Before submitting your site to search engines you should have some insight into, 1.. how they function. 2.. what some of differences are. 3.. which ones to submit to. 4.. do I need to pay for a submission?

Is it a Search Engine or a Directory?

When submitting your site to a search engine or search directory be aware that there is a difference between two. Not being aware of this difference can create problems. Example, Google is a search engine and Yahoo is a directory. The basic difference between two is in way submission is reviewed and entered into database index. Search Engines

Search engines are databases that use robots/spiders to crawl Internet and index web sites. The database listing is automatically generated from information gathered from pages of web site. The sites may be found through random search of Internet or through a submission.

Directories

Directory databases are compiled from submissions and reviewed by editors, real live human beings. The editors physically review submission, rate it, and catagorize it. Take great care in describing a site when submitting it to a directory. The methods used to achieve a high search engine ranking DOES NOT work when submitting to a directory.

Submission

Understanding where major search engines and directories get some of their database information from can help when it come time to submit a site. It can save a lot of time and possibly quite a few dollars.

Many major search engines and directories get their search results from third-party search providers. Some of these third-party search providers are other search engines or directories. So by reviewing who provides search results to whom may help with your submission process. Submitting to one search engine may get your site displayed in another one where you would have had to pay for submission.

Example:

Google, most popular search engine on Internet, provides main results to AOL Search, Netscape Search, and Yahoo (fee-based). Google uses Open Directory for back-up results. The Open Directory also provides directory back-up results for AOL Search, Ask Jeeves, HotBot(fee-based submission), Lycos(fee-based submission), and Netscape Search.

Needless to say, getting your site listed in Open Directory is well worth time spent submitting it. DMOZ (http://dmoz.org/)

Content is Key

Good content is key to website promotion success. All bells and whistles in world will not hold an audience like compelling information. Ask yourself: Why would a visitor stay at my website? What are they looking for? What do I have that they need? What holds them there once I've got them visiting? You have to tell your story in a way that will keep your visitors interested and coming back for more.

Get Those Visitors

The first part of process is getting visitors to your site through search engine promotion and other traditional marketing methods. As you increase your visibility, more visitors will come to see what commotion is all about.

Keep Those Visitors

The second part of process is keeping them there. If you provide quality information that is easy to access, you are giving visitor what they are looking for. Don't give your visitors a reason to click away. Quality content means happy visitors, and with enough happy visitors, you become an "authority" on your topic. Having a site recognized as an authority means good ranking in search engines.

Know Your Audience

So how do you get your visitors to stay on your site, and to return to it? First, you need to understand your audience. Who are you trying to reach? Create your pages with them in mind. Do you want to reach a narrow audience, or will you try to reach all levels of readers? Buzz words may make sense to you in your business, but will they reach your target audience? If you are a high-powered underwater basketweaving consultant, focused only on serious underwater basketweavers, you can keep discussion on your site fairly technical. If, however, you really want to spread joy of underwater basketweaving to a wider audience, you may want to keep tone more general, giving newcomers to underwater basketweaving information they need to become as enthralled by basketweaving as you are.

Get Your Visitors Involved

So what kind of content do you need to provide for your visitors? If you have a site selling gardening books, you will have lists of titles you have for sale, an order form, and contact information. Everybody else selling gardening books will have these pages too. How do you rise above crowd? How do you stand out as definitive gardening book website?

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