Nucite Network

When I first began developing premium keyword domains, I got very excited to see that my sites would get ranked within the first few results on MSN search very rapidly... generally within just a couple weeks after launching a site.  It no longer provides me with much satisfaction.  Sure, MSN is a big name, but their numbers (in my experience) are so far away from what can be achieved through Google and Yahoo.

There seems to be a few keys to getting to the top on MSN: (1) generic domain name that fits the keyword being search upon (2) a URL structure that also includes the keyword(s) and not much else (3) a window title that has that keyword and (4) a header tag on the page that holds that keyword.  So basically, the simple spammy site can shoot right up in those results rather quickly with the above mix.  I want to emphasize that the domain name seems to play a huge part in the above guidelines.

Don't get me wrong, I'll take a high rank in any search engine.  I'm just not excited to see it in MSN anymore.  They're search volume is just so low that it rarely has much of an impact on my bottom line.

So why did I make this post?
Okay, a little bit of a touchy subject... I've had quite a few people tell me how wonderful some developer has been for their site(s).  "We got to #1 in MSN in no time!"  I typically respond with "Hey, great news!  Have you seen a nice increase in sales or visitor volume?"  And a generalized response generally goes something like "Not really, but if it got to the top in MSN that fast, then Google and Yahoo should catch up pretty soon."  I hate to disappoint those people, and I generally try not to burst their bubble.  I do, however, pass along my contact info and tell them to give me a call if they don't end up getting the results they were looking for.

Shameless plug: I do offer a bit of SEO and web development consulting in addition to my personal and joint-venture development efforts.  If you would like to get in touch with me, feel free to use the contact form here on the site and address the first line of your message to me.  I'll get it.