Every site should be marketed differently, and submitted to different engines and directories depending on its intended audience. Automatic submission doesn't do this. Manual submission is the only way to choose the descriptions and keywords that you think will be most effective in promoting your site, as most engines and directories allow you to choose your own.




Common Myths of Search Engine SubmissionHere are some common myths about submitting your site manually:

  1. Search engine submission requires enormous research.
  2. Almost every search engine and directory has a link labeled "Add a site" or "Submit URL," which takes you directly to their submission form. All you have to do is follow their rules and enter your information carefully.
  3. Websites should be listed in all search engines.
  4. If you list your website with the top-tier search engines, it will find its own way into the second tier and beyond. In fact, you don't even have to submit your site at all for it to be listed--search engine spiders are constantly combing the web and will eventually find your site on their own if your site contains links to other sites.
  5. Websites should be listed on a weekly or monthly basis. Continually submitting your site can be classified as spamming and result in your site's banishment from a search engine's database. As a general rule, don't resubmit a new version of a page unless you have an unfavorable ranking.
  6. Good submission is costly. The truth is you don't have to pay a submission service to submit your site to the search engines. Submission to most major search engines is free.

Search engines and directories you should submit your website to include:
Code:
<li class="textBodyBlack">http://dmoz.org<li class="textBodyBlack">http://dir.yahoo.com<li class="textBodyBlack">http://www.joeant.com<li class="textBodyBlack">http://www.skaffe.com<li class="textBodyBlack">http://www.bluefind.com<li class="textBodyBlack">http://www.zeal.com<li class="textBodyBlack">http://www.goguides.org<li class="textBodyBlack">http://www.gimpsy.com<li class="textBodyBlack">http://www.wowdirectory.com<li class="textBodyBlack">http://www.sevenseek.com<li class="textBodyBlack">http://www.thisisouryear.com<li class="textBodyBlack">http://search.looksmart.com/Submission Service Claims
How Long Does It Take to Get Listed?
Here are estimated waiting periods for some of the more popular search engines:

  • MSN up to two months
  • Google up to four weeks
  • AltaVista up to one week
  • Fast up to two weeks
  • Excite up to six weeks
  • AOL up to two months
  • HotBot up to two months
  • iWon up to two months