You're
using your favorite search engine, ready to find the most appropriate
sites for your needs. You type in your search terms, and up comes a list
of the most relevant sites, right? Not necessarily - often, search engines
look for your search term within the web pages they've collected and
indexed. The results reflect the search engine's determination of how
relevant the site's content is to your inquiry. But some search engines
will rank sites higher in your results if the site pays a fee, regardless
of its relevance to your terms. Knowing how search results are sorted and
ranked can make a difference in which search engines you choose to use and
how you interpret the results.
Here are a few things to keep in
mind while using search engines:
> Some search engines have
programs for paid placement and paid inclusion.
> Paid
placement means websites or URLs pay search engines for higher rankings or
more prominent placements in search results.
> Paid
inclusion means websites or URLs pay to be included in a search engine's
pool of results available for display, but not to be more
prominent.
> Sometimes, third-party partners, like other
search engines or guide sites, provide listings to search engines. If a
partner has its own payment arrangements with a website, it could affect
the results on the search engine you use.
> Many sites
indicate whether a placement is paid for. If the search engine separates
some search results as "Sponsored Listings," they may be paid for
placement. But keep in mind that results may be grouped under other
labels. Look for terms like "featured listings," "recommended sites,"
"search partner" or "products and services." If those sites are ranked
higher than others or placed in a more prominent location than others, it
could be a tip-off that the search engine uses a paid placement
program.
> You may find an explanation of the type of
paid placement or paid inclusion program the search engine uses. If such a
program is in use, the explanations should be easy to find and understand.
If they're not and the omission bothers you, let the search engine
know.
> Paid inclusion programs do not guarantee higher
rankings for listings and may provide features that are useful. For
example, paid inclusion programs may provide consumers with better choices
if the programs allow search engines to review URLs more quickly or review
websites more deeply than they would otherwise.
> You
have a choice. Before you decide which search engine to use, consider
whether the use of payment programs for placement or inclusion in search
results is important to you. |
