The process of pinging is a simple and effective way of electronically verifying the presence of an IP address on the internet. It is similar to what telemarketers do, you know, when you get those weird phone calls that ring and nobody is there, they are identifying that the phone number is legitimate. However, pinging has no real threat. It is merely a method for programs and computers to identify each other and verify each others existence on the World Wide Web. This process is necessary every time a person anywhere boots up an internet program, or the internet from their home or business computer. You may be wondering how and why this works, okay, here goes.
When Is It Used?
The most common types of ping applications are used for programs such as instant messaging services, internet portal software, search engine actions, and other programs such as those used on the internet. These internet/web programs may include blogging portals, forums, service/client applications, and other programs exclusively accessed on or through the internet. Most static, or unchanging websites usually use pinging services a lot less, however they may use tracking service such as visitor counters when you ping them through your accessing them on the internet.
The most common applications are usually blogs, instant messaging services, RSS feeds, and any other high traffic user interfaces. These types of programs are usually meant to be updated multiple times daily and the pings are usually sent to subscribers to let them know new information has been submitted or for the owners of theses sites to know about comments. Other pinging services are usually affiliate partnerships that need to know about new content being posted on their affiliate's website so that they can change or update advertising placed on the site.
Search engines are the most widely used of pinging applications. When new content has been placed on an already indexed website they receive a ping so that search engines and index bots can crawl to that site and index the new page of information. This type of pinging is an important part of building website traffic. Therefore, many pings are usually sent to all necessary internet indexing services. This creates the optimum experience both for web publisher and their readers. If the website owner is using a webhost for their site, pinging services are usually included, and those who have custom built pages, or who use web hosts rather that website hosts usually have to purchase a pinging service application.
Pinging Advantages & Disadvantages
When using pinging, it is popular to use more that one service for better results. This does come with drawbacks, although many feel it's worth the risk. Using more that one pinging service means that perhaps more than one or two search engines will be notified of the new information. Some pinging services may notify only a certain number of search engines, so using more than one service can ensure that most or all internet search engines are aware of the new information on the website.
As search engines are constantly searching the internet for new content, getting one or two pings about new content on a particular site may induce them to index that new information faster. This simply means that its targeted audience may be able to find it sooner than if the search engines were left to find the site on their own. Therefore, a website owner's content will be put to work that much faster.
That is why it is popular among content producers to use more than one pinging service. Many websites and blog sites allow this and it is quite easy to paste the pinging code right into the appropriate place within the sites content. This does, however, have a few draw backs. If the search engines, servers, or computers are pinged too often or too many times, the pinging may trigger a spam response and the website, blog, server, or computer may be blocked either temporarily or permanently. Some websites do allow an override of this and may enable the user to input a scrambled code into a verification box to verify it's a legitimate ping.
Using Pinging Wisely
Users can and should use pinging services. They are an invaluable tool in building website traffic. If you either have a site for profit or non-profit, pinging services should be one of your tools of the trade. If used properly they can be a good investment of your time. The simple act of notifying internet servers, search engines, and users of new content or your presence on the web can go a long way in your internet campaign. Using the right amount and your good judgment in this area should provide you with many happy returns, in traffic that is.
