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Submitting
Your Site to Search Engines
So you've
developed the perfect site, the textbook mixture of form and function,
both user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing. You've used all the latest
techniques in site design, and your site is fast. You've got great
content, beautiful images, and you've even got a great, easy-to-remember
single word domain name! So why are you still not getting any hits? Well,
probably because nobody knows that you exist. No matter how wonderful your
site may be, or how good of a domain name you may have, if you do not
promote your site, it will fail. But how do you promote your site without
spending loads of money on advertising? The answer is simple submit your
site to search engines.
What is
a Search Engine?
For all intents and purposes, a Search Engine is very
similar to an online yellow pages, giving users a listing of all available
online resources for a given topic. When a user conducts a search, a
search engine takes the keywords entered by the user, compares them with
the keywords listed by each individual website, and returns the matches
found. Search Engines are generally divided into two categories: Human
Directory Search Engines, and Robotic Search Engines. The difference
between these two types of Search Engines is essentially that Human
Directory Search Engines use human beings to review and index submitted
websites, while Robotic Search Engines use robotic "spiders". In order to
get your site listed by a Search Engine, you must submit it for review.
The submission process for each individual search engine, along with
details concerning fees and waiting periods will be discussed in the next
few sections.
Submitting
Your Site to Human Directory Search Engines
Yahoo
Yahoo is by far the most popular search engine on the
Internet, and thus the most important Search Engine for your site to be
listed with. If your site is not listed here, it is probably only reaching
about 20% of all potential visitors. Yahoo is a Human Directory Search
Engine, and perhaps the most difficult Search Engine to get listed on,
taking anywhere from a couple of weeks to a several months. Yahoo is
extremely strict concerning the quality of sites they accept, and the
final decision on whether or not your site passes rests with the reviewer
of the site. The first thing you must prepare when submitting your site to
search engines is a brief site description.
Guidelines for Site Descriptions
Your description should be no longer than 25 words. In
this description, there should be no words in all capital letters, and the
first letter of each word should not be capitalized. Also do not include
HTML tags in your description. Do not use commercial language or catchy
slogans. Do not use words like "the best", etc. Anything that could be
seen as marketing language should be avoided in your site description.•Do
not include the title of your site in your site description.•Descriptions
should not contain only keywords.•Descriptions should not include numbers
or brand names.
Choosing Site Categories
•All listings are limited to a maximum of two
categories. If you request more than two categories, your site may be
rejected.• Commercial sites may not be listed in non-commercial areas•If a
site listing is only relevant to a specific region, it will only be listed
under the appropriate "Regional" sub-category. If you attempt to list a
regional site in an additional non-regional category, your site may be
rejected.
Important Submission Tips
•Make certain that your web site can be viewed with
both Netscape and Internet Explorer browsers. If your site can not be
viewed with both browsers, your submission will be ignored.•Carefully
select your site categories. Select the category that fits the purpose of
your site as best as possible, because if you choose the wrong category,
your potential viewers will not be able to find your site.
Once you have
made sure your site meets the above criteria, you are ready to submit your
site to Yahoo. To submit your site to Yahoo, select the category you wish
to be listed under, and then click the "Suggest a Site" link located at
the bottom of the category page. Once you have entered the "Submit a Site"
page, click the "Proceed to Step 1" button, and then choose between a
Standard Submission, and a Business Express Submission.
If you have
submitted your site to Yahoo several times, and can not seem to get it
listed, you may choose to use Yahoo's Business Express Submission
services, which guarantee site review within 7 days, for a fee of
US$199.00. This fee is non-refundable, even if your site is rejected, and
you are only granted one appeal to site rejection, so it is important to
review your site thoroughly prior to submission.
DMOZ
DMOZ is another popular human directory, which is
rapidly gaining popularity among users. Currently, a number of Robotic
search engines including Excite and Lycos are using DMOZ's listings in
addition to their own search results, and AOL now uses DMOZ for their main
search engine. DMOZ is much easier to get listed in that Yahoo, as the
site has literally hundreds of thousands of editors reviewing sites.
DMOZ's unique system uses the general populous as category editors, making
it very likely that your site will be listed within a couple weeks at the
most. DMOZ also uses a very similar process for submission as Yahoo.
