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/addurl
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/addurlform
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?pgaddurl#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/regurlhelp.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.