How to List With Search Engines for Free
Websites don't follow the rule set down in the 1989 film "Field of Dreams": if you build it, they may come--but only if they can find you. Getting your URL listed in the major search engines, such as Google, Bing, Yahoo! and the Open Directory Project, is an essential first step for all new webmasters. While both user-powered directories (in which humans review new websites) and automatic "crawler" based search engines would probably find your site eventually, submission to each takes only a few minutes and can speed up the lag time it takes before your site appears in search results.
Instructions
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Visit "Submit your site to Google," at Google.com. Enter your URL (including the http) and any comments you have in the text boxes. Then complete the "captcha" text to verify that you are a human and not a machine and click "Add URL." This process will notify their crawler to add your URL to its list of new URLs to search.
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Navigate to the "Submit your Site to Bing" page at Bing.com. Enter the captcha text and your site's URL (including the http) in the text boxes and click "Submit URL."
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Ensure that your site is not already listed in Yahoo! By visiting its home page at Yahoo.com and searching by site title or URL. If it is not already listed, choose the correct category for the content of your site and continue to "drill" down to the most specific category that still describes your page. Click the "Suggest a Site" link from that category page, which will take you to a form asking for the site's title, URL and a brief description. When you submit, the request will be routed to an editor who reviews links for that category and who will manually add your link if he agrees it is appropriate for that category.
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Determine that your site is not already listed in the Open Directory Project by searching on its home page at Dmoz.org. If it is not, choose the category that most accurately reflects the content of your site, then continue to drill down until you reach the narrowest category in which your site fits. Click on "Suggest URL" (located in the top menu bar) and fill out the information for your site. Please note that some categories do not have this link; according to the Open Directory Project, "These categories don't accept submissions, so you should find a more specific category for your site."
Once you have filled out the information for your site, completed the captcha text and agreed to their submission guidelines, click "Submit." Your submission will then be directed to one of the search engine's category editors for review.
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Tips & Warnings
It can take a few days to several weeks for your site to be listed in search results after you submit it, regardless of whether the site uses a crawler program or human editors.
Only submit listings to search engines for sites that you own or have created.
Read the search engine's guidelines for submissions carefully. Some require businesses to pay a fee to submit their URL or to list themselves separately.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit BUSINESS GIRL WITH LAPTOP image by Sundikova from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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Very Very informative.....Great site.
