We discussed
a lot on how to search information from Internet,
specially search engines - various tips, tricks
and traps. But what about information at your
backyard - your website ?
Surely, you know its content like
the back of your hand - but what is the comfort
level of a visitor ? Can he/she find information
from your website with equal ease ?
Visitors of your website are the
most important people for your business - for
they are not just surfers but also existing or
future customers. A website search engine is one
of the most important constituents of a good navigational
aids - and research has shown that a website with
good navigational aid has more chances of winning
customers than others.
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But hang on ! Do I need a search
engine ?? I am doing all right without one
at present !
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My site is too small - why should
I spend on search engine ?
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Isn't it too costly and technically
difficult to have my own search engine ?
These and many others questions, issues
and apprehensions - many being quite valid, requires
discussion. In a short series we shall discuss
essential elements and as usual a resources list
to help you.
I have elaborate menus and links
at my home page - then why would I need a search
engine ?
You have worked hard to create, collect,
edit and display contents for your website, not
to talk of significant investment in time and
money. You feel your effort is successful if the
website is able to communicate a positive image
about your company and products to potential customers.
But the quality and quantity of content is not
the only issue: to have value, your site must
be accessible.
You might have a carefully developed
menu system to logically move from page to page
- but many people simply want to locate a specific
product right away, and don't want to follow links.
In other cases, visitors will come to your site
for a reason you could never anticipate, and obviously
will not find a pre-arranged menu system very
helpful.
A Website search engine gives your
visitors a chance to find something on your site
by searching, like universal search engines such
as AltaVista, or Google. Because your site is
focussed on a particular area or topic, a site
search engine will allow visitors to find required
information quickly and without wading through
hundreds of irrelevant results. It will keep them
on your site, and will allow you to learn more
about what your visitors are looking for.
Who Needs
a Web Site Search Engine ?
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Websites having valuable data
and/or large number of pages. Its difficult
to define exact number of pages or quantify
value, but if it takes quite a few mouse clicks
or considerable time to reach a particular
page or locate a piece of information - you
probably need a search engine for your website.
Remember, site search engine increases comfort
level of visitors - try to put yourself in
visitor's boot and figure out the comfort
level without search engine. Ask your friends
and customers for an unbiased view.
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Sites where many visitors come
from search engines at pages deep within the
site hierarchy
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Growing sites that are adding
new and valuable information regularly
Who Doesn't
Need a Web Site Search Engine
-
Very small sites where required
information is easy to locate.
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As rule of thumb, if you can
reach all pages in your website from home
page through just one mouse click - you possibly
do not need a website search engine. Obviously,
this is for a standard home page - not a gigantic
list of links.
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Sites which are lists of links
focussed on one topic - with excellent navigation
structure
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Database-driven sites, where
the content is mostly stored in database rather
than static HTML pages What you need in such
cases is a database search tool, rather than
a site search engine.
Suppose, I need a search engine for
my website. What do I do next ?
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