Sales Loves MarketingPaid inclusion is when a website pays a search engine to be included in its index, rather than to rank higher. The fee typically bought faster review, more frequent crawling or deeper indexing of the site. Where it ranked was still supposed to depend on relevance. Today it has largely disappeared from web search, and Google states that it "doesn't accept payment to crawl a site more frequently, or rank it higher."
How did paid inclusion work?
In the early web, search engines could not crawl everything quickly. Several of them sold site owners a shortcut. The US Federal Trade Commission's 2002 staff letter to search engines describes the main forms:
- paying to have a site or its URLs reviewed more quickly
- paying for more frequent crawling, so changes showed up sooner
- paying for deeper indexing, so more pages of the site were included
Search engines such as Inktomi, Yahoo, AltaVista, Ask and Microsoft used paid inclusion as a source of revenue. Google stayed out of it in web search.
What is the difference between paid inclusion, paid placement and pay per click?
| Model | What you pay for | Shown as an ad? |
|---|---|---|
| Paid inclusion | A place in the index, faster or deeper crawling | No, results looked like normal listings |
| Paid placement | A higher or guaranteed position | Should be disclosed |
| Pay per click | An ad slot, charged per click | Yes, labelled as an ad |
The lack of labelling was the problem. In 2002 the FTC staff told search engines that the use of paid inclusion should be "clearly and conspicuously explained and disclosed", and that consumers should be able to understand its impact on search results. In 2013 it updated its guidance, warning that "failing to clearly and prominently distinguish advertising from natural search results could be a deceptive practice."
What happened to paid inclusion?
Its popularity declined over time. Microsoft and Ask ended their programmes in 2004. Google later used paid models in some vertical products, such as Google Shopping, Flights and Hotel Finder from 2012. In April 2020, Google announced that results on the Google Shopping tab would "consist primarily of free listings".
How do you get indexed today?
You don't need to pay any major search engine to be indexed.
- Make pages crawlable. Search crawlers need to reach your pages through links and your sitemap.
- Use Google Search Console. Submit your sitemap and check the indexing status of important pages. See Google Search Console.
- Keep quality high. Google does not guarantee that any page will be indexed, so thin or duplicate pages may be left out. See indexing.
- Pay for ads, not for indexing. If you want guaranteed visibility, buy clearly labelled search ads.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between paid inclusion and pay per click?
Paid inclusion paid for a place in the search index, while rankings were still meant to depend on relevance. Pay per click buys an ad slot that is labelled as an ad, and you pay each time someone clicks it.
Can you pay Google to index or rank your site?
No. Google's guide to how Search works states that Google doesn't accept payment to crawl a site more frequently or rank it higher. To get pages indexed, submit a sitemap and request indexing in Google Search Console.
Does paid inclusion still exist?
Not in mainstream web search. Paid inclusion declined after the mid-2000s. Google used paid models in some vertical products, such as Google Shopping from 2012, but in April 2020 it announced that Shopping tab results would consist primarily of free listings.