Search engines are in a constant state of change. Just when you
think you've got the rules down, someone comes along and changes
them. If you've been paying attention lately, you'll notice that
many of the top search engines and directories are now charging
for website submissions. What was once totally free now could
cost you $199.00. The submission price is not for a top
position, it's simply for a listing in the index itself. Believe
it or not, some of them will take your money, guaranteeing only
that your site will be reviewed -- not listed.
Some of the search engines and directories that were once
independent have been bought out by other companies or borrow
their search results from them to display on their own site.
Keeping up with who owns what and who's charging for admission
could drive you crazy. Come along with me for the latest updates
in the insane world of search engines as I review the major
players in the game today.
1) EXCITE: http://www.excite.com/info/add_url
Now partnered with LookSmart by submitting you'll also get
listed with LookSmart's Network of partner sites such as Alta
Vista, MSN, WebCrawler and Magellan.
Offers three levels of submission services. Express submit gives
you a guaranteed review within two business days for $199.00.
Basic Submission is $99.00 but takes longer, with sites being
reviewed in approximately eight weeks. Excite still offers a
free service with no guarantee of a listing: Go to
http://www.excite.com/info/add_url_form
2) ALTAVISTA: http://doc.altavista.com/addurl/
As one of LookSmart's partner sites, here you'll be presented
with the same submission prices as at Excite. Prices are $199.00
or $99.00. They do allow you to submit your site for free with
no guarantee of a listing. Go to
http://www.altavista.com/cgi-bin/query?pg=addurl#form
3) HOTBOT: http://hotbot.lycos.com/addurl.asp
The link above will submit your site to the Inktomi web page
database which is HotBot's partner. Another way of getting
listed here is to submit your site to "The Open Directory
Project" which is our next stop. Submission is still free at
this time.
4) THE OPEN DIRECTORY PROJECT: http://dmoz.org/add.html
A good reason to get listed here is the size and number of other
search engines and directories that feed off its contents, such
as AOL and Hotbot. Remember it's a directory and all submissions
are reviewed by a human. When submitting, you need to find the
appropriate category for your site and then click the "add URL"
at the top of that page. Submission is free.
5) NORTHERN LIGHT:
http://www.northernlight.com/docs/regurl_help.html
Still the same after all these years. They won't ask for your
money, but they also won't make it easy for you to find the
submission page either. Why they want to make it so difficult is
beyond me; as a search engine you'd think they would want you to
submit your website. Free if you can find it....I've made it
easy for you.
6) LYCOS: http://home.lycos.com/addasite.html
Free to submit to but it can take up to 2 or 3 weeks for your
URL to show up in their index. What do you expect for nothing?
7) YAHOO: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/suggest/
The king of directories no longer allows free submissions of
commercial websites. Business Express listing is $199.00 with
adult sites being charged a whopping $600.00 for the same
privilege. Sites are reviewed within seven days with no
guarantee of a listing even after they've reviewed your site. So
be prepared to lose your money if they don't feel your site is
worthy enough to be listed in their superior directory.
8) INFOSPACE: http://www.infospace.com/info/submit.htm
Free to submit to but you'll need to fill out a pretty lengthy
form to get listed. Infospace also borrows results from The Open
Directory Project and Inktomi's database.
9) GOOGLE: http://www.google.com/addurl.html
Free to submit to with no guarantee of a listing. This is an
important one as Yahoo pulls results from Google's directory as
well as their own.
10) ASK JEEVES: mailto:url@askjeeves.com
This directory allows people to search by asking questions.
Since it's backed by humans, you need to submit your site by
email along with its URL and short description. Some suggest you
also include a question that someone may type in when looking
for a site like yours. No guarantee of a listing but definitely
worth a shot due to Ask Jeeves' popularity.
So there you have it; the top ten search engines and directories
and their latest guidelines for submitting. By concentrating on
getting your site listed with these major players you'll know
your site is every- where it needs to be for optimum search
engine traffic. Now getting it listed at the top is a whole
different story, and the subject for another article.
About the author:
Merle http://www.EzineAdAuction.com "Where some of the BEST
Deals in Ezine Advertising are Made" Buy & Sell Ezine Ads in a
live auction setting! Pubishers sell off your excess inventory
and Buyers pick up some Fantastic bargains. Go now.
