Do What I Tell You Or Your Web Site Will Never Be Found!

Countries world wide fought against the Microsoft monopoly. Citizens in this country do not often tolerate anyone controlling their conduct in any way. But, world wide it seems as though everyone is jumping to follow Search Engine Dictatorships. And do so without concern for the fact that these dictatorships may be responsible for negative impact upon income and/or business success.

Have we become such sheep that we allow ourselves to be herded by corporations that dictate how we must conduct ourselves to make them money? Even web sites that are non-comformative to government are comformative to Search Engines dictates. I mean, isn't it ridiculous to allow a Search Engine to have so much control?

Compare a Search Engine to the Telephone Book. The Phone Company lists everyone business that wants to be listed in their Yellow Pages. And if you have the cash, you can get an enhanced listing. It's pretty standard. Everybody gets at least the basic listing, alphabetically. Nobody is denied a listing because of association, non-conformity, or product line. But do you realize that you can be penalized and even blocked from holding a listing by a Search Engine? Do you realize that the Search Engines dictate how many links, what the content is supposed to be, and how many times you can say certain words? Search Engines regulate how soon your site will be listed, the quanity and quality of your linkage, and who can even link to your site. Even more disturbing than all of the preceeding is the way that Search Engines determine the relivance of a web site and rank you web site listing by their criteria.

Face it, we the Internet public are not only lazy, but we aren't too bright either. If we weren't a little on the dim side and so lazy, would we really confine our use of the searches to the first three pages of results? If we are the intelligent and value concious people we claim to be, wouldn't we select from the results by looking at a few of the top, then a few in the middle, followed by a few at the end? Are we so stupid that we cannot see that we are missing out on real opportunities and great deals by not looking over a broader selection of the search result? Do you really think a company's product or customer service quality has any relation to its Google page Rank?

If you plan to rank high with Search Engines, you have to follow their dictate on what code (programming language) is used for your site. This is because, high ranking requires Search Engine friendly code. Thus, all the cool scripts, animations, and newest technology are a no-no because the Search Engines aren't trying to keep up with technology to be able to read the code and index it's message.

Are you aware that unless you place a robot.txt file in the root of your web site advising the Search Engines where they can index, that they have their robots invade every nook and cranny of your web site collecting information? Did anyone ask you for your consent prior to their invading your data? Nobody asked me.

Now I know it may seem as though I'm anti-Search Engine, but I'm not. On the contrary, I recognize the need for some sort of protection from Search Engine spamming by over-zealous persons trying to be number one on the list. However, I think the Search Engines are going about it wrong. And, I believe the Search Engines should be regulated.

I believe it's time to turn the clock back a little. I believe a URL need only be listed one time. The exception to this rule would be a paid for enhanced listing that could be graphical and be a portion of, to a full page advertisement. Funny, it sounds like the "Yellow Pages" doesn't it? Then I'd make Search Engines more locale specific. That way you could be listed in a local, state, national, and/or international directory. But regardless of all else I would ensure that every web site that submitted their URL had their site listed.

There would be no "sandbox," no "penalties," and "no dictates on site construction, content, or any other variable that restricts anyone in any way." A few years back, web sites were indexed and added to directories based upon their "KEYWORDS" and "DESCRIPTION" META TAGS. That is as it should be still. And, if anyone is going to apply a rating or ranking to a web site it would most certainly not be the Search Engine that the web site is listed on. The BBB rates and ranks business, and there are all sorts of other organizations out there to rate any other sites. ..

And, then I would make it a point to educate the masses. . .