Sunday, November 06, 2005
Finding Content for Your Site with the SearchIt! Free Research Tool
The SearchIt! free search tool consists of a window with two dropdown boxes and two text boxes. In the two dropdown boxes, you select the type of search you want to do. In the two text boxes, you select the search criteria (such as keywords or URLs) you want to use.
Rather than repeat the introductory info about SearchIt! that I shared last week, I suggest that you see the October 2nd blog for this information. Or simply realize that it is important to click all the links and read all the instructions that SearchIt! tells you to do.
You'll find SearchIt! A LOT easier and more valuable to use if you do that.
Using SearchIt!
Last week we looked at using SearchIt! for finding a keyword-rich domain name that doesn't violate anyone else's trademarks. This week we'll look at the tools that help you find content that you can either copy or adapt--copyright-free--or use for researching original content to put on your site.
It's important to understand a little terminology that SearchIt! uses in talking about content. You'll see the letters C-T-P-M used over and over again in the information SearchIt! provides about using these options. That's because they rightly see the content on your site as a critical component of its success.
It's an effective process that has proven itself successful over the years with a wide variety of website owners.
At any rate, SearchIt! content searches give you a wide variety of choices for finding content on your subject.
In the Step 1 dropdown box, scroll down under C-T-P-M and select Reference Library for Content.
Click the dropdown box for Step 2: Select Search Type. You'll see the following options.
Yahoo! Creative Commons Search and Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Let's start by looking at the Yahoo! Creative Commons and Wikipedia Encyclopedia options.
This option lets you search for content that is covered by the Creative Content license or is open source, meaning that you are free to use it, royalty-free, or adapt it as long as you follow whatever restrictions the writer has specified along with the content. This is a great way to jump start your content, either by using info as-is or using it as a starting point for building your own content.
Type a keyword or keyword phrase in the Step 3 box. Click the SearchIt! button. Read the information page about this search (they have some excellent suggestions about how to use Creative Content and open source content to build your own) and click the link at the bottom of that page to show your results.
Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia and Columbia Encyclopedia
Both of these options allow you to search extensive information about your subject matter so you can research your own content. These works are covered by copyright and cannot be copied for your site.
Type a keyword into the Step 3 box. Click the SearchIt! button. Click the search results link at the bottom of the page to show your results.
Google Print
Google Print can help you in two ways. It can direct you to books about your subject that are covered by copyright and available for you to use in researching your content. Or it can lead you to books in the public domain (whose copyrights have expired) and thus are available for you to use royalty-free. A number of business owners have specialized in copying entire public domain books and selling them as ebooks in niche markets where their information is still in demand (such as old-time craft books or Victorian decorating books).
Type a keyword into the Step 3 box. Click the SearchIt! button. Again, read the introductory page for more tips and then click the link at the bottom of the page to see your results.
Answers.com
Answers.com gives you material from top authoritive sources to use in researching your topic.
Type a keyword in the Step 3 box and click the SearchIt! button. Click the link at the bottom of the page to see your results.
FindAnswers
This tool searches for articles on your topic. Type a keyword in the Step 3 box and a year in the Step 4 box. Click the link at the bottom of the page and you'll see all the articles in the FindAnswers database beginning from the year you specified.
Fresh Google Web Pages
This slick tool lets you see any pages on your topic that Google has recently indexed. You can also use it to check what page of your site or a competitor's site Google has recently indexed. Type your keyword or domain name in the Step 3 box and the number of days back you want to check. Click the SearchIt! button and then click the link at the bottom of the introductory page to see your results.
Google News and Yahoo! News
Both of these let you check for the latest information on your topic in Google News and Yahoo! News. Type your keyword in the Step 3 box. (Put quotation marks around any keyword phrase of two or more words.) Type any words you want excluded from your search in the Step 4 box (or type a few random letters if you don't want any words excluded from your search). Click the SearchIt! button and then click the link at the bottom of the introductory page to see your results.
Topix.net, NewsNow, The BIG Five, and Time Magazine Archives
These options operate the same way as the Google News and Yahoo! News options, except that you don't use the Step 4 box. (Note also that with NewsNow, you are limited to one-word keywords).
Bartleby's Quotations
You can use Bartleby's Quotations to search for suitable quotations to drive a point home in your content. Again, type your keyword in the Step 3 box, click the SearchIt! button, and click the link at the bottom of the introductory page. (Take time to read the introductory page. It has some good info on the power of quotations.)
Next week
This Sunday, I've covered just one set of options for finding useful content for your site, Next week I'll cover some more.
All in all, SearchIt! can find you lots of valuable information. The main thing to remember is to READ THE DIRECTIONS. With as many tools packed into this one interface, you're not going to take one look at it and intuitively understand how to use every one of them. But the directions they give are easy, and they do more than just tell you how to use each tool; they also throw in tips on how to use the results you receive to make your site more successful.
SearchIt! is one of these free tools that really produces value for you. I recommend that you check it out and make it a part of your web marketing arsenal.
Jeff
The SearchIt! free search tool consists of a window with two dropdown boxes and two text boxes. In the two dropdown boxes, you select the type of search you want to do. In the two text boxes, you select the search criteria (such as keywords or URLs) you want to use.
