The Power of Topical Search Engines
What are Topical Search Engines? Simply put, topical search
engines are search engines focused on a specific industry,
sector or topic.
While many marketers are scrambling for links, any links, an
area that is often overlooked is topic-specific search engines.
What many don't realize is that these engines do produce
traffic, and they often contain traffic that is very targeted.
Anyone who has taken the time to analyze weblogs and track sales
sources will likely see that targeted traffic converts at a
significantly higher rate than non-targeted traffic.
A savvy online marketer realizes that often, the quality of the
visitor is far more important than the quantity of visitors. Web
marketers should focus their energies on attracting targeted
traffic whenever possible.
For example, if you sell saddles, advertising on a site related
to horses or advertising on a topical search engine like
http://www.horse-stall.net will bring significantly more sales
than advertising on a generic web site or search engine.
Niche engines are considerably smaller than general search
engines but they can still be quite lucrative. The small size of
a niche or topic-specific engine ensures that the there are few
competitors, and advertisers are generally willing to pay a
little more for the focused traffic. Advertisers appreciate the
unique benefit of reaching a very targeted audience who have a
higher likelihood of purchasing their product or service. As a
result, topic-specific search engines and directories are a
burgeoning market. There is far less competition in niche
directories and dominating a specific market segment and
establishing brand recognition is significantly easier.
It is virtual suicide to attempt to compete with the behemoth
search engines like Google. Web-surfers are interested in
simplicity and efficiency, which translates to as few clicks as
possible. This is an area where Google really cannot compete
with a topic-specific search engine. Creating a simple, clear
navigational structure of related content while cross-promoting
related products or services will increase the site's value.
Advertisers will also flock to search portals that are
industry-specific, as they appreciate the unique benefit of
reaching a very targeted audience who have a higher likelihood
of purchasing their product or service.
Consider the niche search engine, Alarm Tools -
http://www.alarm-tools.net . The traffic this portal attracts
will be of significant interest to manufacturers of security
equipment or emergency supplies. Imagine the targeted traffic
that an alarm company could receive from a link in the above
search directory.
Comtemplate the quality traffic a financial planner could glean
from an RSS search directory focussed on finance and investing
at http://www.finance-investing.com .
Locating topic-specific search engines is not all that
difficult. Consider using the resources provided by Search
Engine Watch, Web Search Engines, and Search Engine Guide to
locate engines that are topic-specific:
Search Engine Watch -
http://searchenginewatch.com/links/article.php/2156351 Web
Search Engines -
http://www.web-search-engines.net/directory/topic-specific.html
Search Engine Guide -
http://www.searchengineguide.com/searchengines.html
Qualified 'clickers' or interested buyers is what it is all
about; whether you are selling a product or advertising, the
more targeted the traffic the better the fit. As an advertiser,
consider topic- specific search engines. As an online marketer,
consider creating a niche search portal, as the market is ripe.