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Case Study: Is Lycos InSite Pro Paid Inclusion Worth It?

Last Update: Sunday, March 06, 2005.

In this article I will show you the results of my test with the Lycos InSite Pro paid inclusion site submission program.

I recently tested the Lycos InSite Pro paid inclusion system. InSite Pro offers guaranteed inclusion in the Lycos web index within 48 hours of submission, and full refresh of my web pages every 48 hours.

Lycos InSite Pro offers two packages:

* 1-250 Pages: $189.00/month

* 251-500 Pages: $279.00/month

I opted for the $279/month plan. I have about 500 pages of content across my network of sites and wanted all of them indexed in Lycos.

The Results

Lycos currently do not provide keyword, impression or click-through stats, although they do intend to offer them in the near future.

So I checked my traffic stats according to my WebTrendsLive reports. I was shocked to find that Lycos only sent 41 visitors in the first 2 weeks of indexing my site. During the same period, Google sent me thousands of visitors.

So I wrote to Lycos and asked if they could provide access to click through stats for my account. I wanted to double check, just in case my stats were wrong. They couldn't.

So I also asked what I could change in my pages to get more traffic.

Here's their helpful reply:

Every entry in the Lycos index is created by automated software called a "spider." When a Web page is submitted to Lycos, the spider examines the full text of the page and determines relevant keywords based on its composition.

The spider will pay close attention to the components of the URL, the TITLE tag, headings and subheadings, frequency of word use, location of words on the Web page, and the distance between words.

If your Web page contains frames, our spider will be able to index the text in the <NOFRAMES> section only. We cannot examine the pages within your frame.

Once our software has extracted this information, an abstract is created and stored in the Lycos index. Our search software ranks the search results by considering a combination of the factors listed above. Web pages with fewer than 100 words of text are less likely to be found in a Lycos search.

Read that again in case you missed anything.

Note that the Lycos spider pays close attention to the URL. So if you ever wondered if search engines took into account keywords in URLs, you now know the truth.

Another important point is that your pages should contain 100 words or more, otherwise it's unlikely to be found in Lycos.

For some unknown reason Lycos doesn't like my web pages.

There's nothing new in their reply that suggests I have not optimized my web pages in the correct manner to achieve top rankings in Lycos.

Thankfully, Google does like my pages, so I don't intend to change my pages just to cater to the Lycos ranking algorithm.

In case you're wondering, I have canceled my Lycos InSite Pro subscription. But that shouldn't come as a surprise. ;o)

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Using the Usually Unused Usenet

When it comes to promoting an ebusiness, there are many other components of the online world that can also help to effectively bring traffic to one's site -- and some that are often ignored by most marketers. Aside from the Internet, newsgroups are discussion-centered bulletin boards and part of what is called the Usenet, the predecessor of today's Internet.

According to the Internet FAQ, the Usenet is a "worldwide distributed discussion system." It consists of a set of groups with names that are classified hierarchically by subject. They are similar to discussion groups in that they deal with a wide variety of topics, from the specific to the obscure -- each group being dedicated to a particular theme.

Newsgroups are also wonderful places to get your message out effectively since you can easily participate in those that relate to your expertise, your locale, or your industry. More important, you should participate especially in those in which your target market congregates.

But here's a caveat. Many of these newsgroups are moderated (i.e., your post is filtered by a moderator), and others do not allow promotional messages of any kind. Always check the group's charter, FAQ, or guidelines before posting. In other words, if you wish to participate in any one of them, always ensure that your post is acceptable -- if not, it will be considered as spam and will entail the consequences that spam normally incurs.

Maintain a Consistent Presence

Some groups completely disallow commercial messages of any kind -- including long-winded signature files (the information attached at the end of each message) -- while others are strictly commercial. When participating in moderated discussions, your posts must be on-topic and your signature file may often be restricted to your email address and web site URL.

The flip-side to the conservative nature of such forums is the fact that non-commercial groups can become tremendously effective for developing pre-qualified traffic -- the more focused and specialized the group, the more qualified the participants. If you actively participate by posting at least once a day, you will become known as a credible expert in your field.

"Out of sight is out of mind" is certainly true here too. Since you are not overtly marketing your company or product, you must therefore maintain a consistent presence in order to spark interest. Non-commercial, moderated newsgroups are wonderful platforms through which you can build credibility let alone good, long-term prospect relationships.

On the other hand, commercial newsgroups exist for the sole purpose of advertising. And since your ad will be among a multitude of other ads, a great way to attract the attention of newsgroup readers is to post articles or "advertorials" instead of blatant advertisements.

