Submission Guidelines
Search engine submissions are becoming less time consuming, if only because of the consolidation of search sites. It is vital to know who is using who's results when forming your submission strategy.
A good submission strategy is something that should be conceived by an SEM (Search engine marketer) or someone with alot of time on their hands to do the research. We've already given some basic pointers, listed below. But this is an ever-changing process, and what is written here may be already outdated (and probably is).
- Yahoo charges annually for business sites. This used to be a no-brainer, especially for people with sites that weren't especially search engine friendly.
- Google is free, and it's really best if they can find you rather than submitting to them directly. Get your site linked relevantly from another site that is being spidered by Google. Watch the magic happen :)
- DMOZ.org (aka The Open Directory Project) is a directory used by Google and many other search engines. Submission is free, but can be a lengthy process. Don't give up on it, and don't assume that one submission will do the trick.
- There are some good secondary search sites out there that will drive some traffic to your site, and will also be linking to you if they are directories. Judge them yourself - would you use their site? If so, go ahead and add your site.
- Stay away from submissions to hundreds and/or thousands of sites. Don't use automated submission software - do it yourself.
- Submit your site one time - and do not resubmit unless the search engine loses your listing.
Resources:
Search engine submission links:
DMOZ (the open directory project)