To keep the PC security protection up-to-date, anti spyware software is a must have for any computer connected to the Internet or Local Area Network. You may not rely on antivirus programs these days because viruses make a smaller part of most dangerous infections than spyware, highly diverse in nature type of malware.

Using search engines to find a suitable anti spyware software capable of protecting your PC or laptop at a reasonable cost is the most popular way. However, numerous anti spyware software manufacturers and an army of affiliate websites equally strive to attract to their sales pages as many visitors as possible, to convert them into customers. There's a tough competition between vendors of hundreds of anti spyware software products, making the marketing techniques more elaborate, more deceptive, more persuasive. This makes the task of choosing an anti spyware software a non-trivial one. There are certain requirements that good anti spyware programs should be able to meet to stay on tip of the competition.

1. Make sure that each anti spyware product you consider as a candidate for downloading and installing is backed up by a manufacturer's website. The web presence is a must for a software that is meant to protect computers against Internet threats.

2. Pay attention to the design and layout of the website. Sections "about the company", "support", "download", "FAQ" and "contact us" are deemed a standard of corporate conscience these days. Expect to find testimonials from customers as well.

3. If you have Google Toolbar installed, note the Page Rank of the home page of the anti spyware software. A zero PR should alert you. While this is not necessarily an indication of suspicious company background, it is more usual for established security vendors to have a PR of 3 or more at their main page.

4. Learn the Alexa ranking of the website, too. If the website has a rank over 10,000,000 then this means there are too little visitors to it, which consequently leads to conclusion that nobody really goes there. The reasons for the absence of visitors may be various, but the lack of interest to the product is one of them.

5. A good anti-spyware product is usually available for a free download and scan. Products from young and ambitious companies may allow full-featured trials valid for a couple of weeks or a month before the customer will have to make a conclusion whether the software is worth purchasing or not.

6. Frequent updates to anti spyware databases are a sure sign that the company cares about its customers. It also means there's a security lab employing IT experts and analysts to monitor the malware activity in the digital world – only serious businesses can afford that.

7. Usually anti spyware software is offered at least in two versions – paid and free, the latter being limited in features (such as automatic updates or real-time protection). Often there are server versions for enterprise customers as well.

8. Fast scanning, contrary to the popular myth, has no relation to effectiveness of anti spyware software. If the program scans files fast, you may suspect it to miss something harmful. So generally there's no reason to be impressed by fast scans. What really matters is how much malware the program detects and removes. Detection rates are a typical parameter for security software, and most manufacturers use it among the first features listed on product sales pages.

9. However, a claim for 100% detection is a sign that you're looking at a controversial anti spyware software. In real world, this detection rate is never achievable. So you can conclude that either marketers use a bit of lie to impress you, or there's a need to focus your attention on this parameter rather than other features. Remember that detecting and removing are not same things. It often happens that anti spyware software is unable to delete the found infections – that's one of the reasons you should be skeptical about 100% detection rate promises. It just can't be true.

10. Finally, if you have additional questions, ask the support. Customer-oriented companies will answer questions of potential anti spyware buyers usually within a 24 hour timeframe.

It is worth repeating that these steps will help you to filter out most of ineffective products that never deliver in full and don't stand up to the claims. However, it is even more important to consult someone in-the-know whom you trust. Asking for opinions at forums is not quite reliable source of information these days – affiliate sellers monitor boards just for that type of questions, ready to throw at you a hard-sell. So it is best if you can clarify certain questions with the help of an advanced computer user or someone IT-savvy. My experience shows that knowledgeable people who are aware of the trends on the anti spyware software market will name several products, one or two of them being unknown to average users. There's nothing suspicious here; young companies just starting in the security software business, have no other way to leave the industry leaders behind other than providing more features and better support. They offer more flexible licensing options, too.

Next: Best Anti Spyware: Misleading Promises And Little Known Leaders