While it may be difficult to compete with top search-engine companies like Google, Yahoo! and Bing, you can find success with a people search-engine website. Use software that compiles results from various people-finding sites to help people find long-lost friends and relatives, even if you don't know Web programming.
Instructions
1. Determine what features your search engine should have, such as whether it will return addresses, ages or contact information along with names. You might allow people to use the search engine for free, but charge a fee for access to the full details of a search result.
2. Choose a name for your search engine that's unique, easy to remember and easy to spell. Check the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Trademark Electronic Search System to find out whether another business already uses the name. If not, register it as a trademark to secure your right to it.
3. Register the name of your search engine as a domain name that ends with ".com," since addresses ending with ".com" are easiest to remember. For example, if you name your search engine "PeepPeek," register it as "peeppeek.com." If the name is not available, choose a different domain name that matches the name of your business, or change your business name. Domain registrars register domain names for fees as low as $7 per year as of 2011.
4. Buy a Web-hosting account, which can cost between $4 and $200 per month, depending on the features you request. Ask the representative link your domain name to your account.
5. Post the details of your people search engine as a project on a website such as vWorker, oDesk or Elance where freelance Web programmers bid for the chance to complete your project at their price quote. Include in the post a list of websites you want your search engine to collect results from, such as Facebook, government websites or other people search engines. Choose the programmer who gives the most detailed and reasonable explanation of how he will finish the project.
6. Promote your search engine through ads on classifieds websites, search-engine websites and websites whose users are likely to be interested in your service, such as genealogy and reunion sites. Link to your site in your forum and email signatures and on your social-networking profiles.
