- The Karcher Group
- Web Marketing
- Search Engine Optimization
- Search Engine Submissions
Search Engine Submissions
I got an email offering Search Engine Submission for my site. Do I need it?
Search Engine Submission (SES) is kind of a misnomer. While it was once a must to submit your site to search engines for rankings, those days are long gone. Now the search engines are fully capable of finding your site on their own.
But that doesn't mean you can leave your site up for grabs and think the work is done. In fact, we think it means you have to work that much more. Competition on the Web is constantly growing and growing and growing some more; to turn the heads of the search engine spiders (that's right, "spiders" read your site and send the info back to the search engines, where it is used to index and rank your site) you need to go the extra distance. To see what we do, review our Search Engine Optimization Strategy.
Consider yourself warned against those annoying spam emails that want money to submit your site. These companies must be up to no good if they're trying to charge you for something that's already done by the search engines. Plus, if you REALLY want to submit to the search engines, you can easily do it yourself.
What about Directory Submission?
Kind of like the good ol' yellow pages (remember those?), online directories are websites that neatly organize and catalog other websites by category. Most directories allow you to submit your site for inclusion in their directory. There are all sorts of directories out there - free, paid, comprehensive, niche, selective, open-to-all, etc. One of the most popular and comprehensive is the Yahoo! Directory, which charges an annual fee. Another popular directory is dmoz.org, also known as the Open Directory Project, the largest human-edited directory of websites on the web.
Here is how you might use the Yahoo! Directory to find newspaper websites by state:
Directory > News and Media > Newspapers > By Region > U.S. States
Inclusion in directories requires site submission, which is a fairly simple process. What makes directories so valuable to an online marketing campaign is the ability to target a certain audience; directories are categorized extensively, mainly by business type or location, allowing directory users to find exactly what they're looking for. In return, you're likely to get quality traffic and higher conversions.
Submissions to directories done carelessly, however, can be a gigantic waste of time and money. Before submitting to every directory you can find, be sure to review each one thoroughly and make sure you WANT to be listed there. Ask yourself some questions: Are any of my competitors listed there? Or is it all businesses I've never heard of? Does the directory have a professional look and feel? How long has it been around? The answers to these questions will help ensure that you target the best directories for your marketing campaign.
For more information regarding our SEO solutions, call us at 888.485.4932 or use the brief form on this page.
