Boost your site's search engine ranking
Submitting your site
By Mike Slocombe for Internet Magazine, May 2004

1. Getting on to Google
With your homepage suitably optimised it's time to start submitting your site.

With crawler-based search engines (e.g. Google, Inktomi, AllTheWeb etc) it's simply a case of going to their 'Add URL' page and typing in your details.

There's no guarantee when they'll include your page (google can take up to 3-4 weeks), although most offer fast track paid inclusion programs.
More info: Listing of submission pages


2. Delighting the Directories
Directories like Yahoo and LookSmart are compiled by humans who will review your site before adding it to their databases.

Before submitting your page, prepare a 25 word or less description of your entire web site and research which category is the most appropriate for your site.

Be aware that unpaid listings are not guaranteed and, even if successful, listings can take months to appear.
More info:
Submitting To Directories: Yahoo, LookSmart & The Open Directory
Submitting to directories


3. Paid listings
If you're in a hurry to get listed or are running a commercial website, you may want to consider forking out for 'paid inclusion'.

Although this won't guarantee that you'll get to the top of the rankings, it will ensure that your site gets indexed promptly.

'Paid placement' is another scheme which guarantees a particular position in relation to a particular search term. More info:
Your Search Engine Submission Budge
Search Engine Features For Webmasters