Rather than repeat the introductory info about SearchIt! that I shared last week, I suggest that you see the October 2nd blog for this information. Or simply realize that it is important to click all the links and read all the instructions that SearchIt! tells you to do.
You'll find SearchIt! A LOT easier and more valuable to use if you do that.
Using SearchIt!
Last week we looked at using SearchIt! for finding a keyword-rich domain name that doesn't violate anyone else's trademarks. This week we'll look at the tools that help you find content that you can either copy or adapt--copyright-free--or use for researching original content to put on your site.
It's important to understand a little terminology that SearchIt! uses in talking about content. You'll see the letters C-T-P-M used over and over again in the information SearchIt! provides about using these options. That's because they rightly see the content on your site as a critical component of its success.
SiteSell, which provides SearchIt! teaches that there are four steps to building a successful site:
- Content
- Traffic
- Pre-Sell
- Monetization
It's an effective process that has proven itself successful over the years with a wide variety of website owners.
At any rate, SearchIt! content searches give you a wide variety of choices for finding content on your subject.
In the Step 1 dropdown box, scroll down under C-T-P-M and select Reference Library for Content.
Click the dropdown box for Step 2: Select Search Type. You'll see the following options.
- Yahoo! Creative Commons Search
- Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia
- Wikipedia Encyclopedia
- Columbia Encyclopedia
- Google Print
- Answers.com
- FindAnswers
- Fresh Google Web Pages
- Google News
- Yahoo! News
- Topix.net News
- NewsNow
- The BIG Five - CNN, New York Times, BBC, USA Today, Washington Post
- TIME Magazine Archive: 1923 - Present
- Bartleby Quotations
Yahoo! Creative Commons Search and Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Let's start by looking at the Yahoo! Creative Commons and Wikipedia Encyclopedia options.
This option lets you search for content that is covered by the Creative Content license or is open source, meaning that you are free to use it, royalty-free, or adapt it as long as you follow whatever restrictions the writer has specified along with the content. This is a great way to jump start your content, either by using info as-is or using it as a starting point for building your own content.
Type a keyword or keyword phrase in the Step 3 box. Click the SearchIt! button. Read the information page about this search (they have some excellent suggestions about how to use Creative Content and open source content to build your own) and click the link at the bottom of that page to show your results.
Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia and Columbia Encyclopedia
Both of these options allow you to search extensive information about your subject matter so you can research your own content. These works are covered by copyright and cannot be copied for your site.
Type a keyword into the Step 3 box. Click the SearchIt! button. Click the search results link at the bottom of the page to show your results.
Google Print
Google Print can help you in two ways. It can direct you to books about your subject that are covered by copyright and available for you to use in researching your content. Or it can lead you to books in the public domain (whose copyrights have expired) and thus are available for you to use royalty-free. A number of business owners have specialized in copying entire public domain books and selling them as ebooks in niche markets where their information is still in demand (such as old-time craft books or Victorian decorating books).
Type a keyword into the Step 3 box. Click the SearchIt! button. Again, read the introductory page for more tips and then click the link at the bottom of the page to see your results.
Answers.com
Answers.com gives you material from top authoritive sources to use in researching your topic.
Type a keyword in the Step 3 box and click the SearchIt! button. Click the link at the bottom of the page to see your results.
FindAnswers
This tool searches for articles on your topic. Type a keyword in the Step 3 box and a year in the Step 4 box. Click the link at the bottom of the page and you'll see all the articles in the FindAnswers database beginning from the year you specified.
Fresh Google Web Pages
This slick tool lets you see any pages on your topic that Google has recently indexed. You can also use it to check what page of your site or a competitor's site Google has recently indexed. Type your keyword or domain name in the Step 3 box and the number of days back you want to check. Click the SearchIt! button and then click the link at the bottom of the introductory page to see your results.
Google News and Yahoo! News
Both of these let you check for the latest information on your topic in Google News and Yahoo! News. Type your keyword in the Step 3 box. (Put quotation marks around any keyword phrase of two or more words.) Type any words you want excluded from your search in the Step 4 box (or type a few random letters if you don't want any words excluded from your search). Click the SearchIt! button and then click the link at the bottom of the introductory page to see your results.
Topix.net, NewsNow, The BIG Five, and Time Magazine Archives
These options operate the same way as the Google News and Yahoo! News options, except that you don't use the Step 4 box. (Note also that with NewsNow, you are limited to one-word keywords).
Bartleby's Quotations
You can use Bartleby's Quotations to search for suitable quotations to drive a point home in your content. Again, type your keyword in the Step 3 box, click the SearchIt! button, and click the link at the bottom of the introductory page. (Take time to read the introductory page. It has some good info on the power of quotations.)
Next week
This Sunday, I've covered just one set of options for finding useful content for your site, Next week I'll cover some more.
All in all, SearchIt! can find you lots of valuable information. The main thing to remember is to READ THE DIRECTIONS. With as many tools packed into this one interface, you're not going to take one look at it and intuitively understand how to use every one of them. But the directions they give are easy, and they do more than just tell you how to use each tool; they also throw in tips on how to use the results you receive to make your site more successful.
SearchIt! is one of these free tools that really produces value for you. I recommend that you check it out and make it a part of your web marketing arsenal.
Jeff
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