Search Engine Optimization Bible, Second Edition

Chapter 17. Pay-for-Inclusion Services

IN THIS CHAPTER

• When to use pay-for-inclusion services

• Understanding the business model

• Managing paid services

• Hiring the right professionals

• Contract considerations

• When the relationship isn't working

Search engine marketing is composed of two very different elements. Search engine optimization (SEO), strictly speaking, is about improving your natural search engine rankings through tweaking your web site. Pay-per-click (PPC) programs, conversely, are based on the ability to pay for placement. Even Google separates the two in its search results, with natural search results appearing on the left side and paid search results appearing on the right.

When you're fighting today's competition to improve your web site ranking, you need to use every weapon (i.e., tool) in your arsenal. One of those tools is paid inclusion but there's a lot of confusion around paid inclusion and when it should be used. Very often, paid inclusion is confused with paid placement. They're very different strategies.

Similarly, when you hear about paid inclusion, you may well hear it called pay for inclusion (PFI) or pay per inclusion (PPI). Again, these are not the same animal. Pay for inclusion is a strategy whereby you pay a fee simply to be included in a search index. This fee doesn't guarantee your rank in the index. It's a simple flat fee that's usually paid annually.

Pay per inclusion is also a strategy in which you pay a fee to be included in a search index, but the fee that ...