search engine optimisation tools
search engine optimization information

This week we're telling you why your web site should offer a sitemap page. In the news: Google provides free blogging for everyone and Overture greatly expands its network of European search sites.

Table of contents:

• Facts of the week
• Search engine news of the week
• Articles of the week
• Recommended resources
• Previous articles

We hope that you enjoy this issue and that it helps you to get more out of your web site. Please pass this newsletter on to your friends.

A sitemap page is a navigation help for your visitors. It contains links to all important pages of your web site and it gives web site visitors an overview of your web site structure.

Check out these examples for well designed sitemaps:

• http://www.Ireland.com/about/map/
• http://www.Google.com/sitemap.html
• http://www.Axandra.com/sitemap.htm

If you don't have a sitemap page on your web site yet, you should create one. It's enough to create just a formatted list of links to the pages on your site to gain these benefits:

1. If you submit your web site to the search engines, submit your sitemap page instead of the home page. Sitemaps provide links to all important pages of your web site. This allows search engines to find all your pages and to index them easily.
   
   If a search engine requires the submission of your main page, make sure that your main page links to your sitemap page.
   
   
2. Sitemaps allow you to use your most important key phrases in the description text of the links that point to your important pages. Many search engines rank those web pages higher that have links pointing to them containing the search term in the link text.
   
   
3. Many people can't find what they're looking for on a web site. If you provide a prominent link to your sitemap on every page of your web site, you can help your visitors to find what they're looking for.

A good structure for a sitemap is first a paragraph describing your company, your products and your philosophy, then a formatted list of your links, along with short descriptions for every link.

In summary, a sitemap helps visitors and search engines to find the most important pages of your web site. Don't miss the chance of improving your search engine rankings with such a simple tool.

"Google-owned Web log-creation site Blogger is eliminating its paid version and folding premium functions into its free service, bucking a trend toward making people pay for Web site extras.

The creation of Blogger Pro, which cost subscribers a yearly fee of $35, came about as a result of financial necessity, Blogger co-founder Evan Williams wrote in an e- mail to subscribers. Now that Google owns the service, that need has passed."

Overture to expand to four new European countries

Overture announced its further European expansion in an email message to its customers: "Following our recent launch in Italy, Overture will shortly be opening new offices in the Netherlands, Spain, Austria and Switzerland, in addition to the more established European marketplaces, which include, the UK, Germany and France. [...]

The Overture network in these countries extends our current partnerships with major Web sites and portals like MSN, Tiscali, Lycos and AltaVista, offering you the chance to reach over 81% of all European Internet users."

LookSmart class action lawsuit settlement proposed

LookSmart will compensate customers who were required to accept a new paid listings model to maintain inclusion in LookSmart's directory, specifies a proposed settlement to a 2002 class action lawsuit.

Overture inks Homestore to search and contextual ad deal

"Overture Services announced [...] a deal to provide paid search and contextual advertising for real estate site Homestore. The 18-month deal calls for Overture's paid listings to appear on non-real estate searches on Homestore's network of real estate sites."

Search engine newslets

Google has started testing a new feature that suggests related search queries across the top of the screen.

Google News is now also available in Italian language.

A Google employee has recently announced on a webmaster discussion site that: "An upcoming version of the Opera browser will include a user option to view Google Adwords instead of the standard banner ads that display on the toolbar of the browser. The AdWords would be targeted to the page that the user is viewing in the main browser window."

MSN Search is now displaying eight listings from Overture, three sponsored links at the top of the page and five links on the right side. To see an example, click here.

The Open Directory Project is currently experiencing problems with accepting submissions to their directory. This thread in ODP's public forum offers advice if you're having trouble submitting to the Open Directory Project directory.

"I'd been invited to talk about Google, or more specifically - as Google itself isn't really the problem - the effects of Googlephilia."

"Compulsory Licensing - The Death of Gnutella and the Triumph of Google"

About file sharing services: "Never have so many companies fought so hard to change the law so that they can so quickly be put out of business."

• Link Popularity Check. This freeware application tells you the link popularity score for your web site and those of your competitors. It's freeware, so download it now.
  
  
• ARELIS: It's the de-facto standard in link popularity building tools. It automatically finds possible link partners for you, it creates link pages in the design of your web site and it's indispensable in managing your reciprocal links campaigns.
  
  
• IBP: Besides keyword density and search engine ranking tools, Internet Business Promoter (IBP) offers the unique Top 10 Optimizer tool. This tool allows you to compare the top 10 ranked web pages on any search engine with your own web site. It provides specific advice on how to get a top 10 ranking for your web site, for any keyword and search engine.

• How to improve your link popularity with articles
• Complete overview of major search engine toolbars
• How to choose the right keywords for your site
• Nutch - an open source Google rival?
• Does advertising in PPC search engines really work?
• View all past issues...