In this article we will go over different places on the internet you can "submit" your site to for free to help search users find you. Some search engines have paid submissions you can participate in, however none of them guarantees any better results than their free services.

Some of the online directories can achieve better visibility for a paid submission. An example would be an online phone directory where you could pay extra to get your information highlighted and possibly listed higher in search results.Some sites require you to sign in or create a free user account. It can get a little hectic and sometimes just annoying, but stick with the process and down the road all the small steps taken will help achieve higher search engine rankings.

Google

http://www.google.com/addurl/?continue=/addurl

Ad your website to Google to make sure it is being indexed. Most websites are already being indexed. On this page is a tool to see if your website is being indexed. If you are already being indexed there is no sense in resubmitting, since Google will automatically come back to "re-crawl" or index your website.

Yahoo

http://search.yahoo.com/info/submit.html

Yahoo is a major player in the search engine market and represents about 30% of online searches with Google representing about 43%. Most people refer to Google as "the search engine", but good standings with Yahoo can bring great search engine exposure.

On this page you will have the option of more than a free submission, but sticking to the theme of this article, click on the top link "Free Submission". You will then need to sign in to Yahoo or create a user account.

MSN

http://search.msn.com/docs/submit.aspx

MSN coming in at about 13% of the search engine market is actually driven by what they refer to as the MSNBot. It is an application developed by Inktomi. Although MSN searches only represent a portion of the market, you must keep in mind they are owned by Microsoft. There are other applications on the internet that tie into this system, such as the new Windows Live and other Microsoft Mapping products.

SuperPages

http://www.superpages.com/

We couldn’t bring you directly to the sign in are on SuperPages because they often rotate their links. On the left hand column of this page about two thirds of the way down the page is a heading called "Business Owners" then a link called "FREE Business Profile" – that’s the one!

SuperPages is brutal on the up sell. Almost every page they will give you the option to upgrade to a paid listing. At some points the "continue with free listing" font is so small you may have to look for it for a minute. Stick with it – this online directory is very important. Keep in mind this is a true directory – not a search engine! So the only way it gets information about your website and your business is what you put in it!

InfoUSA

http://infousa.com/

Yes, they do get harder as we go on. Remember the old days before the internet? What did we do for exposure then – cold calls and excessive direct mail! Well these were the people that those lists came from. They still provide a great resource for direct mail data and other traditional marketing resources. But InfoUSA long ago, behind the scenes, got into the online directory game. They outsource, yes sell – their information to some of the top search engines and online directories. If you want to be listed as a credible business on the internet, you need to be in their database.

First step is to see if you are already in their database. Chances are if you have been in business for a few years or more, you are. Also, the chances that some of the information is incorrect, is very likely.

On the very bottom of the page will be a link "Update My Listing". They change the format of their site often, so beyond that good luck! But a must do!

DMOZ

http://dmoz.org/

This is one of the secret societies of the internet. The Open Directory Project is the largest, most comprehensive human-edited directory on the internet. Yes, can oyu believe it – human edited! Oh – and the kicker – they are all volunteers. I wont even begin to explain how this works. The good news is they have a wealth of information on the site that explains everything you need to know about the Open Directory Project.

To learn more about search engine and directory submission, click here or call (800) 711-2492. 


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