How to get a high search engine ranking on FAST / Alltheweb.

FAST is the search engine behind Alltheweb and Lycos search results. Although it is therefore not used by some of the most popular search tools, FAST is a highly regarded search engine and getting a high ranking here can offer a similar challenge to that posed by Google.

FAST updates quite regularly and has demonstrated frequent changes to its ranking algorithms in the past, from one update to the next. It does, however, offer both free and paid submission options, the latter of which can provide a better guarantee of a quick listing and stronger ranking position.

Submitting a site to FAST / Alltheweb.

As mentioned above, you have two options to submit a site to FAST. It still offers a free submission option, which can take several months before a site appears, or it will also find new sites or pages from its regular spidering of the web.

There is also the opportunity to submit pages through FAST's paid inclusion scheme, which can be implemented directly from the Alltheweb or Lycos search engines, or via one of FAST's submission partners, like Positiontech. The costs for submission are $35 for the first page and $15 for each subsequent page. Pages are listed for a year and re-indexed every few days.

FAST can deep index a website through either option, although pages submitted through the paid scheme can gain a ranking benefit.

Factors to consider for a high search engine ranking on FAST / Alltheweb.

FAST has been known to frequently change the importance of different ranking factors, but the key elements that can determine a site's listing are very similar to the other main search engines.

Factors to consider to achieve a high ranking include:

• Search terms used within the Title tag and the Description metatag
  
• Page content, position and emphasis of keywords
  
• Pages submitted through the paid inclusion programme receive a ranking benefit
  
• The number of inbound hyperlinks from other relevant and quality websites.

To find out how your website can achieve a top ranking on FAST / Alltheweb and the other top search engines, contact the web search workshop for more information or request a FREE site assessment to see how well your website currently performs.

A brief history of the FAST search engine.

Learn more about getting a high ranking on the other main search engines: AltaVista, Google, HotBot, Inktomi, Lycos and Teoma.

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The top web search engines
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How the top search tools work together
Options for paid search listings
UK search engines and directories
Partnerships between UK search engines and directories
European search engines and directories
The future of web search tools