Or Why Search Engine Submission Is Important

You can have the most relevant, best designed, and most important site on the entire Internet, but if no one sees it, what good is all that? Promotion is, without a doubt, the most important part of professional web page design, and getting listed in the major search engines is arguably the most important piece of that. I have spent much time researching the top — as well as more obscure — search engines, directories, and indices.

Everything I know about the submission of web pages and search engine ranking — also known as search engine positioning — is right here on this site. The technology is constantly evolving — or devolving, depending upon your opinion of them — and my knowledge of positioning on them is constantly expanding, otherwise, we'd all be bored to death by these pages by now.

When I first began professionally designing pages, I used various search engine submission services and automated submission programs, but I found that it would be just as easy — and infinitely more satisfying — to simply toss my money into a blazing fireplace. I couldn't understand why my clients' sites weren't listed after spending between $60 and $125 for these services. I decided that I could be more confident about search engine listings if I did them manually, so I set about finding out all I could about how they work. I soon found out, however, that there was a lot of information out there, but that that information was spread all over the net and much of it was contradictory.

Important! I have tried all the major programs, and was saddened for the most part. While I used to use TopDog, I now use Search Engine Commando and am truly pleased with it! I will be doing a review on it soon.

The search engine section of this site originally started out in 1995, long before search engine optimization was a recognized industry. At that time, there were few search engines and directories, and everything I knew about them was scribbeld on the backs of envelopes and on Post-It notes stuck all over my monitor and then the wall behind it.

I was on a mailing list at that time, and more and more frequently, questions about getting listed in Magellan or on AltaVista would come up. Rather than compose a lengthy answer every time, I threw everything up on a website at Geocities, and simply referred people there.

I began spending much time at the few search engine forums and websites in order to learn how to get better placement for my clients. I've found all sorts of advice, ranging from "submit and let the chips fall where they may" to "wrap yourself in aluminum foil, because they're all out to kill our business." I've written to the companies themselves, and I've experimented with meta tags and wording. “All I Know About Specific Search Engines” is constantly updated.

I also rely more heavily as time goes by on feedback from you. I try to update this site every two weeks, although life keeps getting in the way.

If you want a forum setting, you can hang out with helpful professionals at Brett Tabke’s Webmaster World.

While it is important to be listed, it is equally important not to mislead. Keep in mind that searches are actually more for searchers than submitters, and if you misrepresent your pages in order to rank high, you ultimately degrade a large part of the Internet. Please, above all else, be honest when you submit.

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Michelle Anderson
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Updated March 14, 2010