Top 100 New Zealand Company Web Sites Invisible
to Search Engines
Report finds Top 100
NZ company websites are a waste of money
Shock New Zealand survey reveals how firms are 'sabotaging' their own
ability to be found on the Internet
Christchurch, 23-Jul-03 - Respected search optimisation company Web Rank
has today launched a study on the search engine compatibility of the
websites of the country's leading organisations.
The study reveals that every website belonging to New Zealand's Top 100
businesses contains significant design flaws that make it harder for them
to be found in search engines, thereby negatively impacting the potential
revenue of the organisation.
"In designing their sites as they have done, nearly all of New
Zealand's top performing companies are sabotaging their own ability to be
found by their target market(s)," says Director Kalena Jordan.
Most Internet users rely
on search engines to find product and service providers. Unless they know
the exact website address (URL) or search by the company or brand name,
they will try to find what they are looking for by using keywords that
describe a product or service's features, benefits or attributes.
Web Rank's extensive analysis, which is available at
www.webrank.biz/Top100NZ.htm,
reveals where major New Zealand corporations have overlooked search engine
visibility in designing their websites. The report also advises how these
websites can be improved to help potential customers find their sites
easier and increase business generated online.
Amongst the many findings, the report revealed that:
Every top 100 Kiwi
company website had defects that hindered their ability to be found in
search engines,
A quarter could not be
found for their chosen search terms in either US or New Zealand search
engines,
34% are not listed in
popular New Zealand search engines,
Almost a third are not
listed in popular US search engines, and
One-in-eight use
techniques that could get their site penalised on search engines for
"spamming."
The authors say it is
amazing that firms may spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on website
design and related marketing, but that they often overlook search engine
compatibility.
"What is the point of
paying so much money for a web site that will never be found?" asks Ms
Jordan.
Why is search engine optimisation important?
Search engine compatibility is loosely defined as employing design
elements that help search engines index a website and "understand" it's
relevance to a search query. To make a site more compatible with search
engines Web Rank, and other Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) experts
correct design flaws and implement techniques to ensure a website attracts
highly relevant, targeted traffic via those engines.
"Search engine optimisation is the technique of attaining a higher
ranking in search engines and directories for relevant search queries, via
changes to a site to make it more search engine compatible," explains
Ms Jordan.
UK studies by Forrester Research show that four-fifths of people find
websites by using search engines. According to Australasian market
research firm, RedSheriff, four of the 20 most popular New Zealand
websites are search engines. In addition, 55% of online purchases in the
US are made on websites found through search listings.
How to improve the search-ability of a website
Every effective website should include within the HTML code for each page
a TITLE Tag, a META Description Tag, a META Keywords Tag and text-based
content. Search engines rely on this information to determine how relevant
a website is to any given search query.
These elements are often overlooked by webmasters, or are too short and
generic to be effectively picked up by many search engines in connection
to a search query. Search engine optimisation of a website involves
changing the code to include more keywords and phrases that relate to the
products and services offered by the business, as well as changes to the
site's structural design to ensure it can be indexed and matched to
relevant searches.
Web Rank's report "Search Engine Compatibility and the Top 100 New
Zealand Company Web Sites" offers businesses comprehensive suggestions
on how to improve the search-ability of their website. Using case
examples, Web Rank highlights typical mistakes and advises on how these
could be improved.
The report considers how to use graphics, correct tagging, the right
keywords in text, how important links from other sites can be and how
firms can avoid being penalised in the search rankings from the
inadvertent use of "spam" techniques.
"By ignoring the most important method used by people browsing the
Internet, these companies are sacrificing an enormous opportunity to
attract more traffic to their websites," says Ms Jordan.
"Websites are often a very large expense for these companies, ranging
from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars. To invest such a
massive amount of time, money and effort into an online presence and not
ensuring it can be found is like constructing a storefront without any
doors."
She continues, "It is obvious from the findings of this study that New
Zealand companies need to invest in search engine optimisation services to
ensure their sites are more search engine compatible and therefore visible
to their target markets."
About Web Rank
Web Rank Ltd specialises in optimising their client's web sites to help
them achieve higher search engine rankings and attract more relevant site
visitors. It was established in Australia in 1999, with its New Zealand
office opening in 2000. Now, based in Christchurch, Web Rank has helped
more than 50 clients across eight countries. These firms include small
start-ups to Fortune 100 companies and some of New Zealand's best known
businesses. Visit www.webrank.biz for more information.
Chief Executive Officer for Web Rank Ltd, Kalena Jordan was one of the
first search engine optimisation experts in Australasia and is well known
and respected in the search engine marketing industry worldwide. Kalena is
a member of SEOConsultants.com, the World Association of Internet
Marketers and SEOPros.org. She is a moderator and regular contributor to
global search engine forums, newsletters and discussion groups and is the
author of the free search engine newsletter titled The Search Light.
Kalena has forged parallel careers in corporate IT and public relations
across the Australia and New Zealand for 15 years, advising companies
throughout the Asia-Pacific region on public relations matters and
Internet technologies. With an in-depth knowledge of search engines and
Internet marketing, Kalena set up Web Rank in 1999. She holds a Bachelor
of Arts in Communication from the University of Newcastle, Australia.
Chief operating officer for Web Rank, Gerald Jordan has more than ten
years experience in retail and hospitality markets, mainly in management
roles. Gerald specialises in accountancy and operating procedures,
computer systems development and office management skills, including
defining the ROI for Web Rank clients. Gerald has a Bachelor of Arts from
the U.S. and a Master of Business Administration from Australia.
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Access to the report is available free of charge for media review. Please
contact kalena@webrank.biz for a
login ID and password
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