Frequently Asked Questions

Who needs GravityStream?

Our clients tend to be ecommerce companies who have website platforms that rely on dynamic product pages such as: Blue Martini^TM, Broadvision^TM, ATG^TM and several others. Even though dynamic pages make it easier to manage large product catalogs online, these pages are not search-engine friendly for several reasons.

If your website is not crawlable by search engine spiders*, or if you feel that you’ve lost control of your natural search channel because you can’t get your website indexed by the search engines, GravityStream is a solution to your problems. Our existing clients have all come to us for different reasons ranging from a lack of IT resources to an inability to exercise search-engine friendly changes.

*Search engine spiders are the virtual browsers/visitors that visit your site and “collect” page information for search engine indexes.

Can you explain the basics of how GravityStream works?

GravityStream acts as a “translator” between your un-spiderable website and search engine spiders/bots. Your website visitors won’t notice any material difference between your existing website and the GravityStream version that they find in Google or any of the other search engines. As we increase your search visibility, GravityStream transforms your website’s pages into optimal pages that are “search-friendly.” If any of your customers follow a link from GravityStream’s version of your Web pages, they will be directed to your native site, assuring that their shopping experience is uninterrupted and flawless.

This complex process allows us to focus on offering the same content to both search engines and website visitors, so that we can ensure that the users’ content experience is consistent with the bot experience.

We engineered GravityStream to solve a very real “findability” problem for large scale site owners, in an ethical way, that benefits engines, searchers, and site owners.

Does it work for search engines besides Google?

Yes, GravityStream works for all engines except those who require payment for inclusion in their indexes. We refer to Google most often, because Google continues to garner the majority of natural searches.

Is GravityStream difficult to set up?

Not at all. Our builds allow us to integrate GravityStream seamlessly with your existing ecommerce website, and there is no need to make major changes to your website. After you decide whether or not GravityStream is right for you, we have an excellent pre-launch process in place. Typically, we encounter few, technical difficulties and are able to launch the site with minimal effort. Because the success of any online marketing program depends upon the quality and accuracy of its analytics, we recommend that you take the time to adjust your web analytics in order to measure your ROI.

Do I need to get IT involved?

While our configuration for GravityStream is quite simple, there is a minimal amount of effort required by an IT department. This time equates to a maximum of 10 hours; typically an IT department will accomplish what we need them to do in the span of one day.

Are your GravityStream’s services expensive?

GravityStream’s pricing is based on a limited setup cost, with fixed costs following the implementation. One advantage that utilizing GravityStream gives you, is that you don’t experience the pain of “fee spikes” like you do with a paid search channel. If you currently have a paid inclusion program, you will find that GravityStream’s pricing is similar to that. Our pricing structures are typically performance-based, and can be customized to fit your needs.

What happens if my native site has errors?

Because of the way that GravityStream works, our program is only as reliable as your own website. If your website is up and running, then the GravityStream version of your site is also functioning properly.

What kinds of website analytics will work with GravityStream?

If you are already using tracking services like Performics, CoreMetrics, WebTrends or Google Analytics, you can set up your reporting services to work with your GravityStream site. As part of the services we provide, we offer our own analytical measurement tools and monthly deliverables to help you understand traffic and keyword referrals.

How will my new GravityStream site affect my current rankings/search traffic?

By making intelligent decisions in the initial set up process, our team works hard to ensure that there will be no effect on your existing search traffic. Rankings, as you already are aware, are a dynamic process that continually ebb and flow with the nature of the web. Your GravityStream site will not harm or negatively impact your rankings. If you were to buy the basic platform for GravityStream simply because you couldn’t get your dynamic pages indexed, you would see an effect on your indexation simply because of how GravityStream is structured.

Does GravityStream help increase our search engine rankings, too?

Your GravityStream services model is based on well-researched opportunities to increase areas that you currently have difficulties ranking in. At times, our clients invite us to improve rankings for their entire site; others might ask us to help them take control over their “long-tail” to maximize their unbranded search potential across their entire platform. Whatever your goals are, GravityStream acts as your native site’s “partner,” to help your site succeed through several, different optimization levers that we can push and pull to help increase your rankings. Our services will ensure that you can take control over your natural search channel through research, planning, and implementation of SEO “best practices” on an ongoing basis.

Can you help optimize our web site?

Absolutely! In addition to our lead strategist, our GravityStream team consists of search engine optimizers, programmers, and analysts. Together, we work as a team to determine how we can design a strategy that works best for your needs. Our optimization services highlight several layers of optimization including: keyword research, keyword URLs, content optimization, and so much more.

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