SEARCH ENGINES
The "findability" of a site among the Web's search engines and directories is an important part of the overall promotional program, as all data indicates.

What do we mean by the terms "search engine" and "directory"? They are two distinct methods of finding information on the Web. A search engine offers the user the opportunity to enter a key word or phrase, then serves up a list of Web pages and sites matching the key word or phrase, usually in order of relevancy.

A directory, on the other hand, organizes Web sites into categories and subcategories, allowing the user to browse through a subject. Some entities such as Yahoo! are comprised of both a search engine and a directory, giving their users a choice of options for finding the information they seek.

Below is a look at the latest Media Metrix's ratings. They show audience reach, which is the percentage of web surfers estimated to have visited each search engine during the month. Because a web surfer may visit more than one service, the combined totals exceed 100 percent.

VISITORS
Keep in mind that the numbers above may include traffic that is not specifically search related. For example, "portal" sites such as Yahoo may include traffic to non-search areas such as their free home page building sections. Additionally, some sites such as Lycos combine the traffic of other sites they operate, such as Lycos-owned HotBot, into their figures.

Improving a site's ranking in the popular search engines and directories can be a full-time endeavor. New sites continually come online, other site owners make changes to improve their relative ranking, and the search engines change their criteria for ranking sites. What's more, truly aggressive efforts can result in a site's being completely banned by a search engine's administrators.

Because this has become a highly specialized area, The Oxford Group creates specialized programs to improve clients' rankings in the most popular search engines. This includes the following:
- Analysis of the Web site from the perspective of search engine positioning
- Trial searches using key words and phrases A report is developed detailing:
-- Current findability status
-- Competitive analysis of who is ranked high at this time
-- Potential courses of action

BANNER ADS
At one time, reports indicated that the most popular way for users to find Web sites was through links from other sites. These may be links scattered throughout a site, links gathered into a "hub," or links from banner advertising and sponsors.

Time was when virtually every Web site featured links hubs pointing to related information. In 1995 the "click-through" rate was 2.57%. Currently this rate is about .43%. Also banner ad populatity is waning as site owners realize the difficulty of getting users back once they have sent them elsewhere.

On the other hand, some sites are positioning themselves as "portals" or gateways to information on the Web. They then become first points of contact for users with special interests or "affinities".

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