How can I be sure that a Google, Yahoo or another other primary search
engine will display my URL on the first page of results?  Is there a
fee that one can pay the owners of these search engines to ensure that
your page will be displayed first or near first?

Hello, Sondej ...

It would be nice if you could pay to get a first page listing on a
search engine, but it just doesn't work that way.

There is no way to either buy or guarantee a first page listing in any
search engine, be it Google, Yahoo, or any other. Even using totally
obscure phrases that no one would ever check for won't guarantee a
first page listing.

For example, I did a search for the term "left handed cat jugglers"
(without the quotation marks), and got over 700 listings. Only 10 of
them made the first page; and of course, none of them had a thing to
do with juggling cats, let alone doing it left-handed.

If any search engine optimization business guarantees to get you a
first page listing, they're going to get your money, and  you're not
going to be happy.

Think about it, everyone would like to be on the first page, so there
is fierce competition to be there - and there are millions of web
pages on the Internet. What are the chances you'll get there with
those odds?

For favorable placement on Google (and any other search engine, for
that matter), you can follow their suggestions and it will help your
placement, but no one will guarantee you first page placement.

Google's Recommendations & Information
======================================

1. Read and follow the suggestions in Google's Information for
Webmasters.
    - ://www.google.com/webmasters/

2. Read and follow the suggestions in Google's Webmaster Guidelines
    - ://www.google.com/webmasters/guidelines.html

3. Read and follow suggestions in Google's Page Rank Information
    - ://www.google.com/webmasters/4.html

4. Heed Google's warnings about using Search Engine Optimizers
    - ://www.google.com/webmasters/seo.html

5. Pay attention to the list of what NOT to do
    - ://www.google.com/webmasters/2.html

6. When you have gotten to the point where you have met the criteria
suggested in Google's information pages, submit your site to Google
for indexing
    - ://www.google.com/addurl.html


As for whether or not you can pay a fee, the answer is "no". You
should read Google's Fact & Fiction information
    - ://www.google.com/webmasters/facts.html


If you have read the foregoing references, you will see that there is
importance in relevancy, links, content, content, and more content.

Lastly, if you want to learn about search engine and optimizing for
more favorable indexing, I would suggest you look at and subscribe to
Danny Sullivan's Search Engine Watch:
    - http://www.searchenginewatch.com/

and information available on Webmaster World
    - http://www.webmasterworld.com/index.htm


A good search engine expert will tell you:

1. just about the time they think they get it figured out, the search
engines change their algorithms; and

2. don't try to take shortcuts or fool the search engines - if you get
caught, and you eventually will, you could get delisted and never make
it back.


** Search terms used
====================

 - Google placement
 - Google page rank
 - search engine optimization


Good luck!
Serenata

Excellent comments and good references.