listing in Looksmart US does not mean you are also listed in Looksmart NZ or Australia as these regional directories are run as separate business units. Currently it is not possible to get listings in Looksmart NZ, paid or free as they have not re-indexed for some time.

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