If you produce your ad to read like an educational tool instead of a hyped-up promotional message, chances are that it will be read by more people more often. Posting some of the articles you've written, sample issues of your ezine(s), long copy special offers, news releases, media kits, and FAQs about your company or product are also potentially effective.

Here's a list of newsgroups to which you can post ads. At the time of writing, most of these groups are identified as commercial or non-moderated, andto posts of that nature. But please keep this in mind: Some only appear as non-moderated orto commercial posts, and many change their charters (posting guidelines) from time to time.

(However, please note: Some of these newsgroups may not or may no longer allow such posts. Always -- and I do mean ALWAYS -- check first before posting, either by reading the group's charter or FAQ, or by lurking for a while to get a flavor of what's being posted. Post at your own risk.)

* news:alt.free.money,

* news:alt.make.money,

* news:alt.make.money.fast,

* news:alt.makemoney,

* news:alt.make.fast.cash,

* news:alt.make.money.fast,

* news:alt.make.your.own.spam,

* news:alt.biz,

* news:alt.ads,

* news:alt.commerce.misc-ads,

* news:alt.business.ads,

* news:alt.market.misc,

* news:alt.marketing,

* news:alt.www.marketing,

* news:alt.www.marketing.adverts,

* news:alt.business,

* news:alt.business.consulting,

* news:alt.business.home,

* news:alt.business.home.pc,

* news:alt.business.misc,

* news:alt.business.misc.entrepreneurs,

* news:alt.business.multi-level.com,

* news:alt.business.multi-level.exceltel,

* news:alt.business.multi-level.finl,

* news:alt.business.multi-level,

* news:alt.business.multilevel,

* news:alt.business.seminars,

* news:alt.business.services,

* news:alt.education.business,

* news:alt.mlm,

* news:alt.entrepreneurs,

* news:alt.internet.commerce,

* news:market.internet.free,

* news:misc.business.marketing,

* news:misc.business,

* news:misc.entrepreneurs,

* news:misc.entrepeneurs,

* news:alt.biz.misc,

* news:alt.business.home.pcalt,

* news:alt.business.home.pcmisc,

* news:alt.business.home.pcmisc.entrepreneurs,

* news:alt.business.marketplace,

* news:biz.comp.misc,

* news:biz.general.biz.newgroup,

* news:biz.newgroup,

* And news:biz.next.newprod.

Many groups also carry information that may be useful for your business. You could easily find helpful advice on starting a business, selling, marketing, promoting your product, the industry in which you operate, writing, publishing, public speaking, specific software and so on. You can even post topic-oriented questions to which others reply publicly.

Since the Usenet is actually the predecessor of the Internet, there are many participants who do not surf the web at all but remain fairly active in newsgroups. Therefore, by including the Usenet in your online marketing efforts you can reach a potentially larger target market.

Make The Most of Your Post

There are a wide variety of newsgroup topics on the Usenet, which include specific interests, industries, geographic locations, tastes, activities, themes, and so on. Your goal, therefore, is to pick those that are especially frequented by your target market. In other words, you want your post to be read by those that fit within your demographics as much as possible.

If you cater to car manufacturers for example, there are groups dedicated specifically to that very industry. Other groups also include car aficionados, auto mechanics, cities in which car manufacturers operate (e.g., Detroit), car parts suppliers, race cars, and so on. Basically, select appropriate groups for posting your messages so that they are targeted as well.

When posting to commercial (or non-moderated) newsgroups, your signature file should not be limited to your identification. It should also include descriptive information about your product, its special benefits, special offers, free offers (like a free catalog, a free report, or a free newsletter subscription), your physical address, any cross-promotion offers, and so on.

Moderated newsgroups, however, are a little more conservative. Avoid posting messages that appear self-serving or promotional, and use a signature file of no more than 5-7 lines. If these rules are not followed, your post may likely be considered as spam and you'll be banned from the group along with the possibility of losing your Internet connection altogether.

Nevertheless, one of the greatest ways to use targeted newsgroups is to conduct marketing research. Among others, you can obtain ideas for potential new products or services, or suggestions on how to improve your current ones. Ultimately, never underestimate the Usenet for gathering market intelligence let alone for marketing itself. Keep in mind that many potential clients (both Internet and non-Internet users alike) congregate there.

About the Author

Michel Fortin is a direct response copywriter, author, speaker and consultant. His specialty are long copy sales letters and websites. Watch him rewrite copy on video each month, and get tips and tested conversion strategies proven to boost response in his membership site at http://TheCopyDoctor.com/ today.