Unpaid Inktomi inclusion shows up - HOW?

[tedster]

We've been working with this one client site for a while, just developing optimized content and reciprocal links. We generated good positions in several engines with just that much effort -- no Overture, no ODP, no Yahoo, no LS. And no paid Ink spidering.

This week the client pulled out the checkbook and we started paying for placements to boost things to the next level. Lo and behold, when I looked in on Ink, a very key page has a number 2 spot for the client's most important keyword. This page was created long after Ink went to their pay system.

This is the first I've had a non-paid page added to Ink in about a year. I'm not at all complaining - but I'd sure like to know how this happened.

[dwedeking]

Takes forever but we've gotten some sites in for free since the pay for play system. Just a long wait when work on the site once then wait 3 months to see if it works, then adjust and wait another 3 months.

[skibum]

Free Ink seems to like index pages. Every site I've done has a the index page in Ink and often a few other pages.

As to why the other pages get picked up, it is unclear. Only one (site) is listed in YAHOO! and ODP.

Could be a certian amount of link pop is needed to get Ink to pick up a page and ad it to the main free DB.

[tedster]

Link pop makes sense in the case I brought up. This page (an interior directory index page) was part of a big linking campaign. It did so well with it that the site has a Google PR of 7 with NO directory listings.

[legster]

Well I spent 3 hours talking with the Inktomi rep at this weeks Search Engine conference. I asked him why I should pay them since my free listings still get good traffic. In basic terms he told me that paid listings are kept seperate from the free listings. The paid database gets priority over the free one. So yes my listings will be there for a long time getting traffic, but not as much as my competitor who is paying.

Interesting conversation. :)

[tedster]

>> The paid database gets priority over the free one.

Ranking priority, or spidering priority? I now think spidering priortiy is the answer, but I'm curious if you got an answer, or maybe an impression, about that.

[legster]

I probably should have asked further. He gave me the indication that it was ranking priority. So another words if someone searching for a type of widget, they would look through the paid database first, and then access the free database for results.

At least that was the impression I got. Whether or not I am write is a whole different story. :)

[tedster]

Next question from someone who's been ignoring Inktomi for a many months. Is there a way to tell if a listing is from the paid database?

[stcrim]

tedster - do you search in MSN and then look at the url in your bottom browser bar - the ink refer means its paid

-s-

[tedster]

Interesting -- I see pages that I know I've paid for and there's no Ink referer. Does this mean they're now in the unpaid index as well, and I'm wasting money by renewing?