Simply find the correct category and then click ADD URL at the top of that
category's page.
AOL Search Engine
The AOL search engine uses DMOZ as its main search
tool, and all new submissions must go through DMOZ.org.
Looksmart
This Human Directory is becoming increasingly
important, as many other websites and search engines are beginning to use
Looksmart in their search results. At present MSN, Alta Vista, Excite, and
Iwon.com use Looksmart's results as part or all of their results, and this
trend is bound to continue well into the future. Basic site submission to
Looksmart costs $99.99, with a response time of approximately 8 weeks.
Looksmart also offers express service that costs $199, and offers response
time of just 2 business days. Submission is free for non-profit
organizations.
Submitting Your Site to Robotic Search Engines
Lycos Search Engine
Currently, Lycos is part search engine, part directory,
and is a Robotic Search Engine that also uses DMOZ search results. It
usually takes about 4 weeks to get listed at Lycos, depending on when you
submit your site for review. Lycos uses robotic "spiders" to index their
results, which usually operate once every 4 weeks, therefore if your site
happens to be submitted shortly before the next spider, it is possible
that you could be listed very quickly.
Excite Search Engine
Much like Lycos, Excite is a Robotic Search Engine, and
operates in a very similar manner, with both a Robotic Search Engine and a
directory. Excite has recently partnered with Looksmart, and offers the
same submission packages. There is a robotic search engine as well as a
directory, and you may choose to submit your site to either one.
Submissions to the Search Engine typically take from 2 - 4 weeks, and
submissions to the Excite directory via Looksmart are available in two
packages, "Regular Submissions" which take up to 8 weeks, and cost
US$99.00, and "Express Submissions" which take just two business days.
Alta Vista Search Engine
Alta Vista is another robotic search engine which has a
heavy emphasis on Meta Tags. Meta tags are "tags" hidden in a sites HTML
code. Generally speaking, the main meta tags used by most websites are
"Keywords" and "Description", which tell the search engine spider what
your keywords and web site description is. If your site does not contain
meta tags, you should have them installed prior to submission to Alta
Vista. Alta Vista, like Excite, has recently partnered with Looksmart, and
now offers two types of submissions. Submissions directly to Alta Vista
are free, and take anywhere from 2-4 weeks to be reviewed. Submissions via
Looksmart are available in two packages, "Regular Submissions" which take
up to 8 weeks, and cost US$99.00, and "Express Submissions" which take
just two business days.
MSN
Search Engine
This is one of the most important of the "Robotic"
Search Engines, and is now also partnered with Looksmart. MSN no longer
accepts submissions, and all submissions must be done via Looksmart.
Submissions via Looksmart are available in two packages, "Regular
Submissions" which take up to 8 weeks, and cost US$99.00, and "Express
Submissions" which take just two business days.
Google Search Engine
Google is one of the newest search engines, and is easy
to use and free of advertising. Currently Google uses DMOZ for most search
results, and now all new sites must be submitted via DMOZ.
All the
Web Search Engine
Alltheweb.com has an extensive listing of websites, and
is a strictly robotic Search Engine. It generally takes approximately 3
weeks to get listed in Alltheweb.
Webcrawler Search Engine
This is another robotic search engine, using Excite and
Looksmart results, with a 3-4 week waiting period for all new submissions.
Submissions via Looksmart are available in two packages, "Regular
Submissions" which take up to 8 weeks, and cost US$99.00, and "Express
Submissions" which take just two business days.
Netscape
Search Engine
Netscape has now partnered with DMOZ, and only accepts
submissions via DMOZ.
Northern
Light Search Engine
This robotic search engine is increasing in popularity,
and processes all submissions of new sites within 3-4 weeks. This site is
extremely easy to use, and has recently begun a massive advertising
campaign. All submissions are free of charge.
Hotbot
Search Engine
Hotbot is another popular robotic search engine which
is part of the Lycos Network. Hotbot also uses Looksmart, and accepts
submissions both directly to Hotbot, and via Looksmart. Submissions via
Looksmart are available in two packages, "Regular Submissions" which take
up to 8 weeks, and cost US$99.00, and "Express Submissions" which take
just two business days.
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