Submitting to Search Engines

There are a lot of things to do when you've got a new site, and you want to be found. Start with good, relevant content. Well structured code. Link to other sites and have them link back to you. These all help getting your site found on Google. Submitting your site to 1,000+ search engines? Not so much.

Why It Doesn't Matter

There are plenty of businesses out there, offering to 'submit your site' to 1,000 of sites. But do you need to be found on 'neverheardofhis-searchengine.com'? Almost 100% of the web searching these days is handled by one of 3 companies- Google, Yahoo and Bing. Get your site indexed by these heavyweights, and you're covered. All 3 allow you to submit your site for free, and it's relatively easy to do. 

Or you could just do nothing.Google seems to find and index every new site I launch, without much effort on my part. But to help speed the process along, I will generate an XML Sitemap. This is a document on the web server, written in a specific XML language to spec, that search engines can use as a guide to your site's content.

Essentially, you are highlighting the content for them and hoping they will add each piece to their search results. You make it easier for them, with the hope that they, in turn, make it easy for you. The process can work without an XML Sitemap, but why not lend a hand? Those search engine spider-bots are very busy.

Get Started Early

If it's a new site you're launching, you're better off getting a holding/under construction page posted while your site is built. That way, rather than wait until your site is complete, you can at least get your initial site noticed by the search engines. Once your new site is running, and your content complete, the search engines will revisit your site and add any new relevant content they find.

Some Additional Reading

• http://www.seomoz.org/ugc/where-to-submit-your-site-to-search-engines
• http://thekeywordacademy.com/do-not-submit-your-website-to-google/
• http://websearch.about.com/od/quicktipsandtricks/ht/submit.htm
• http://www.buzzle.com/articles/should-i-submit-my-website-to-search-engi...

• Search Engines