Search Engine Submission Tips

If the Internet is the ‘highway’ potential customers use to reach your company’s website, search engines are the ‘roadmap’. Though the customary terms for Internet users include ‘browser’ or ‘surfer’, in reality most users are ‘seekers’ and they are using search engines to find information on the products and services you have to offer. Using Search Engine Marketing (SEM), you can harness the power of search engines to direct increasing levels of qualified traffic to your website. You should be aware then, what search engines are and how they work. This knowledge will be a significant advantage to any Search Engine Marketing strategy.

Search Engines

Search engines use software programs often called robots or spiders to index web pages. These spiders are programmed to constantly ‘crawl’ the Web in search of new or updated pages. Each search engine employs different criteria (algorithms) to determine if your website should be indexed and how high it should be ranked. The most popular search engines today are Google, Yahoo!, and MSN. Search engines work on several different principles, frequently changing how they operate and where they get their information. Most search engines today use a combination of different methods to obtain results. Effective search engine positioning grants a specific website high ranking on search engine results pages. These results pages are a list of links pertaining to specific, user submitted, search terms. Search engine positioning is only relevant for search engines with ‘crawler’ technology like Google.

Search Engine Submission

Search engine submission refers to the act of getting your website listed on search engines. This is usually done by entering your website information on a particular search engine’s submission page. On Google’s submission page the process is quite simple as it is for most search engines. There are tools for mass, automatic subscriptions but they tend to be ignored the majority of the time. But simply submitting a website does NOT mean it will necessarily rank higher for particular keywords. It only means that the search engine knows the page exists. A useful analogy is one of a raffle; having a ticket (your website listing) does not guarantee a win, but without a ticket there is no chance of winning. This is why Search Engine Marketing is necessary. Professionals who are familiar with what works best with specific search engines can expertly guide you through the search engine submission process.

Directories

Online directories operate on a different framework then search engines. Rather than ‘crawling’ the Web and indexing sites automatically, human editors view submitted websites to decide if and where it will be included in the directory.  Some directories require a fee for placement and the time from submission to listing will vary. Listings may be difficult to achieve due to the large amount of submissions that editors receive, but they’re an excellent contributor to high search engine ranking. Popular directories include Yahoo! and Open Directory Project (DMOZ). If your website is listed in online directories, then it can also have higher rankings on search engines. For example, Google prefers websites that are listed in the Open Directory Project.

The Big Picture

Having your website listed on popular search engines and directories is crucial to Online Marketing efforts. Proper submission helps ensure faster and more relevant indexing and contributes to increased traffic, more qualified leads and sales. Remember that if your site is not indexed, people will find your competitors instead of you. Also keep in mind that search engine submission is just a small part of a successful Web Marketing campaign.