Battle For Search Engine Hit List

Illawarra Mercury

Friday September 28, 2001

SEARCH engines on the Internet are like the music or movie charts: everyone wants to be in the top ten.

After all, users tend to notice web sites that are displayed high on the results list, and having a site displayed among the top ten can translate into real dollars for commercial businesses.

The battle for ``hit list" prominence has created a hot employment niche for Internet consultants who attempt to bring their client's ``hit" rate as far up as possible on the search engines.

The money to be made by those skilled in getting web sites high up on search engines' lists is significant - but just how significant remains a point of contention.

NetBooster Web Positioning, based out of Frankfurt, recently conducted a study in which it concluded that revenue generated from the ``web positioning" field will reach about $A189 million this year.

The study conducted by NetBooster established that while around 80 per cent of surfers use search engines, fewer than one-fifth look beyond the second page of hits that they receive.

In order to get a site listed higher in the results returned by search engines, NetBooster proceeds in three steps.

First, a web site is analysed and appropriate search terms are filtered out.

The page is then submitted to the search engines and cataloguers, and the results are observed over time.

Once the web site starts showing up in search results, the firm can react to its positioning.

It can be several months before success can be seen, which is why NetBooster signs only yearly contracts with its clients. A contract costs between $A28,174 and $A46,950 per year.

Uses of nanotechnology

TO help soldiers survive, the United States Army is developing a new generation of combat uniforms using tiny, doctored fibres that let air through while blocking toxins from chemical and biological weapons.

The ``chemical protective overgarment", expected to ship in as little as two years, is one of the early uses of nanotechnology: the science of manipulating single atoms and molecules to create new products.

While nanotechnology won't be ready to build tiny machines or computer processors for at least 10 years, researchers in materials science are already using it to change the properties of plastics, oils and textiles, giving them breathability, heat-resistance, strength and flexibility.

In the military and civilian worlds, a wave of new nanoproducts are emerging.

Products include scratch-proof eyeglasses, helium-filled sneakers and plastic-encased ballistic missiles.